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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6a77c19 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #54222 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54222) diff --git a/old/54222-8.txt b/old/54222-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e430547..0000000 --- a/old/54222-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12594 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Blood and Sand, by Vincente Blasco Ibáñez - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Blood and Sand - - -Author: Vincente Blasco Ibáñez - - - -Release Date: February 22, 2017 [eBook #54222] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLOOD AND SAND*** - - -E-text prepared by David Garcia, Larry B. Harrison, Martin Pettit, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page -images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/bloodsandnovel00blas - - - - - -BLOOD AND SAND - -A Novel - -by - -VICENTE BLASCO IBÁÑEZ - -Translated from the Spanish by Mrs. W. A. Gillespie - - - - - - -Grosset & Dunlap -Publishers New York -By arrangement with E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. - -Copyright, 1919, 1922, -By E. P. Dutton & Company - -All Rights Reserved - -Printed in the United States of America - - - - -BLASCO IBÁÑEZ AND "SANGRE Y ARENA" - - -One of the secrets of the immense power exercised by the novels of -Vicente Blasco Ibáñez is that they are literary projections of his -dynamic personality. Not only the style, but the book, is here the man. -This is especially true of those of his works in which the thesis -element predominates, and in which the famous author of _The Four -Horsemen of the Apocalypse_ appears as a novelist of ideas-in-action. It -is, of course, possible to divide his works into the "manners" or -"periods" so dear to the literary cataloguers, and it may thus be -indicated that there are such fairly distinct genres as the regional -novel, the sociological tale and the psychological study; a convenient -classification of this sort would place among the regional novels such -masterpieces as _La Barraca_ and _Cañas y Barro_,--among the novels of -purpose such powerful writings as _La Catedral_, _La Bodega_ and _Sangre -y Arena_,--among the psychological studies the introspective _La Maja -Desnuda_. The war novels, including _The Four Horsemen_ and the epic -_Mare Nostrum_, would seem to form another group. Such non-literary -diversions as grouping and regrouping, however, had perhaps best be left -to those who relish the task. It is for the present more important to -note that the passionate flame of a deeply human purpose welds the man's -literary labors into a larger unity. His pen, as his person, has been -given over to humanity. He is as fearless in his denunciation of evil as -he is powerful in his description of it; he has lived his ideas as well -as fashioned them into enduring documents; he reveals not only a new -Spain, but a new world. - -While Blasco Ibáñez does not desire to be known as regional -novelist--nor does a complete view of his numerous works justify such a -narrow description--he has nevertheless in his earlier books made such -effective and artistic use of regional backgrounds that some critics -have found this part of his production best. Speaking from the -standpoint of durable literary art, I am inclined to such a view. Yet is -there less humanitarian impulse in _The Four Horsemen_ than in these -earlier masterpieces? Whether Blasco Ibáñez's background is a corner in -Valencia, a spot on the island of Majorca, a battlefield in France, or -Our Sea the Mediterranean,--the cradle of civilization,--his real stage -is the human heart and his real actor, man. - -Upon his election to the Cortes,--Spain's national parliamentary -assembly,--Blasco Ibáñez naturally turned, in his novels, to a -consideration of political and social themes. Beginning with _La -Catedral_ (The Shadow of the Cathedral), one of the most powerful modern -documents of its kind, he took up in successive novels the treatment of -such vital subjects as the relation of Church to State, the degrading -and backward influence of drunkenness, the problem of the Jesuits, the -brutality and psychology of the bull-fight. In all of these works the -writer is characterized by fearlessness, passion and even vehemence; yet -his ardor is not so strong as to lead him into conscious unfairness. A -fiery advocate of the lowly, he yet can cast their shortcomings into -their teeth; they, in their ignorance, are accomplices in their own -degradation, partners in the crimes that oppress them. They slay the -leaders whom they misunderstand; they are slow to organize for the -purpose of bursting their shackles. This appears in _La Barraca_ (one of -the so-called regional novels) no less than in _La Catedral_, _La -Bodega_ and other books of the more purely sociological series. In -varying degree, applied to a nation rather than to a class, this -fearless attitude is evident in _Los Cuatros Jinetes del Apocalipsis_ -and _Mare Nostrum_, in which is assailed the neutrality of Spain during -the late and unlamented conflict. This unflinching determination to see -the truth and state it is also discernible in a most personal manner; -the sad inability of such noble spirits as Gabriel Luna (_La Catedral_) -or Fernando Salvatierra (_La Bodega_) to solace themselves with a belief -in future life is perhaps an exteriorization of the author's own views, -even as these revolutionary spirits are, in part, embodiments of -himself. - -In the bulk of the noted Spaniard's books there is waged, on both a -large scale and a small, the ceaseless, implacable struggle of the new -against the old. This eternal battle early formed an appreciable part of -even the writer's short fiction. His old seamen look with scorn upon the -steam-vessels that replace their beloved barks; his vintners regret the -passing of the good old days when sherry sold high and had not yet been -ousted from the market by cheap, new-fangled concoctions; his toilers -begin to rebel against ecclesiastical authority; some of his heroes are -even capable of falling in love with Jewesses or with women below their -station (_Luna Benamor_, _Los Muertos Mandan_); everywhere is the -fermentation of transition. His protagonists,--red-blooded, vigorous, -determined,--usually fail at the end, but if there are victories that -spell failure, so are there failures that spell victory. It is the clash -of these ancient and modern forces that strikes the spark which ignites -the author's passion. He is with the new and of it, yet rises above -blind partisanship. His dominant figures, chiefly men, are -representative of the Spain of to-morrow; not that mañana which has so -long (and often unjustly) been a standing reproach to Iberian -procrastination, but a to-morrow of rebirth, of rededication to lofty -ideals and glowing realities. - -In _Sangre y Arena_ (_Blood and Sand_, written in 1908) Blasco Ibáñez -attacks the Spanish national sport. With characteristic thoroughness, -approaching his subject from the psychological, the historical, the -national, the humane, the dramatic and narrative standpoint, he evolves -another of his notable documents, worthy of a place among the great -tracts of literary history. - -His process, like his plot, is simple; whether attacking the Church or -the evils of drink, or the bloodlust of the bull ring, his methods are -usually the same. He provides a protagonist who shall serve as the -vehicle or symbol of his ideas, surrounding him with minor personages -intended to serve as a foil or as a prop. He fills in the background -with all the wealth of descriptive and coloring powers at his -command--and these powers are as highly developed in Ibáñez, I believe, -as in any living writer. The beauty of Blasco Ibáñez's descriptions--a -beauty by no means confined to the pictures he summons to the mind--is -that, at their best, they rise to interpretation. He not only brings -before the eye a vivid image, but communicates to the spirit an -intellectual reaction. Here he is the master who penetrates beyond the -exterior into the inner significance; the reader is carried into the -swirl of the action itself, for the magic of the author's pen imparts a -sense of palpitant actuality; you are yourself a soldier at the Marne, -you fairly drown with Ulises in his beloved Mediterranean, you defend -the besieged city of Saguntum, you pant with the swordsman in the bloody -arena. This gift of imparting actuality to his scenes is but another -evidence of the Spaniard's dynamic personality; he lives his actions so -thoroughly that we live them with him; his gift of second sight gives us -to see beyond amphitheatres of blood and sand into national character, -beyond a village struggle into the vexed problem of land, labor and -property. Against this type of background develops the characteristic -Ibáñez plot, by no means lacking intimate interest, yet beginning -somewhat slowly and gathering the irresistible momentum of a powerful -body. - -Juan Gallardo, the hero of _Blood and Sand_, has from earliest childhood -exhibited a natural aptitude for the bull ring. He is aided in his -career by interested parties, and soon jumps to the forefront of his -idolized profession, without having to thread his way arduously up the -steep ascent of the bull fighters' hierarchy. Fame and fortune come to -him, and he is able to gratify the desires of his early days, as if the -mirage of hunger and desire had suddenly been converted into dazzling -reality. He lavishes largess upon his mother and his childless wife, -and there comes, too, a love out of wedlock. - -But neither his powers nor his fame can last forever. The life of even -Juan Gallardo is taken into his hands every time he steps into the ring -to face the wild bulls; at first comes a minor accident, then a loss of -prestige, and at last the fatal day upon which he is carried out of the -arena, dead. He dies a victim of his own glory, a sacrifice upon the -altar of national blood-lust. That Doña Sol who lures him from his wife -and home is, in her capricious, fascinating, baffling way, almost a -symbol of the fickle bull-fight audience, now hymning the praises of a -favorite, now sneering him off the scene of his former triumphs. - -The tale is more than a colorful, absorbing story of love and struggle. -It is a stinging indictment brought against the author's countrymen, -thrown in their faces with dauntless acrimony. He shows us the glory of -the arena,--the movement, the color, the mastery of the skilled -performers,--and he reveals, too, the sickening other side. In -successive pictures he mirrors the thousands that flock to the bull -fights, reaching a tremendous climax in the closing words of the tale. -The popular hero has just been gored to death, but the crowd, knowing -that the spectacle is less than half over, sets up yells for the -continuance of the performance. In the bellowing of the mob Blasco -Ibáñez divines the howl of the real and only animals. Not the -sacrificial bulls, but the howling, bloodthirsty assembly is the genuine -beast! - -The volume is rich in significant detail, both as regards the master's -peculiar powers and his views as expressed in other words. Once again we -meet the author's determination to be just to all concerned. Through Dr. -Ruiz, for example, a medical enthusiast over tauromachy, we receive what -amounts to a lecture upon the evolution of the brutal sport. He looks -upon bull-fighting as the historical substitute for the Inquisition, -which was in itself a great national festival. He is ready to admit, -too, that the bull fight is a barbarous institution, but calls to your -attention that it is by no means the only one in the world. In the -turning of the people to violent, savage forms of amusement he beholds a -universal ailment. And when Dr. Ruiz expresses his disgust at seeing -foreigners turn eyes of contempt upon Spain because of the bull-fight, -he no doubt speaks for Blasco Ibáñez. The enthusiastic physician points -out that horse-racing is more cruel than bull-fighting, and kills many -more men; that the spectacle of fox-hunting with trained dogs is hardly -a sight for civilized onlookers; that there is more than one modern game -out of which the participants emerge with broken legs, fractured skulls, -flattened noses and what not; and how about the duel, often fought with -only an unhealthy desire for publicity as the genuine cause? - -Thus, through the Doctor, the Spaniard states the other side of the -case, saying, in effect, to the foreign reader, "Yes, I am upbraiding my -countrymen for the national vice that they are pleased to call a sport. -That is my right as a Spaniard who loves his country and as a human -being who loves his race. But do not forget that you have institutions -little less barbarous, and before you grow too excited in your desire to -remove the mote from our eye, see to it that you remove your own, for it -is there." - -Juan Gallardo is not one of the impossible heroes that crowd the pages -of fiction; to me he is a more successful portrait than, for example, -Gabriel Luna of _The Shadow of the Cathedral_. There is a certain -rigidity in Luna's make-up, due perhaps to his unbending certainty in -matters of belief,--or to be exact, matters of unbelief. This is felt -even in his moments of love, although that may be accounted for by the -vicissitudes of his wandering existence and the illness with which it -has left him. Gallardo is somehow more human; he is not a matinée hero; -he knows what it is to quake with fear before he enters the ring; he -comes to a realization of what his position has cost him; he impresses -us not only as a powerful type, but as a flesh and blood creature. And -his end, like that of so many of the author's protagonists, comes about -much in the nature of a retribution. He dies at the hands of the thing -he loves, on the stage of his triumphs. And while I am on the subject of -the hero's death, let me suggest that Blasco Ibáñez's numerous death -scenes often attain a rare height of artistry and poetry,--for, strange -as it may seem to some, there is a poet hidden in the noted Spaniard, a -poet of vast conception, of deep communion with the interplay of Nature -and her creatures, of vision that becomes symbolic. Recall the death of -the Centaur Madariaga in _The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse_, dashing -upon his beloved steed, like a Mazeppa of the South American plains, -straight into eternity; read the remarkable passages portraying the -deaths of Triton and Ulises in _Mare Nostrum_; consider the deeply -underlying connotation of Gabriel Luna's fate. These are not mere -dyings; they are apotheoses. - -Doña Sol belongs to the author's siren types; she is an early sister of -Freya, the German spy who leads to the undoing of Ulises in _Mare -Nostrum_. She is one of the many proofs that Blasco Ibáñez, in his -portrayals of the worldly woman, seizes upon typical rather than -individual traits; she puzzles the reader quite as much as she confuses -her passionate lover. And she is no more loyal to him than is the -worshipping crowd that at last, in her presence, dethrones its former -idol. - -Among the secondary characters, as interesting as any, is the friend of -Juan who is nicknamed Nacional, because of his radical political -notions. Nacional does not drink wine; to him wine was responsible for -the failure of the laboring-class, a point of view which the author had -already enunciated three years earlier in _La Bodega_; similar to the -rôle played by drink is that of illiteracy, and here, too, Nacional -feels the terrible burdens imposed upon the common people by lack of -education. Indicative of the author's sympathies is also his strange -bandit Plumitas, a sort of Robin Hood who robs from the rich and succors -the poor. The humorous figure of the bull-fighter's brother-in-law -suggests the horde of sycophants that always manage to attach themselves -to a noted--and generous--public personage. - -The dominant impression that the book leaves upon me is one of -power,--crushing, implacable power. The author's paragraphs and chapters -often seem hewn out of rock and solidly massed one upon the other in the -rearing of an impregnable structure. And just as these chapters are -massed into a temple of passionate protest, so the entire works of -Blasco Ibáñez attain an architectural unity in which not the least of -the elements are a flaming nobility of purpose and a powerful directness -of aim. - -Once upon a time, and it was not so very long ago, it was the fashion in -certain quarters to regard Blasco Ibáñez as impossible and utopian. The -trend of world events has greatly modified the meanings of some of our -words and has given us a deeper insight into hitherto neglected aspects -of foreign and domestic life. Things have been happening lately in Spain -(as well as elsewhere, indeed!) that reveal our author in somewhat the -light of a prophet. Or is it merely that he is closer to the heart of -his nation and describes what he sees rather than draws a veil of words -before unpleasant situations? Ultimately these situations must be met. -The Spain of to-morrow will be found to have moved more in the direction -of Blasco Ibáñez than in that of his detractors. - -The renowned novelist is but fifty-two, energetic, prolific, voluminous; -besides more than a score of novels thus far to his credit he has -written several books of travel, a history of the world war, has -travelled in both hemispheres and made countless volumes of -translations. He has now a larger audience than has been vouchsafed any -of his fellow novelists, and his future works will be watched for by -readers the world over. That is a rare privilege and imposes a rare -obligation. Blasco Ibáñez has it in him to meet both. - -ISAAC GOLDBERG. - -Roxbury, Mass. - - - - -BLOOD AND SAND - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -Juan Gallardo breakfasted early as was his custom on the days of a -bull-fight. A little roast meat was his only dish. Wine he did not -touch, and the bottle remained unopened before him. He had to keep -himself steady. He drank two cups of strong black coffee and then, -lighting an enormous cigar, sat with his elbows resting on the table and -his chin on his hands, watching with drowsy eyes the customers who, -little by little, began to fill the dining-room. - -For many years past, ever since he had been given "la alternativa"[1] in -the Bull-ring of Madrid, he had always lodged at that same hotel in the -Calle de Alcala, where the proprietors treated him as one of the family, -and waiters, porters, kitchen scullions, and old chambermaids all adored -him as the glory of the establishment. - -There also had he stayed many days, swathed in bandages, in a dense -atmosphere of iodoform and cigar smoke, as the result of two bad -gorings--but these evil memories had not made much impression. With his -Southern superstition and continual exposure to danger he had come to -believe that this hotel was a "Buena Sombra,"[2] and that whilst staying -there no harm would happen to him. The risks of his profession he had -to take, a tear in his clothes perhaps, or even a gash in his flesh, -but nothing to make him fall for ever, as so many of his comrades had -fallen. The recollection of these tragedies disturbed his happiest -hours. - -On these days, after his early breakfast, he enjoyed sitting in the -dining-room watching the movements of the travellers, foreigners or -people from distant provinces, who passed him by with uninterested faces -and without a glance, but who turned with curiosity on hearing from the -servants that the handsome young fellow with clean-shaven face and black -eyes, dressed like a gentleman, was Juan Gallardo, the famous -matador,[3] called familiarly by everybody "El Gallardo." - -In this atmosphere of curiosity he whiled away the wearisome wait until -it was time to go to the Plaza. How long the time seemed! Those hours of -uncertainty, in which vague fears rose from the depths of his soul, -making him doubtful of himself, were the most painful in his profession. -He did not care to go out into the street--he thought of the fatigues of -the Corrida and the necessity of keeping himself fresh and agile. Nor -could he amuse himself with the pleasures of the table, on account of -the necessity of eating little and early, so as to arrive in the Plaza -free from the heaviness of digestion. - -He remained at the head of the table, his face resting on his hands, and -a cloud of perfumed smoke before his eyes which he turned from time to -time with a self-satisfied air in the direction of some ladies who were -watching the famous torero[3] with marked interest. - -His vanity as an idol of the populace made him read praises and -flatteries in those glances. They evidently thought him spruce and -elegant, and he, forgetting his anxieties, with the instinct of a man -accustomed to adopt a proud bearing before the public, drew himself up, -dusted the ashes of his cigar from his coat sleeves with a flick, and -adjusted the ring which, set with an enormous brilliant, covered the -whole joint of one finger, and from which flashed a perfect rainbow of -colours as if its depths, clear as a drop of water, were burning with -magic fires. - -His eyes travelled complaisantly over his own person, admiring his -well-cut suit, the cap which he usually wore about the hotel now thrown -on a chair close by, the fine gold chain which crossed the upper part of -his waistcoat from pocket to pocket, the pearl in his cravat, which -seemed to light up the swarthy colour of his face with its milky light, -and his Russia leather shoes, which showed between the instep and the -turned-up trouser openwork embroidered silk socks, like the stockings of -a cocotte. - -An atmosphere of English scents, sweet and vague, but used in profusion, -emanated from his clothes, and from the black, glossy waves of hair -which he wore curled on his temples, and he assumed a swaggering air -before this feminine curiosity. For a torero he was not bad. He felt -satisfied with his appearance. Where would you find a man more -distinguished or more attractive to women? - -But suddenly his preoccupation reappeared, the fire of his eyes was -quenched, his chin again sank on his hand, and he puffed hard at his -cigar. - -His gaze lost itself in a cloud of smoke. He thought with impatience of -the twilight hours, longing for them to come as soon as possible,--of -his return from the bull-fight, hot and tired, but with the relief of -danger overcome, his appetites awakened, a wild desire for pleasure, and -the certainty of a few days of safety and rest. If God still protected -him as He had done so many times before, he would dine with the -appetite of his former days of want, he would drink his fill too, and -would then go in search of a girl who was singing in a music-hall, whom -he had seen during one of his journeys, without, however, having been -able to follow up the acquaintance. In this life of perpetual movement, -rushing from one end of the Peninsula to the other, he never had time -for anything. - -Several enthusiastic friends who, before going to breakfast in their own -houses, wished to see the "diestro,"[4] had by this time entered the -dining-room. They were old amateurs of the bull-ring, anxious to form a -small coterie and to have an idol. They had made the young Gallardo -"their own matador," giving him sage advice, and recalling at every turn -their old adoration for "Lagartijo" or "Frascuelo."[5] They spoke to the -"espada" as "tu," with patronising familiarity and he, when he answered -them, placed the respectful "don" before their names, with that -traditional separation of classes which exists between even a torero -risen from a social substratum and his admirers. - -These people joined to their enthusiasm their memories of past times, in -order to impress the young diestro with the superiority of their years -and experience. They spoke of the "old Plaza" of Madrid, where only -"true" toreros and "true" bulls were known, and drawing nearer to the -present times, they trembled with excitement as they remembered the -"Negro."[6] That "Negro" was Frascuelo. - -If you could only have seen him!... But probably you and those of your -day were still at the breast or were not yet born. - -Other enthusiasts kept coming into the dining-room, men of wretched -appearance and hungry faces, obscure reporters of papers only known to -the bull-fighters, whom they honoured with their praise or censure: -people of problematic profession who appeared as soon as the news of -Gallardo's arrival got about, besieging him with flatteries and requests -for tickets. The general enthusiasm permitted them to mix with the other -gentlemen, rich merchants and public functionaries, who discussed -bull-fighting affairs with them hotly without being troubled by their -beggarly appearance. - -All of them, on seeing the espada,[7] embraced him or clasped his hand, -to a running accompaniment of questions and exclamations: - -"Juanillo!... How is Carmen?" - -"Quite well, thank you." - -"And your mother? the Señora Angustias?" - -"Famous, thanks. She is at La Rincona." - -"And your sister and the little nephews?" - -"In good health, thanks." - -"And that ridiculous fellow, your brother-in-law?" - -"Well, also. As great a talker as ever." - -"And, a little family? Is there no hope?" - -"No--not that much----." And he bit his nails in expressive negation. - -He then turned his enquiries on the stranger, of whose life, beyond his -love for bull-fighting, he was completely ignorant. - -"And your own family? Are they also quite well?--Come along, I am glad -to meet you. Sit down and have something." - -Next he enquired about the looks of the bulls with which he was going -to fight in a few hours' time, because all these friends had just come -from the Plaza, after seeing the separation and boxing of the animals, -and with professional curiosity he asked for news from the Café -Ingles,[8] where many of the amateurs foregathered. - -It was the first "Corrida"[9] of the Spring season, and Gallardo's -enthusiastic admirers had great hopes of him as they called to mind all -the articles they had read in the papers, describing his recent triumphs -in other Plazas in Spain. He had more engagements than any other torero. -Since the Corrida of the Feast of the Resurrection,[10] the first -important event in the taurine year. Gallardo had gone from place to -place killing bulls. Later on, when August and September came round, he -would have to spend his nights in the train and his afternoons in the -ring, with scarcely breathing time between them. His agent in Seville -was nearly frantic--overwhelmed with letters and telegrams, and not -knowing how to fit so many requests for engagements into the exigencies -of time. - -The evening before this he had fought at Ciudad Real and, still in his -splendid dress, had thrown himself into the train in order to arrive in -Madrid in the morning. He had spent a wakeful night, only sleeping by -snatches, boxed up in the small sitting accommodation that the other -passengers managed, by squeezing themselves together, to leave for the -man who was to risk his life on the following day. - -The enthusiasts admired his physical endurance and the daring courage -with which he threw himself on the bull at the moment of killing it. -"Let us see what you can do this afternoon," they said with the fervour -of zealots, "the fraternity[11] expects great things from you. You will -lower the Mona[12] of many of our rivals. Let us see you as dashing here -as you were in Seville!" - -His admirers dispersed to their breakfasts at home in order to go early -to the Corrida. Gallardo, finding himself alone, was making his way up -to his room, impelled by the nervous restlessness which overpowered him, -when a man holding two children by the hand, pushed open the glass doors -of the dining-room, regardless of the servant's enquiries as to his -business. He smiled seraphically when he saw the torero and advanced, -with his eyes fixed on him, dragging the children along and scarcely -noticing where he placed his feet. Gallardo recognised him, "How are -you, Comparé?" - -Then began all the usual questions as to the welfare of the family, -after which the man turned to his children saying solemnly: - -"Here he is. You are always asking to see him. He's exactly like his -portraits, isn't he?" - -The two mites stared religiously at the hero whose portraits they had so -often seen on the prints which adorned the walls of their poor little -home, a supernatural being whose exploits and wealth had been their -chief admiration ever since they had begun to understand mundane -matters. - -"Juanillo, kiss your Godfather's hand," and the younger of the two -rubbed a red cheek against the torero's hand, a cheek newly polished by -his mother in view of this visit. - -Gallardo caressed his head abstractedly. This was one of the numerous -godchildren he had about Spain. Enthusiasts forced him to stand -godfather to their children, thinking in this way to secure their -future, and to have to appear at baptisms was one of the penalties of -his fame. This, particular godson reminded him of bad times at the -beginning of his career, and he felt grateful to the father for the -confidence he had placed in him at a time when others were still -doubtful of his merits. - -"And how about your business, Comparé?" enquired Gallardo, "Is it going -on better?" - -The aficionado[13] shrugged his shoulders. He was getting a livelihood, -thanks to his dealings in the barley market--just getting a livelihood, -nothing more. - -Gallardo looked compassionately at his threadbare Sunday-best clothes. - -"Would you like to see the Corrida, Comparé? Well go up to my room and -tell Garabato[14] to give you a ticket.---- Good-bye, my dear fellow. -Here's a trifle to buy yourselves some little thing," and while the -little godson again kissed his right hand, with his other hand the -matador gave each child a couple of duros. - -The father dragged away his offspring with many grateful excuses, though -he did not succeed in making clear, in his very confused thanks, whether -his delight was for the present to the children, or for the ticket for -the bull-fight which the diestro's servant would give him. - -Gallardo waited for some time so as not to meet his admirer and the -children in his room. Then he looked at his watch. Only one o'clock! -What a long time it still was till the bull-fight! - -As he came out of the dining-room and turned towards the stairs, a woman -wrapped in an old cloak came out of the hall-porter's office, barring -his way with determined familiarity, quite regardless of the servants' -expostulations. - -"Juaniyo! Juan! Don't you know me? I am 'la Caracolá,[15] the Señora -Dolores, mother of poor Lechuguero."[16] - -Gallardo smiled at this little dark wizened woman, verbose and vehement, -with eyes burning like live coals,--the eyes of a witch. At the same -time, knowing what would be the outcome of her volubility, he raised his -hand to his waistcoat pocket. - -"Misery, my son! Poverty and affliction! When I heard you were -bull-fighting to-day I said 'I will go and see Juaniyo: He will remember -the mother of his poor comrade.' How smart you are, gipsy! All the women -are crazy after you, you rascal! I am very badly off, my son. I have not -even a shift, and nothing has entered my mouth to-day but a little -Cazaya.[17] They keep me, out of pity, in la Pepona's house, who is from -over there--from our own country,--a very decent five duro house. Come -round there, they would love to see you. I dress girls' hair and run -errands for the men. Ah! If only my poor son were alive! You remember -Pepiyo? Do you remember the afternoon on which he died?----" - -Gallardo put a duro into her dry hand and did his best to escape from -her volubility, which by this time was showing signs of imminent tears. - -Cursed witch! Why did she come and remind him, on the day of a Corrida, -of poor Lechuguero, the companion of his early years, whom he had seen -killed almost instantaneously, gored to the heart, in the Plaza of -Lebrija, when the two were bull-fighting as Novilleros?[18] Foul hag of -evil omen! - -He thrust her aside, but she, flitting from sorrow to joy with the -inconsequence of a bird, broke out into enthusiastic praises of the -brave boys, the good toreros, who carried away the money of the public -and the hearts of the women. - -"You deserve to have the Queen, my beauty! The Señora Carmen will have -to keep her eyes wide open. Some fine day a 'gachi' will steal and keep -you. Can't you give me a ticket for this afternoon, Juaniyo? I am -bursting with longing to see you kill!" - -The old woman's shrill voice and noisy cajoleries diverted the amused -attention of the hotel servants and enabled a number of inquisitive -idlers and beggars who, attracted by the presence of the torero, had -collected outside the entrance, to break through the strict supervision -that was usually maintained at the doors. - -Heedless of the hotel servants, an irruption of loafers, ne'er-do-wells -and newspaper sellers burst into the hall. - -Ragamuffins, with bundles of papers under their arms, flourished their -caps and greeted Gallardo with boisterous familiarity. - -"El Gallardo," "Olé El Gallardo," "Long live the Brave." - -The more daring seized his hand, shaking it roughly and pulling it about -in their anxiety to keep touch of this national hero, whose portraits -they had all seen in every paper, as long as ever they could, and then, -to give their companions a chance of sharing their triumph, they shouted -"Shake his hand. He won't be offended! He's a real good sort." Their -devotion made them almost kneel before the matador. - -There were also other admirers, just as insistent, with unkempt beards -and clothes that had been fashionable in the days of their youth, who -shuffled round their idol in boots that had seen better days. They swept -their greasy sombreros towards him, spoke in a low voice and called him -"Don Juan," in order to emphasise the difference between themselves and -the rest of that irreverent, excited crowd. Some of them drew attention -to their poverty and asked for a small donation, others, with more -impertinence, asked, in the name of their love of the sport, for a -ticket for the Corrida,--fully intending to sell it immediately. - -Gallardo defended himself laughingly against this avalanche which -jostled and overwhelmed him, and from which the hotel servants, who were -bewildered at the excitement aroused by his popularity, were quite -unable to save him. - -He searched through all his pockets until he finally turned them out -empty, distributing silver coins broadcast among the greedy hands held -out to clutch them. - -"There is no more! The fuel is finished! Leave me alone, my friends!" - -Pretending to be annoyed by this popularity, which in fact flattered him -greatly, he suddenly opened a way through them with his muscular -athletic arms, and ran upstairs, bounding up the steps with the -lightness of a wrestler, while the servants, freed from the restraint of -his presence, pushed the crowd towards the door and swept them into the -street. - -Gallardo passed the room occupied by his servant Garabato, and saw him -through the half open door, busy amid trunks and boxes, preparing his -master's clothes for the Corrida. - -On finding himself alone in his own room, the happy excitement caused by -the avalanche of admirers vanished at once. The bad moments of the days -of a Corrida returned, the anxiety of those last hours before going to -the Plaza. Bulls of Muira[19] and a Madrid audience. The danger, which -when facing him seemed to intoxicate him and increase his daring, was -anguish to him when alone,--something supernatural, fearful and -intimidating from its very uncertainty. - -He felt overwhelmed, as if the fatigues of his previous bad night had -suddenly overcome him. He longed to throw himself on one of the beds -which occupied the end of the room, but again the anxiety which -possessed him, with its mystery and uncertainty, banished the desire to -sleep. - -He walked restlessly up and down the room, lighting another Havanna from -the end of the one he had just smoked. - -What would be the result for him of the Madrid season just about to -commence? What would his enemies say? What would his professional rivals -do? He had killed many Muira bulls,--after all they were only like any -other bulls,--still, he thought of his comrades fallen in the -arena,--nearly all of them victims of animals from this herd. Cursed -Muiras! No wonder he and other espadas exacted a thousand pesetas[20] -more in their contracts each time they fought with bulls of this breed. - -He wandered vaguely about the room with nervous step. Now and then he -stopped to gaze vacantly at well known things amongst his luggage, and -finally he threw himself into an arm-chair, as if seized with a sudden -weakness. He looked often at his watch--not yet two o'clock. How slowly -the time passed! - -He longed, as a relief for his nervousness, for the time to come as soon -as possible for him to dress and go to the Plaza. The people, the -noise, the general curiosity, the desire to show himself calm and at -ease before an admiring public, and above all the near approach of -danger, real and personal, would instantly blot out this anguish of -solitude, in which the espada, with no external excitement to assist -him, felt himself face to face with something very like fear. - -The necessity for distracting his mind made him search the inside pocket -of his coat and take out of his pocket-book a letter which exhaled a -strong sweet scent. - -Standing by a window, through which entered the dull light of an -interior courtyard, he looked at the envelope which had been delivered -to him on his arrival at the hotel, admiring the elegance of the -handwriting in which the address was written,--so delicate and well -shaped. - -Then he drew out the letter, inhaling its indefinable perfume with -delight. Ah! These people of high birth who had travelled much! How they -revealed their inimitable breeding, even in the smallest details! - -Gallardo, as though he still carried about his person the pungent odour -of the poverty of his early years, perfumed himself abundantly. His -enemies laughed at this athletic young fellow who by his love of scent -belied the strength of his sex. Even his admirers smiled at his -weakness, though often they had to turn their heads aside, sickened by -the diestro's excess. - -A whole perfumer's shop accompanied him on his journeys, and the most -feminine scents anointed his body as he went down into the arena amongst -the scattered entrails of dead horses and their blood-stained dung. - -Certain enamoured cocottes whose acquaintance he had made during a -journey to the Plazas in the South of France had given him the secret of -combining and mixing rare perfumes,--but the scent of that letter! It -was the scent of the person who had written it!--that mysterious scent -so delicate, indefinable, and inimitable, which seemed to emanate from -her aristocratic form, and which he called "the scent of the lady." - -He read and re-read the letter with a beatified smile of delight and -pride. - -It was not much, only half a dozen lines--"a greeting from Seville, -wishing him good luck in Madrid. Congratulations beforehand on his -expected triumph----." The letter might have been lost anywhere without -compromising the woman who signed it. - -"Friend Gallardo," it began, in a delicate handwriting which made the -torero's eyes brighten, and it ended "Your friend, Sol," all in a coldly -friendly style, writing to him as "Usté"[21] with an amiable tone of -superiority, as though the words were not between equals, but fell in -mercy from on high. - -As the torero looked at the letter, with the adoration of a man of the -people little versed in reading, he could not suppress a certain feeling -of annoyance, as though he felt himself despised. - -"That gachí!" he murmured, "What a woman! No one can discompose her! See -how she writes to me as 'Usté!' 'Usté'--to me!" - -But pleasant memories made him smile with self-satisfaction. That cold -style was for letters only,--the ways of a great lady,--the precautions -of a woman of the world. His annoyance soon turned to admiration. - -"How clever she is! A cautious minx!" - -He smiled a smile of professional satisfaction, the pride of a tamer who -enhances his own glory by exaggerating the strength of the wild beast he -has overcome. - -While Gallardo was admiring his letter, his servant Garabato passed in -and out of the room, laden with clothes and boxes which he spread on a -bed. - -He was very quiet in his movements, very deft of hand, and seemed to -take no notice of the matador's presence. - -For many years past he had accompanied the diestro to all his -bull-fights as "Sword carrier."[22] He had begun bull-fighting at the -"Capeas"[23] at the same time as Gallardo, but all the bad luck had been -for him and all the advancement and fame for his companion. - -He was dark, swarthy, and of poor muscular development, and a jagged, -badly joined scar crossed his wrinkled, flabby, old-looking face like a -white scrawl. It was a goring he had received in the Plaza of some town -he had visited and which had nearly been his death, and besides this -terrible wound, there were others which disfigured parts of his body -which could not be seen. - -By a miracle he had emerged with his life from his passion for -bull-fighting, and the cruel part of it was that people used to laugh at -his misfortunes, and seemed to take a pleasure in seeing him trampled -and mangled by the bulls. - -Finally his pig-headed obstinacy yielded to misfortune and he decided to -become the attendant and confidential servant of his old friend. He was -Gallardo's most fervent admirer, though he sometimes took advantage of -this confidential intimacy to allow himself to criticise and advise. -"Had he stood in his master's skin he would have done better under -certain circumstances." - -Gallardo's friends found the wrecked ambitions of the sword carrier an -unfailing source of merriment, but he took no notice of their jokes. -Give up bulls? Never!! So that all memory of the past should not be -effaced, he combed his coarse hair in curls above his ears, and -preserved on his occiput the long, sacred lock, the pig-tail of his -younger days, the hall-mark of the profession which distinguished him -from other mortals. - -When Gallardo was angry with him, his noisy, impulsive rage always -threatened this capillary appendage. "You dare to wear a pig-tail, -shameless dolt? I'll cut off that rat's tail for you! Confounded idiot! -Maleta!!"[24] - -Garabato received these threats resignedly, but he revenged himself by -retiring into the silence of a superior being, and only replying by a -shrug of his shoulders to the exultation of his master when, on -returning from a bull-fight, after a lucky afternoon, Gallardo exclaimed -with almost childish vanity, "What did you think of it? Really, wasn't I -splendid?" - -In consequence of their early comradeship he always retained the -privilege of addressing his master as "tu." He could not speak otherwise -to the "maestro,"[25] but the "tu" was accompanied by a grave face, and -an expression of genuine respect. His familiarity was something akin to -that of their squires towards the knights errant of olden days! - -From his neck to the top of his head he was a torero, but the rest of -his person seemed half tailor, half valet. Dressed in a suit of English -cloth,--a present from his master, he had the lapels of his coat -covered with pins and safety-pins, while several threaded needles were -fastened into one of his sleeves. His dark withered hands manipulated -and arranged things with the gentleness of a woman. - -When everything that was necessary for his master's toilet had been -placed upon the bed, he passed the numerous articles in review to ensure -that nothing was wanting anywhere. - -After a time he came and stood in the middle of the room, without -looking at Gallardo, and, as if he were speaking to himself, said in a -hoarse and rasping voice, - -"Two o'clock!" - -Gallardo raised his head nervously, as if up to now he had not noticed -his servant's presence. He put the letter into his pocket-book, and then -walked lazily to the end of the room, as though he wished to postpone -the dressing time. - -"Is everything there?" - -Suddenly his pale face became flushed and violently distorted and his -eyes opened unnaturally wide, as if he had just experienced some awful, -unexpected shock. - -"What clothes have you put out?" - -Garabato pointed to the bed, but before he could speak, his master's -wrath fell on him, loud and terrible. - -"Curse you! Don't you know anything about the profession? Have you just -come from the cornfields?--Corrida in Madrid,--bulls from Muira,--and -you put me out red clothes like those poor Manuel, El Espartero, wore! -You are so idiotic that one would think you were my enemy! It would seem -that you wished for my death, you villain!" - -The more he thought of the enormity of this carelessness, which was -equivalent to courting disaster, the more his anger increased--To fight -in Madrid in red clothes, after what had happened! His eyes sparkled -with rage, as if he had just received some treacherous attack, the -whites of his eyes became bloodshot and he seemed ready to fall on the -unfortunate Garabato with his big rough hands. - -A discreet knock at the door cut the scene short,--"Come in." - -A young man entered, dressed in a light suit with a red cravat, carrying -his Cordovan felt hat in a hand covered with large diamond rings. -Gallardo recognised him at once with the facility for remembering faces -acquired by those who live constantly rubbing shoulders with the crowd. -His anger was instantly transformed to a smiling amiability, as if the -visit was a pleasant surprise to him. - -It was a friend from Bilbao, an enthusiastic aficionado, a warm partisan -of his triumphs. That was all he could remember about him. His name? He -knew so many people! What _did_ he call himself?--All he knew was that -most certainly he ought to call him "tu," as this was an old -acquaintanceship. - -"Sit down--This is a surprise! When did you arrive? Are you and yours -quite well?" - -His admirer sat down, with the contentment of a devotee who enters the -sanctuary of his idol, with no intention of moving from it till the very -last moment, delighted at being addressed as "tu" by the master, and -calling him "Juan" at every other word, so that the furniture, walls, or -anyone passing along the passage outside should be aware of his intimacy -with the great man. 'He had arrived that morning and was returning on -the following day. The journey was solely to see Gallardo. He had read -of his exploits. The season seemed opening well. This afternoon would be -a good one. He had been in the boxing enclosure[26] in the morning and -had noticed an almost black animal which assuredly would give great -sport in Gallardo's hands----' - -The master hurriedly cut short the habitué's prophesies. - -"Pardon me--Pray excuse me. I will return at once." - -Leaving the room, he went towards an unnumbered door at the end of the -passage. - -"What clothes shall I put out?" enquired Garabato, in a voice more -hoarse than usual, from his wish to appear submissive. - -"The green, the tobacco, the blue,--anything you please," and Gallardo -disappeared through the little door, while his servant, freed from his -presence, smiled with malicious revenge. He knew what that sudden rush -meant, just at dressing time,--"the relief of fear" they called it in -the profession, and his smile expressed satisfaction to see once more -that the greatest masters of the art and the bravest, suffered as the -result of their anxiety, just the same as he himself had done, when he -went down into the arena in different towns. - -When Gallardo returned to his room, some little time after, he found a -fresh visitor. This was Doctor Ruiz, a popular physician who had spent -thirty years signing the bulletins of the various Cogidas,[27] and -attending every torero who fell wounded in the Plaza of Madrid. - -Gallardo admired him immensely, regarding him as the greatest exponent -of universal science, but at the same time he allowed himself -affectionate chaff at the expense of the Doctor's good-natured character -and personal untidiness. His admiration was that of the populace,--only -recognising ability in a slovenly person if he possesses sufficient -eccentricity to distinguish him from the general run. - -He was of low stature and prominent abdomen, broad faced and flat-nosed, -with a Newgate frill of dirty whitish yellow which gave him at a -distance a certain resemblance to a bust of Socrates. As he stood up, -his protuberant and flabby stomach seemed to shake under his ample -waistcoat as he spoke. As he sat down this same part of his anatomy rose -up to his meagre chest. His clothes, stained and old after a few days' -use, seemed to float about his unharmonious body like garments belonging -to someone else,--so obese was he in the parts devoted to digestion, and -so lean in those of locomotion. - -"He is a simpleton," said Gallardo--"a learned man certainly, as good as -bread, but 'touched.' He will never have a peseta. Whatever he has he -gives away, and he takes what anyone chooses to pay him." - -Two great passions filled his life--the Revolution and Bulls. That vague -but tremendous revolution which would come, leaving in Europe nothing -that now existed, an anarchical republicanism that he did not trouble to -explain, and which was only clear in its exterminatory negations. The -toreros spoke to him as a father, he called them all "tu," and it was -sufficient for a telegram to come from the furthest end of the Peninsula -for the good doctor instantly to take the train and rush to heal a -goring received by one of his "lads" with no expectation of any -recompense, beyond simply what they chose to give him. - -He embraced Gallardo on seeing him after his long absence, pressing his -flaccid abdomen against that body which seemed made of bronze. - -"Oh! You fine fellow!" He thought the espada looked better than ever. - -"And how about that Republic, Doctor? When is it going to come?..." -asked Gallardo, with Andalusian laziness.... "El Nacional[28] says that -we are on the verge, and that it will come one of these days." - -"What does it matter to you, rascal? Leave poor Nacional in peace. He -had far better learn to be a better banderillero. As for you, what ought -to interest you is to go on killing bulls, like God himself!... We have -a fine little afternoon in prospect! I am told that the herd...." - -But when he got as far as this, the young man who had seen the selection -and wished to give news of it, interrupted the doctor to speak of the -dark bull "which had struck his eye," and from which the greatest -wonders might be expected. The two men who, after bowing to each other, -had sat together in the room for a long time in silence, now stood up -face to face, and Gallardo thought that an introduction was necessary, -but what was he to call the friend who was addressing him as "tu?" He -scratched his head, frowning reflectively, but his indecision was short. - -"Listen here. What is your name? Pardon me--you understand I see so many -people." - -The youth smothered beneath a smile his disenchantment at finding -himself forgotten by the Master and gave his name. When he heard it, -Gallardo felt all the past recur suddenly to his memory and repaired his -forgetfulness by adding after the name "a rich mine-owner in Bilbao," -and then presented "the famous Dr. Ruiz," and the two men, united by the -enthusiasm of a common passion, began to chat about the afternoon's -herd, just as if they had known each other all their lives. - -"Sit yourselves down," said Gallardo, pointing to a sofa at the further -end of the room, "You won't disturb me there. Talk and pay no attention -to me. I am going to dress, as we are all men here," and he began to -take off his clothes, remaining only in his undergarments. - -Seated on a chair under the arch which divided the sitting-room from the -bedroom, he gave himself over into the hands of Garabato, who had opened -a Russia leather bag from which he had taken an almost feminine toilet -case, for trimming up his master. - -In spite of his being already carefully shaved, Garabato soaped his face -and passed the razor over his cheeks with the celerity born of daily -practice. After washing himself Gallardo resumed his seat. The servant -then sprinkled his hair with brilliantine and scent, combing it in curls -over his forehead and temples, and then began to dress the sign of the -profession, the sacred pig-tail. - -With infinite care he combed and plaited the long lock which adorned his -master's occiput; and then, interrupting the operation, fastened it on -the top of his head with two hairpins, leaving its final dressing for a -later stage. Next he must attend to the feet, and he drew off the -fighter's socks, leaving him only his vest and spun-silk drawers. - -Gallardo's powerful muscles stood out beneath these clothes in superb -swellings. A hollow in one thigh betrayed a place where the flesh had -disappeared owing to a gash from a horn. The swarthy skin of his arms -was marked with white wheals, the scars of ancient wounds. His dark -hairless chest was crossed by two irregular purple lines, record also of -bloody feats. On one of his heels the flesh was of a violet colour, with -a round depression which looked as if it had been the mould for a coin. -All this fighting machine exhaled an odour of clean and healthy flesh -blended with that of women's pungent scents. - -Garabato, with an armful of cotton wool and white bandages, knelt at -his master's feet. - -"Just like the ancient gladiators!" said Dr. Ruiz, interrupting his -conversation with the Bilboan, "See! You have become a Roman, Juan." - -"Age, Doctor!" replied the matador, with a tinge of melancholy, "We are -all getting older. When I fought both bulls and hunger at the same time -I did not want all this. I had feet of iron in the Capeas." - -Garabato placed small tufts of cotton wool between his master's toes and -covered the soles and the upper part of his feet with a thin layer of -it; then, pulling out the bandages, he rolled them round in tight -spirals, like the wrappings of an ancient mummy. To fix them firmly he -drew one of the threaded needles from his sleeve and carefully and -neatly sewed up their ends. - -Gallardo stamped on the ground with his bandaged feet which seemed to -him firmer in their soft wrappings. In the bandages he felt them both -strong and agile. The servant then drew on the long stockings which came -halfway up the thigh, thick and flexible like gaiters. This was the only -protection for the legs under the silk of the fighting dress. - -"Be careful of wrinkles! See, Garabato, I don't want to wear sacks," and -standing before the looking-glass, endeavouring to see both back and -front, he bent down and passed his hands over his legs smoothing out the -wrinkles for himself. - -Over these white stockings Garabato drew others of pink silk which alone -remained visible when the torero was fully dressed, and then Gallardo -put his feet into the pumps which he chose from amongst several pairs -which Garabato had laid out on a box,--all quite new and with white -soles. - -Then began the real task of the dressing. Holding them by the upper -part, the servant handed him the fighting knee-breeches made of -tobacco-coloured silk, with heavy gold embroidery up the seams. Gallardo -slipped them on, and the thick cords, ending in gold tassels, which drew -in the lower ends, hung down over his feet. These cords which gather the -breeches below the knee, constricting the leg to give it artificial -strength, are called "los machos." - -Gallardo swelled out the muscles of his legs and ordered his servant to -tighten the cords without fear. This was one of the most important -operations as a matador's "machos" must be well tightened and Garabato, -with nimble dexterity soon had the cords wound round and tucked away out -of sight underneath the ends of the breeches, with the tassels hanging -down. - -The master then drew on the fine lawn shirt held out by his servant, the -front covered with zigzag crimpings, and as delicate and clear as a -woman's garment. After he had fastened it Garabato knotted the long -cravat that hung down dividing the chest with its red line till it lost -itself in the waistband of the drawers. Now remained the most -complicated article of clothing, the waist-sash--a long strip of silk -over four yards long which seemed to take up the whole room, and which -Garabato handled with the mastery of long experience. - -The espada went and stood near his friends at the other end of the room, -fastening one end of the sash to his waist. - -"Now then, pay attention," he said to his servant, "and do your little -best." - -Turning slowly on his heels he gradually approached his servant, while -the sash which he held up rolled itself round his waist in regular -curves, and gave it a more graceful shape. Garabato with quick movements -of his hand changed the position of the band of silk. In some turns the -sash was folded double, in others it was completely open, and always -adjusted to the matador's waist, smooth and seemingly like one piece -without wrinkles or unevenness. In the course of his rotatory journey, -Gallardo, scrupulous and very difficult to please in the adornment of -his person, several times stopped his forward movement, to step a few -paces back and rectify the arrangement. - -"That is not right," he said ill-humouredly. "Curse you! take more care, -Garabato!" - -After many halts on the journey, Gallardo came to the last turn, with -the whole length of silk wound round his waist. The clever valet had put -stitches, pins, and safety-pins all round his master's body, making his -clothing literally all one piece. To get out of them the Torero would -have to resort to the aid of scissors in other hands. He could not get -rid of any one of his garments till he returned to the hotel, unless -indeed a bull did it for him in the open Plaza, and they finished his -undressing in the Infirmary. - -Gallardo sat down again and Garabato, taking hold of the pig-tail, freed -it from the support of the pins, and fastened it to the 'Mona,' a bunch -of ribbons like a black cockade, which reminded one of the old -"redecilla"[29] of the earliest days of bull-fighting. - -The master stretched himself, as if he wished to put off getting finally -into the rest of his costume. He asked Garabato to hand him the cigar he -had left on the bedside table, enquired what the time was, and seemed to -think that all the clocks had gone fast. - -"It is still early. The lads have not yet come.... I do not like to go -early to the Plaza. Every tile in the roof seems to weigh on one when -one is waiting there." - -At this moment an hotel servant announced that the carriage with the -"cuadrilla"[30] was waiting for him downstairs. - -The time had come! There was no longer any pretext for delaying the -moment of his departure. He slipped the gold-embroidered waist-coat over -the silk sash, and above this the jacket, a piece of _dazzling_ -embroidery in very high relief, as heavy as a piece of armour and -flashing with light like live coals. The tobacco-coloured silk was only -visible on the inside of the arms, and in two triangles on the back. -Almost the whole fabric was hidden beneath a mass of golden tufts and -gold-embroidered flowers with coloured precious stones in their petals. -The epaulettes were heavy masses of gold embroidery, from which hung -innumerable tassels of the same metal. The gold work reached the extreme -edge of the jacket where it ended in a thick fringe, which quivered at -every step. Between the gold-edged openings of the pockets appeared the -corners of two silk handkerchiefs which, like the cravat and sash, were -red. - -"Give me 'La Montera.'"[31] - -Out of an oval box Garabato took with great care the fighting montera -with black frizzed border and pompons which stood out on either side -like large ears. Gallardo put it on, being careful that his mona should -remain uncovered, hanging symmetrically down his back. - -"Now the cape." - -From the back of a chair Garabato took the cape called "La Capa de -Paseo,"[32] the gala cape, a princely mantle of silk, the same colour as -his clothes, and, like them, covered with gold embroidery. Gallardo -slung it over one shoulder and then looked at himself in the glass, well -satisfied with the effect. - -"That's not so bad. Now to the Plaza." - -His two friends took their leave hurriedly in order to find a cab and -follow him. Garabato tucked under his arm a large bundle of red cloth, -from the ends of which projected the pommels and buttons of several -swords. - -As Gallardo descended to the vestibule of the hotel, he saw that the -street was filled with a noisy, excited crowd, as if some great event -had just happened, and he could hear the buzz of a multitude whom he -could not see through the door-way. - -The landlord and all his family ran up with outstretched hands as if -they were speeding him on a long journey. - -"Good luck! May all go well with you!" - -The servants, sinking all social distinctions, also shook his hand. - -"Good luck, Don Juan!" - -He turned round, smiling on every side, regardless of the anxious looks -of the women of the hotel. - -"Thanks, many thanks.... So long!" - -He was another man now. Now that he had slung his dazzling cape over his -shoulder, a careless smile lit up his face. He was pale with a moist -pallor like a sick man, but he laughed with the joy of life, and, going -to meet his public, he adopted his new attitude with the instinctive -facility of a man who has to put on a fine air before his audience. - -He swaggered arrogantly as he walked, puffing at the cigar in his left -hand, and swayed from his hips under his gorgeous cape, stepping out -firmly with the pride of a handsome man. - -"Now then, gentlemen! Make way, please! Many thanks.... Many thanks!" - -As he opened a way for himself he endeavoured to protect his clothes -from contact with the dirty crowd of ill-dressed but enthusiastic -roughs who crowded round the hotel door. They had no money to go to the -corrida, but they took advantage of this opportunity of shaking hands -with the famous Gallardo, or even of touching some part of his clothing. - -Close to the pavement was waiting a wagonette drawn by four mules, gaily -caparisoned with tassels and little bells. Garabato had already hoisted -himself on to the box seat with his bundle of cloth and swords. Behind -sat three toreros with their capes on their knees all wearing -bright-coloured clothes, embroidered as profusely as those of the -Master, only with silver instead of gold. - -Gallardo was obliged to defend himself with his elbows against the -outstretched hands, and, amid the jostling of the crowd, he managed at -last to reach the steps of the carriage. Amidst the general excitement -he was finally unceremoniously hoisted into his seat from behind. - -"Good afternoon, gentlemen," he said curtly to his cuadrilla. - -He took the seat nearest to the step so that all could see him, and he -smiled and nodded his acknowledgment of the cries and shouts of applause -of a variety of ragged women and newspaper boys. - -The carriage dashed forward with all the strength of the spirited mules -and filled the street with a merry tinkling. The crowd opened out to let -the team pass, but many hung on to the carriage, in imminent danger of -falling under its wheels. Sticks and hats were brandished in the air. A -wave of enthusiasm swept over the crowd. It was one of those contagious -outbursts which at times sway the masses, driving them mad, and making -them shout without knowing why. - -"Olé the brave fellows!... Viva España!" - -Gallardo, still pale but smiling, saluted and repeated "Many thanks." He -was moved by this outburst of popular enthusiasm, and proud of the fame -that made them couple his name with that of his country. - -A crowd of rough boys and dishevelled girls ran after the carriage as -fast as their legs could carry them, as if they expected to find -something extraordinary at the end of their mad career. - -For an hour previously the Calle de Alcala had been a stream of -carriages, between banks of crowded foot-passengers, all hurrying to the -outskirts of the town. Every sort of vehicle, ancient or modern, figured -in this transient but confused and noisy migration, from the -pre-historic char-a-banc, come to light like an anachronism, to the -modern motor car. - -The trams passed along crowded bunches of passengers overflowing on to -their steps. Omnibuses took up fares at the corner of the Calle de -Sevilla, while the conductors shouted "Plaza! Plaza!" Mules covered with -tassels, drawing carriages full of women in white mantillas and bright -flowers, trotted along gaily to the tinkling of their silvery bells. -Every moment could be heard exclamations of terror as some child, -threading its way from one pavement to the other, regardless of the -rushing stream of vehicles, emerged with the agility of a monkey from -under the carriage wheels. Motor sirens shrieked and coachmen shouted. -Newspaper sellers hawked leaflets giving a picture and history of the -bulls which were going to fight, or the portraits and biographies of the -famous toreros. Now and then a murmur of curiosity swelled the dull -humming of the crowd. - -Between the dark uniforms of the Municipal Guard rode showily dressed -horsemen on lean miserable crocks, wearing gold-embroidered jackets, -wide beaver sombreros with a pompon on one side like a cockade, and -yellow padding on their legs. These were the picadors,[33] rough men of -wild appearance who carried, clinging to the crupper behind their high -Moorish saddles, a kind of devil dressed in red, the "Mono Sabio,"[34] -the servant who had taken the horse to their houses. - -The cuadrillas passed by in open carriages. The gold embroidery of the -toreros flashing in the afternoon sun seemed to dazzle the crowd and -excite all its enthusiasm. "There's Fuentes!" "That's El Bomba!" cried -the people, and pleased at having recognised them, they followed the -disappearing carriages with anxious eyes, just as if something were -going to happen and they feared they would be late. - -From the top of the Calle de Alcala, the whole length of the broad -straight street could be seen lying white under the sun with its rows of -trees beginning to turn green under the breath of spring. The balconies -were black with onlookers and the roadway was only visible here and -there amidst the swarming crowd which, on foot and in carriages, was -making its way towards La Cibeles.[35] - -From this point the ground rose between lines of trees and buildings and -the vista was closed by the Puerta de Alcala outlined like a triumphal -arch against the blue sky on which floated a few flecks of cloud like -wandering swans. - -Gallardo sat in silence, replying to the people only with his fixed -smile. Since his first greeting to the banderilleros he had not uttered -a word. They also were pale and silent with anxiety for the unknown. Now -that they were amongst toreros they had laid aside as useless the -swagger that was necessary in the presence of the public. - -A mysterious inspiration seemed to tell the people of the coming of the -last cuadrilla on its way to the Plaza. The group of ragamuffins who had -run after the carriage acclaiming Gallardo had lost their breath and had -scattered amongst the traffic, but all the same, people glanced behind -them as though they felt the proximity of the famous torero and -slackened their pace, lining the edge of the pavement so as to get a -better view of him. - -Women seated in the carriages rolling along turned their heads as they -heard the tinkling bells of the trotting mules. Dull roars came from -various groups standing on the pavement. These must have been -demonstrations of enthusiasm for many waved their sombreros whilst -others greeted him by flourishing their sticks. - -Gallardo replied to all these salutations with the smile of a barber's -block. With his thoughts far away, he took little notice of them. By his -side sat El Nacional, the banderillero in whom he placed most trust, a -big, hard man, older by ten years than himself, with a grave manner and -eyebrows that met between his eyes. He was well known in the profession -for his kindness of heart and sterling worth, and also for his political -opinions. - -"Juan, you will not have to complain of Madrid," said El Nacional, "you -have taken the public by storm." - -But Gallardo, as if he had not heard him but felt obliged to give vent -to the thoughts that were weighing on him, replied, "My heart tells me -that something will happen this afternoon." - -As they arrived at la Cibeles the carriage stopped. A great funeral was -passing through the Prado in the direction of Castellana and cut through -the avalanche of carriages coming from the Calle de Alcala. - -Gallardo turned still paler as he looked with terrified eyes at the -passing of the silver cross and the procession of priests who broke into -a mournful chant as they gazed, some with aversion others with envy, at -the stream of godless people who were rushing to amuse themselves. - -The espada hastened to take off his montero. His banderilleros did the -same, with the exception of El Nacional. - -"Curse you!" cried Gallardo, "Take off your cap, rascal." - -He glared at him as if about to strike him, fully convinced, by some -confused intuition, that this impiety would bring down on him the -greatest misfortunes. - -"All right, I'll take it off," said El Nacional, with the sulkiness of a -thwarted child, as he saw the cross moving off, "I'll take it off but it -is to the dead man!" - -They were obliged to stop for some time to let the funeral _cortège_ -pass. - -"Bad luck!" murmured Gallardo, his voice trembling with rage, "Who can -have thought of bringing a funeral across the way to the Plaza? Curse -them! I said something would happen to-day!" - -El Nacional smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. "Superstition and -fanaticism! God or Nature don't trouble about these things!" - -These words which increased the irritation of Gallardo, seemed to dispel -the grave preoccupation of the other toreros, and they began to laugh at -their companion, as indeed they always did when he aired his favourite -phrase, "God or Nature." - -As soon as the way was clear the carriage resumed its former speed, -travelling as fast as the mules could trot and passing all the other -vehicles which were converging on the Plaza. On arriving there it turned -to the left, making for the door, named "de Caballerizas,"[36] which led -to the yards and stables, but compelled to pass slowly through the -compact crowd. - -Gallardo received another ovation as, followed by his banderilleros, he -alighted from the carriage, pushing and elbowing his way in order to -save his clothes from the touch of dirty hands, smiling greetings -everywhere and hiding his right hand which everybody wished to shake. - -"Make way, please, gentlemen!" "Many thanks." - -The great courtyard between the main building of the Plaza and the -boundary wall of its outbuildings was full of people who, before taking -their seats, wished to get a near view of the bull-fighters, whilst on -horseback, mounted high above the crowd, could be seen the picadors and -the Alguaciles[37] in their Seventeenth Century costumes. - -On one side of the courtyard stood a row of single-storey brick -buildings, with vines trellised over the doors and pots of flowers in -the windows. It was quite a small town of offices, workshops, stables -and houses in which lived stablemen, carpenters and other servants of -the bull-ring. - -The diestro made his way laboriously through the various groups, and his -name passed from lip to lip amidst exclamations of admiration. - -"Gallardo!" "Here is El Gallardo!" "Olé! Viva España!" - -And he, with no thought but that of the adoration of the public, -swaggered along, serene as a god and gay and self-satisfied, just as if -he were attending a fete given in his honour. - -Suddenly two arms were thrown round his neck and at the same time a -strong smell of wine assailed his nostrils. - -"A real man! My beauty! Three cheers for the heroes!" - -It was a man of good appearance, a tradesman who had breakfasted with -some friends, whose smiling vigilance he thought he had escaped but who -were watching him from a short distance. He leant his head on the -espada's shoulder and let it remain there, as though he intended to drop -off into a sleep of ecstasy in that position. Gallardo pushed and the -man's friends pulled and the espada was soon free of this intolerable -embrace, but the tippler, finding himself parted from his idol, broke -out into loud shouts of admiration. - -"Olé for such men! All nations of the earth should come and admire -toreros like this, and die of envy! They may have ships, they may have -money, but that's all rot! They have no bulls and no men like this! -Hurrah, my lads! Long live my country!" - -Gallardo crossed a large white-washed hall, quite bare of furniture, -where his professional companions were standing surrounded by admiring -groups. Making his way through the crowd around a door he entered a -small dark and narrow room, at one end of which lights were burning. It -was the chapel. An old picture called "The Virgin of the Dove," filled -the back of the Altar. On the table four tapers were burning, and -several bunches of dusty moth-eaten muslin flowers stood in common -pottery vases. - -The chapel was full of people. The aficionados of humble class assembled -in it so as to see the great men close at hand. In the darkness some -stood bareheaded in the front row, whilst others sat on benches and -chairs, the greater part of them turning their backs on the Virgin, -looking eagerly towards the door to call out a name as soon as the -glitter of a gala dress appeared. - -The banderilleros and picadors, poor devils who were going to risk their -lives the same as the "Maestros," scarcely caused a whisper by their -presence. Only the most fervent aficionados knew their nicknames. - -Presently there was a prolonged murmur, a name repeated from mouth to -mouth. - -"Fuentes! It is el Fuentes!" - -The elegant torero, tall and graceful, his cape loose over his shoulder, -walked up to the Altar, bending his knee with theatrical affectation. -The lights were reflected in his gipsy eyes and fell across the fine -agile kneeling figure. After he had finished his prayer and crossed -himself he rose, walking backwards towards the door, never taking his -eyes off the image, like a tenor who retires bowing to his audience. - -Gallardo was more simple in his piety. He entered montero in hand, his -cape gathered round him, walking no less arrogantly, but when he came -opposite the image, he knelt with both knees on the ground, giving -himself over entirely to his prayers and taking no notice of the -hundreds of eyes fixed on him. His simple Christian soul trembled with -fear and remorse. He prayed for protection with the fervour of ignorant -men who live in continual danger and who believe in every sort of -adverse influence and supernatural protection. For the first time in the -whole of that day he thought of his wife and his mother. Poor Carmen -down in Seville waiting for his telegram! The Señora Angustias, tranquil -with her fowls at the farm of La Rinconada not knowing for certain where -her son was fighting!... And he, here, with that terrible presentiment -that something would happen that afternoon! Virgin of the Dove! Give a -little protection! He would be good, he would forget "the rest," he -would live as God commands. - -His superstitious spirit being comforted by this empty repentance, he -left the chapel still under its influence, with clouded eyes, that did -not see the people who obstructed his way. - -Outside in the room where the toreros were waiting he was saluted by a -clean-shaven gentleman, in black clothes in which he appeared ill at -ease. - -"Bad luck!" murmured the torero moving on. "As I said before, something -will happen to-day!"... - -It was the chaplain of the Plaza, an enthusiast in Tauromachia, who had -arrived with the Holy Oils concealed beneath his coat. He was priest of -the suburb of la Prosperidad and for years past had maintained a heated -controversy with another parish priest in the centre of Madrid who -claimed a better right to monopolise the religious service of the Plaza. -He came to the Plaza accompanied by a neighbour, who served him as -sacristan in return for a seat for the corrida. - -On these days he chose by turns from amongst his friends and protégés -the one whom he wished to favour with the seat reserved for the -sacristan. He hired a smart carriage, at the expense of the management, -and, carrying under his coat the sacred vessel, started for the Plaza, -where two front seats were kept for him close to the entrance for the -bulls. - -The priest entered the chapel with the air of a proprietor scandalised -by the behaviour of the public. All had their heads uncovered, but they -were talking loudly, and some even smoking. - -"Caballeros, this is not a café. You will do me the favour of going -outside. The corrida is about to begin." - -This news caused a general exodus, during which the priest took out the -hidden Oils and placed them in a painted wooden box. He, too, having -concealed his sacred deposit, hurried out in order to reach his seat in -the Plaza before the appearance of the cuadrillas. - -The crowd had vanished. Nobody was to be seen in the courtyard but men -dressed in silk and gold embroidery, horsemen in yellow with large -beavers, Alguaciles on horseback, and the servants on duty in their -liveries of blue and gold. - -In the doorway called "De Caballos," under the arch forming the entrance -to the Plaza, the toreros formed up for the procession with the -promptitude which comes of constant practice. In front the "Maestros," -some distance behind them the banderilleros, and beyond these again, in -the courtyard outside, the clattering rearguard, the stern, steel-clad -squadron of picadors, redolent of hot leather and manure, and mounted on -skeleton horses with a bandage over one eye. In the far distance, like -the baggage of this army, fidgeted the teams of mules destined to drag -out the carcases, strong, lively animals with shining skins, their -harness covered with tassels and bells, and their collars ornamented -with a small national flag. - -At the other end of the archway, above the wooden barricade which closed -the lower half, could be seen a shining patch of blue sky, the roof of -the Plaza, and a section of the seats with its compact, swarming mass of -occupants, amongst which fluttered fans and papers like gaily coloured -butterflies. - -Through this arcade there swept a strong breeze, like the breath of an -immense lung, and faint harmonious sounds floated on the waves of air, -betokening distant music, guessed at rather than heard. - -Along the sides of the archway could be seen a row of heads--those of -the spectators on the nearest benches, who peered over in their anxiety -to get the first possible glimpse of the heroes of the day. - -Gallardo took his place in line with the other espadas. They neither -spoke nor smiled, a grave inclination of the head being all the greeting -that they exchanged. Each seemed wrapped in his own preoccupation, -letting his thoughts wander far afield, or, perhaps, with the vacuity -of deep emotion, thinking of nothing at all. Outwardly this -preoccupation was manifested in an apparently unending arrangement and -re-arrangement of their capes--spreading them over the shoulder, folding -the ends round the waist, or arranging them so that under this mantle of -bright colours their legs, cased in silk and gold, should be free and -without encumbrance. All their faces were pale, not with a dull pallor, -but with the bright, hectic, moist shine of excitement. Their minds were -in the arena, as yet invisible to them, and they felt the irresistible -fear of things that might be happening on the other side of a wall, the -terror of the unknown, the indefinite danger that is felt but not seen. -How would this afternoon end? - -From beyond the cuadrillas was heard the sound of the trotting of two -horses, coming along underneath the outer arcades of the Plaza. This was -the arrival of the alguaciles in their small black capeless mantles and -broad hats surmounted with red and yellow feathers. They had just -finished clearing the ring of all the intruding crowd and now came to -place themselves as advance-guard at the head of the cuadrillas. - -The doorways of the arch were thrown wide open, as also were those of -the barrier in front of them. The huge ring was revealed, the real -Plaza, an immense circular expanse of sand on which would be enacted the -afternoon's tragedy, one which would excite the feelings and rejoicings -of fourteen thousand spectators. The confused, harmonious sounds now -became louder, resolving themselves into lively reckless music, a noisy, -clanging triumphal march that made the audience hip and shoulder to its -martial air. Forward, fine fellows! - -The bull-fighters, blinking at the sudden change, stepped out from -darkness to light, from the silence of the quiet arcade to the roar of -the Ring, where the crowd on the tiers of benches, throbbing with -excitement and curiosity, rose to its feet en masse, in order to obtain -a better view. - -The toreros advanced, dwarfed immediately they trod the arena, by the -immensity of their surroundings. They seemed like brilliant dolls on -whose embroideries the sunlight flashed in iridescent hues, and their -graceful movements fired the people with the delight that a child takes -in some marvellous toy. The mad impulse which agitates a crowd, sending -a shiver down its backbone and giving it goose-creeps for no particular -reason, affected the entire Plaza. Some applauded, others, more -enthusiastic or more nervous, shouted, the music clanged, and in the -midst of this universal tumult, the cuadrillas advanced solemnly and -slowly from the entrance door up to the presidential chair, making up -for the shortness of their step by the graceful swing of their arms and -the swaying of their bodies. Meanwhile on the circle of blue sky above -the Plaza fluttered several white pigeons, terrified by the roar which -arose from this crater of bricks. - -They felt themselves different men as they advanced over the sand. They -were risking their lives for something more than money. Their doubts and -terrors of the unknown had been left outside the barricades. Now they -trod the arena. They were face to face with their public. Reality had -come. The longing for glory in their barbarous, ignorant minds, the -desire to excel their comrades, the pride in their own strength and -dexterity, all blinded them, making them forget all fears, and inspiring -them with the daring of brute force. - -Gallardo was quite transfigured. He drew himself up as he walked, -wishing to appear the tallest. He moved with the arrogance of a -conqueror, looking all round him with an air of triumph, as though his -two companions did not exist. Everything was his, both the Plaza and -the public. He felt himself at that moment capable of killing every -bull alive on the broad pasture lands of Andalusia or Castille. All the -applause was meant for him, he was quite sure of that. The thousands of -feminine eyes, shaded by white mantillas, in the boxes or along the -barriers, were fixed on him only, of that there could be no manner of -doubt. The public adored him, and while he advanced smiling with pride, -as though the ovation were intended for himself alone, cast his eyes -along the rows of seats, noticing the places where the largest groups of -his partizans were massed, and ignoring those where his comrades' -friends had congregated. - -They saluted the president, montero in hand, and then the brilliant -parade broke up, peons[38] and horsemen scattering in all directions. -Whilst an alguacil caught in his hat the key thrown to him by the -president, Gallardo walked towards the barrier behind which his most -enthusiastic supporters stood, and gave into their charge his beautiful -cape which was spread along the edge of the palisade, the sacred symbol -of a faction. - -His most enthusiastic partizans stood up, waving their hands and sticks, -to greet the matador, and loudly proclaiming their hopes. "Let us see -what the lad from Seville will do!"... - -And he smiled as he leant against the barrier, proud of his strength, -repeating to all: - -"Many thanks! He will do what he can." - -It was not only his partizans who showed their high hopes on seeing him; -everywhere he found adherents amongst the crowd, which anticipated deep -excitement. He was a torero who promised "hule"[39]--according to the -expression of the aficionados, and such "hule" was likely to lead to a -bed in the Infirmary. - -Everyone thought he was destined to die, gored to death in the Plaza, -and for this very reason they applauded him with homicidal enthusiasm, -with a barbarous interest, like that of the misanthrope, who followed a -tamer everywhere, awaiting the moment when he would be devoured by his -wild beasts. - -Gallardo laughed at the ancient aficionados, grave Doctors of -Tauromachia, who judged it impossible that an accident should happen if -a torero conformed to the rules of the art. Rules forsooth!... He -ignored them and took no trouble to learn them. Bravery and audacity -only were necessary to ensure victory. Almost blindly, with no other -rule than his own temerity, no other help than his own bodily faculties, -he had made a rapid career for himself, forcing outbursts of wonder from -the people and astonishing them with his mad courage. - -He had not, like other matadors, risen by regular steps, serving long -years as peon and banderillero at the "maestros'" side. The bulls' horns -caused him no fear. "Hunger gores worse," he said. The great thing was -to rise quickly, and the public had seen him commence at once as espada, -and in a few years enjoy an immense popularity. - -It admired him for the very reason which made a catastrophe so certain. -It was inflamed with a horrible enthusiasm by the blindness with which -this man defied death, and paid him the same care and attention as are -paid to a condemned man in the chapel. This torero was not one who held -anything back; he gave them everything, including his life. He was worth -the money he cost. And the crowd, with the brutality of those who watch -danger from a safe place, admired and hallooed on the hero. The more -prudent shrugged their shoulders regarding him as a suicide playing with -fate, and murmured "as long as it lasts...." - -Amid a clash of kettledrums and trumpets the first bull rushed out. -Gallardo, with his working cloak devoid of ornament hanging on his arm, -remained by the barrier, close to the benches where his partizans sat, -disdainfully motionless, as though the eyes of the whole audience were -fixed on him. That bull was for some one else. He would give signs of -existence when his own bull came out. But the applause at the cloak play -executed by his companions, drew him out of this immobility, and in -spite of his intentions he joined in the fray, performing several feats -in which he showed more audacity than skill. The whole Plaza applauded -him, roused by the delight they felt at his daring. - -When Fuentes killed his first bull, and went towards the presidential -chair saluting the crowd, Gallardo turned paler than before, as though -any expression of gratification that was not for him was a studied -insult. Now his turn had come: they would see great things. He did not -know for certain what they might be, but he was disposed to startle the -public. - -As soon as the second bull came out, Gallardo, thanks to his mobility -and his desire to shine, seemed to fill the whole Plaza. His cape was -constantly close to the beast's muzzle. A picador of his own cuadrilla, -the one named Potaje, was thrown from his horse, and lay helpless close -to the horns. The maestro seizing the fierce beast's tail, pulled with -such herculean strength, that he obliged it to turn round till the -dismounted rider was safe. This was a feat that the public applauded -wildly. - -When the play of the banderilleros began, Gallardo remained in the -passage between the barriers awaiting the signal to kill. El Nacional -with the darts in his hand challenged the bull in the centre of the -arena. There was nothing graceful in his movements, nor any proud -daring, "simply the question of earning his bread." Down in Seville he -had four little ones, who, if he died, would find no other father. He -would do his duty and nothing more, stick in his banderillas like a -journeyman of Tauromachia, not desiring applause, and trying to avoid -hissing. - -When he had stuck in the pair, a few on the vast tiers applauded, while -others, alluding to his ideas, found fault with the banderillero in -chaffing tones. - -Quit politics and strike better! - -And El Nacional, deceived by the distance, heard these shouts, and -acknowledged them smilingly like his master. - -When Gallardo leapt again into the arena, the crowd, hearing the blare -of trumpets and drums which announced the final death stroke, became -restless and buzzed with excitement. That matador was their own, now -they would see something fine. - -He took the muleta[40] from the hands of Garabato, who offered it to him -folded from inside the barrier, and drew the rapier, which his servant -also presented to him. Then with short steps he went and stood in front -of the president's chair, carrying his montero in one hand. All -stretched out their necks, devouring their idol with their eyes, but no -one could hear the "brindis."[41] The proud figure with its magnificent -stature, the body thrown back to give more strength to his voice, -produced the same effect on the masses as the most eloquent harangue. As -he ended his speech, giving a half turn and throwing his montero on the -ground, the noisy enthusiasm broke out. Olé for the lad from Seville! -Now they would see real sport! And the spectators looked at one another, -mutely promising each other tremendous happenings. A shiver ran over all -the rows of seats, as if they awaited something sublime. - -Then silence fell on the crowd, a silence so deep that one would have -thought that the Plaza had suddenly become empty. The life of thousands -of people seemed concentrated in their eyes. No one seemed even to -breathe. - -Gallardo advanced slowly towards the bull, carrying the muleta resting -against his stomach like a flag, and with sword waving in his other -hand, swinging like a pendulum to his step. - -Turning his head for an instant, he saw he was being followed by El -Nacional and another peon of his cuadrilla, their cloaks on their arms -ready to assist him. - -"Go out, everybody!" - -His voice rang out in the silence of the Plaza reaching up to the -furthest benches, and was answered by a roar of admiration.... "Go out -everybody!"... He had said "go out" to everybody.... What a man! - -He remained completely alone close to the beast, and instantly there was -again silence. Very calmly he unrolled the muleta, and spread it, -advancing a few steps at the same time, till he flung it almost on the -muzzle of the bull who stood bewildered and frightened at the man's -audacity. - -The audience did not dare to speak, nor scarcely to breathe, but -admiration flashed in their eyes. What a man! He was going up to the -very horns:... He stamped impatiently on the sand with one foot, -inciting the animal to attack, and the enormous mass of flesh, with its -sharp defences, fell bellowing upon him. The muleta passed over its -horns, which grazed the tassels and fringes of the matador's costume. -He remained firm in his place, his only movement being to throw his body -slightly back. A roar from the masses replied to this pass of the -muleta, "Olé!"... - -The brute turned, once more attacking the man and his rag, and the pass -was again repeated amid the roars of the audience. The bull, each time -more infuriated by the deception, again and again attacked the fighter -who repeated the passes with the muleta, scarcely moving off his ground, -excited by the proximity of danger and the admiring acclamations of the -crowd, which seemed to intoxicate him. - -Gallardo felt the wild beast's snorting close to him. Its breath moist -with slaver fell on his face and right hand. Becoming familiar with the -feeling he seemed to look on the brute as a good friend who was going to -let himself be killed, to contribute to his glory. - -At last the bull remained quiet for a few instants as if tired of the -game, looking with eyes full of sombre reflexion at this man and his red -cloth, suspecting in his limited brain the existence of some stratagem -that, by attack after attack, would lead him to his death. - -Gallardo felt the great heart-beat of his finest feats. Now then! He -caught the muleta with a circular sweep of his left hand, rolling it -round the stick, and raised his right to the height of his eyes, -standing with the sword bending down towards the nape of the brute's -neck. A tumult of surprised protest broke from the crowd: "Don't -strike!" ... shouted thousands of voices: "No!... No!"... - -It was too soon. The bull was not well placed, it would charge and catch -him. He was acting outside all rules of the art. But what did rules or -life itself signify to that reckless man!... - -Suddenly he threw himself forward with his sword at the same instant -that the beast fell upon him. The encounter was brutal, savage. For an -instant man and beast formed one confused mass, and thus advanced a few -paces. No one could see who was the conqueror; the man with one arm and -part of his body between the two horns; or the brute lowering his head -and fighting to catch on those horns the brilliantly coloured golden -puppet which seemed to be slipping away from him. - -At last the group separated. The muleta remained on the ground like a -rag, and the fighter, his hands empty, emerged staggering from the -impetus of the shock, till some distance away he recovered his -equilibrium. His clothes were disordered, and the cravat floating -outside the waistcoat was gashed and torn by the bull's horns. - -The bull continued its rush with the impetus of the first charge. On its -broad neck, the red pommel of the sword, buried up to the hilt scarcely -could be seen. Suddenly it stopped short in its career, rolling with a -painful curtseying motion; then folded its fore-legs, bent its head till -its bellowing muzzle touched the sand, and finally subsided in -convulsions of agony. - -It seemed as though the whole Plaza were falling down, as if all its -bricks were rattling against one another; as if the crowd was going to -fly in panic, when all rose suddenly to their feet, pale, trembling, -gesticulating, waving their arms. Dead! What a sword thrust!... They had -all thought for a second, that the matador was impaled on the bull's -horns, all thought they would assuredly see him fall bleeding on the -sand, but now they saw him, standing there, still giddy from the shock, -but smiling!... The surprise and astonishment of it all increased their -enthusiasm. - -"Oh! the brute!" ... they roared from the benches, not finding any -better word with which to express their unbounded astonishment.... "What -a savage!"... - -Hats flew into the arena. Overwhelming rounds of applause ran like a -torrent of hail from bench to bench, as the matador advanced through the -arena, following the circle of the barriers, till he arrived opposite -the presidential chair. - -Then as Gallardo opened his arms to salute the president, the thundering -ovation redoubled, all shouted claiming the honours of the -"maestria"[42] for the matador. "He ought to be given the ear."[43] -"Never was the honour better deserved." "Sword-thrusts like that are -seldom seen," and the enthusiasm waxed even greater when one of the -attendants of the Plaza presented him with a dark, hairy, bloody -triangle; it was the tip of one of the beast's ears. - -The third bull was already in the circus, and still the ovation to -Gallardo continued, as if the audience had not recovered from its -astonishment, and nothing that could possibly happen during the rest of -the corrida could be of the slightest interest. - -The other toreros, pale with professional jealousy, exerted themselves -to attract the attention of the public, but the applause they gained -sounded weak and timid after the outburst that had preceded it. The -public seemed exhausted by their former excess of enthusiasm, and only -paid absent-minded attention to the fresh events unfolding themselves in -the arena. - -Soon violent disputes arose between the rows of seats. - -The supporters of the other matadors who by this time had become calm, -and had recovered from the wave of enthusiasm which had mastered them in -common with everyone else, began to justify their former spontaneous -outburst by criticising Gallardo. - -"Very brave," "very daring," "suicidal," but that was not art. On the -other hand the worshippers of the idol who were even more vehement and -brutal, and who admired his audacity from innate sympathy, were rabid -with the rage of zealots who hear doubts cast on the miracles of their -own particular saint. - -Various minor incidents which caused commotion amidst the benches also -distracted the attention of the audience. Suddenly there was a commotion -in some section of the amphitheatre. Everybody stood up, turning their -backs on the arena, and arms and sticks were flourished above the sea of -heads. The rest of the audience forgot the arena, and concentrated their -attention on the fracas, and the large numbers painted on the walls of -the inside barrier, which distinguished the blocks of seats. - -"A fight in No. 3!" they yelled joyfully. "Now there's a row in No. 5!" - -Finally the whole audience caught the contagion, got excited, and stood -up, each trying to look over his neighbour's head, but all they were -able to see was the slow ascent of the police, who pushed a way for -themselves from bench to bench, and finally reached the group where the -disturbance was going on. - -"Sit down!" ... shouted the more peaceable, who were prevented from -seeing the arena, where the toreros were continuing their work. - -The general tumult was gradually calmed and the rows of heads round the -circular line of benches resumed their previous regularity during the -progress of the corrida. But the audience seemed to have its nerves -over-strained, and gave vent to its feelings, by uncalled-for animosity, -or contemptuous silence towards certain of the fighters. - -The crowd, exhausted by its previous outburst of emotion, regarded all -that followed as insipid, and so diverted its boredom by eating and -drinking. The refreshment sellers of the Plaza walked round between the -barriers, throwing up the articles asked for with marvellous dexterity. -Oranges flew like golden balls up to the very highest benches, in a -straight line from the hands of the seller to that of the buyer, as if -drawn by a thread. Bottles of aerated drinks were opened, and the golden -wine of Andalusia shone in the glasses. - -Soon a current of curiosity ran round the seats. Fuentes was going to -fix banderillas in his bull, and everyone expected something -extraordinarily dexterous and graceful. He advanced alone into the midst -of the Plaza, with the banderillas in his hand, quiet and -self-possessed, moving slowly, as if he were beginning some game. The -bull followed his movements with anxious eyes, astonished to see this -man alone in front of him, after the previous hurly-burly of outspread -cloaks, cruel pikes sticking into his neck, and horses which placed -themselves in front of his horns, as if offering themselves to his -attack. - -The man hypnotised the beast, approaching so close as even to touch his -pole with the banderillas. Then with short tripping steps he ran away, -pursued by the bull, which followed him as though fascinated, to the -opposite end of the Plaza. The animal seemed cowed by the fighter, and -obeyed his every movement, until at last, thinking the game had lasted -long enough, the man opened his arms with a dart in either hand, drew up -his graceful slim figure on tip-toe, and advancing towards the bull with -majestic tranquillity, fixed the coloured darts in the neck of the -surprised animal. - -Three times he performed this feat, amid the acclamations of the -audience. Those who thought themselves "connoisseurs" now had their -revenge for the explosion of admiration provoked by Gallardo. This was -what a true torero should be! This was real art! - -Gallardo stood by the barrier, wiping the sweat from his face with a -towel handed to him by Garabato. Afterwards he drank some water, and -turned his back on the circus, so as not to see the prowess of his -rival. Outside the Plaza he esteemed his rivals with the fraternity -established by danger; but once they trod the arena they all became his -enemies and their triumphs pained him like insults. This general -enthusiasm for Fuentes which obscured his own great triumphs seemed to -him like robbery. On the appearance of the fifth bull, which was his, he -leapt into the arena, burning to astonish everybody by his prowess. - -If a picador fell he spread his cloak and drew the bull to the other end -of the arena, bewildering it with a succession of cloak play that left -the beast motionless. Then Gallardo would touch it on the muzzle with -one foot, or would take off his montero and lay it between the animal's -horns. Again and again he took advantage of its stupefaction and exposed -his stomach in an audacious challenge, or knelt close to it as though -about to lie down beneath its nose. - -Under their breath the old aficionados muttered "monkey tricks!" -"Buffooneries that would not have been tolerated in former days!"... -But amidst the general shouts of approval they were obliged to keep -their opinion to themselves. - -When the signal for the banderillas was given, the audience was amazed -to see Gallardo take the darts from El Nacional, and advance with them -towards the bull. There was a shout of protest. "He with the -banderillas!"... They all knew his failing in that respect. Banderilla -play was only for those who had risen in their career step by step, who -before arriving at being matadors had been banderilleros for many years -by the side of their masters, and Gallardo had begun at the other end, -killing bulls from the time he first began in the Plaza. - -"No! No!" shouted the crowd. - -Doctor Ruiz yelled and thumped inside the barrier. - -"Leave that alone, lad! You know well enough what is wanted. Kill!" - -But Gallardo despised his audience, and was deaf to its advice when his -daring impulses came over him. In the midst of the din he went straight -up to the bull, and before it moved--Zas! he stuck in the -banderillas.[44] The pair were out of place and badly driven in. One of -them fell out with the animal's start of surprise, but this did not -signify. With the tolerance that a crowd always has for its idol -excusing, even justifying, its shortcomings, the spectators watched this -daring act smilingly. Gallardo, rendered still more audacious, took a -second pair of banderillas and stuck them in, regardless of the warnings -of those who feared for his life. This feat he repeated a third time, -badly, but with such dash, that what would have provoked hisses for -another, produced only explosions of admiration for him. "What a man! -How luck helped that fearless man!"... - -The bull carried four banderillas instead of six, and those were so -feebly planted that it scarcely seemed to feel the discomfort. - -"He is still fresh!"[45] shouted the aficionados from the benches, -alluding to the bull, while Gallardo with his montero on his head, -grasping rapier and muleta in his hands, advanced towards him, proud and -calm, trusting to his lucky star. - -"Out--all of you!" he cried again. - -He turned his head, feeling that some one was remaining close to him -regardless of his orders. It was Fuentes a few steps behind him who had -followed him with his cloak on his arm pretending not to have heard, but -ready to rush to his assistance, as if he foresaw some accident. - -"Leave me, Antonio," said Gallardo half angrily, and yet respectfully, -as if he were speaking to an elder brother. - -His manner was such that Fuentes shrugged his shoulders disclaiming all -responsibility. Turning his back he moved slowly away, certain that he -would be suddenly required. - -Gallardo spread his cloth on the very head of the wild beast, which at -once attacked it. A pass. "Olé!" roared the enthusiasts. The animal -turned suddenly, throwing itself again on the torero with a violent toss -of its head that tore the muleta out of his hand. Finding himself -disarmed and attacked he was obliged to run for the barrier, but at this -instant Fuentes' cloak diverted the animal's charge. Gallardo, who -guessed during his flight the cause of the bull's sudden distraction, -did not leap the barrier, but sat on the step and there remained some -moments watching his enemy a few paces off. His flight ended in applause -of this display of calmness. - -He recovered his muleta and rapier, carefully re-arranged the red cloth, -and once again placed himself in front of the brute's head, but this -time not so calmly. The lust of slaughter dominated him, an intense -desire to kill as soon as possible the animal which had forced him to -fly in the sight of thousands of admirers. - -He scarcely moved a step. Thinking that the decisive moment had come he -squared himself, the muleta low, and the pommel of the rapier raised to -his eyes. - -Again the audience protested, fearing for his life. - -"Don't strike! Stop!"... "O..h!" - -An exclamation of horror shook the whole Plaza; a spasm which made all -rise to their feet, their eyes starting, whilst the women hid their -faces, or convulsively clutched at the arm nearest them. - -As the matador struck, the sword glanced on a bone. This mischance -retarded his escape, and caught by one of the horns he was hooked up by -the middle of his body, and despite his weight and strength of muscle, -this well-built man was lifted, was twirled about on its point like a -helpless dummy until the powerful beast with a toss of its head sent him -flying several yards away. The torero fell with a thump on the sand with -his limbs spread wide apart, just like a frog dressed up in silk and -gold. - -"It has killed him!" "He is gored in the stomach!" they yelled from the -seats. - -But Gallardo picked himself up from among the medley of cloaks and men -which rushed to his rescue. With a smile he passed his hands over his -body, and then shrugged his shoulders to show he was not hurt. Nothing -but the force of the blow and a sash in rags. The horn had only torn the -strong silk belt. - -He turned to pick up his "killing weapons."[46] None of the spectators -sat down, as they guessed that the next encounter would be brief and -terrible. Gallardo advanced towards the bull with a reckless excitement, -as if he discredited the powers of its horns now he had emerged unhurt. -He was determined to kill or to die. There must be neither delay nor -precautions. It must be either the bull or himself! He saw everything -red just as if his eyes were bloodshot, and he only heard, like a -distant sound from the other world, the shouts of the people who -implored him to keep calm. - -He only made two passes with the help of a cloak which lay near him, -and then suddenly quick as thought like a spring released from its catch -he threw himself on the bull, planting a thrust, as his admirers said, -"like lightning." He thrust his arm in so far, that as he drew back from -between the horns, one of them grazed him, sending him staggering -several steps. But he kept his feet, and the bull, after a mad rush, -fell at the opposite side of the Plaza, with its legs doubled beneath it -and its poll touching the sand, until the "puntillero"[47] came to give -the final dagger thrust. - -The crowd seemed to go off its head with delight, A splendid corrida! -All were surfeited with excitement. "That man Gallardo didn't steal -their cash, he paid back their entrance money with interest." The -aficionados would have enough to keep them talking for three days at -their evening meetings in the Café. What a brave fellow! What a savage! -And the most enthusiastic looked all around them in a fever of pugnacity -to find anyone that disagreed with them. - -"He's the finest matador in the world!... If anyone dares to deny it, -I'm here, ready for him." - -The rest of the corrida scarcely attracted any attention. It all seemed -insipid and colourless after Gallardo's great feats. - -When the last bull fell in the arena, a swarm of boys, low class -hangers-on, and bull-ring apprentices invaded the circus. They -surrounded Gallardo, and escorted him in his progress from the -president's chair to the door of exit. They pressed round him, anxious -to shake his hands, or even to touch his clothes, till finally the -wildest spirits, regardless of the blows of El Nacional and the other -banderilleros, seized the "Maestro" by the legs, and hoisting him on -their shoulders, carried him in triumph round the circus and galleries -as far as the outbuildings of the Plaza. - -Gallardo raising his montero saluted the groups who cheered his -progress. With his gorgeous cape around him he let himself be carried -like a god, erect and motionless, above the sea of Cordovan hats and -Madrid caps, whence issued enthusiastic rounds of cheers. - -When he was seated in his carriage, passing down the Calle de Alcala, -hailed by the crowds who had not seen the corrida but who had already -heard of his triumphs, a smile of pride, of delight in his own strength, -illuminated his face perspiring and pale with excitement. - -El Nacional, still anxious about his Master's accident and terrible -fall, asked if he was in pain, and whether Doctor Ruiz should be -summoned. - -"No, it was only a caress, nothing more.... The bull that can kill me is -not born yet." - -But as though in the midst of his pride some remembrance of his former -weakness had surged up, and he thought he saw a sarcastic gleam in El -Nacional's eye, he added: - -"Those feelings come over me before I go to the Plaza.... Something like -women's fancies. You are not far wrong Sebastian. What's your saying?... -"God _or_ Nature"; that's it. Neither God _or_ Nature meddle with -bull-fighting affairs. Every one comes out of it as best he can, by his -own skill or his own courage, there is no protection to be had from -either earth or heaven.... You have talents, Sebastian; you ought to -have studied for a profession." - -In the optimism of his triumph he regarded the banderillero as a sage, -quite forgetting the laughter with which at other times he had always -greeted his very involved reasonings. - -On arriving at his lodging he found a crowd of admirers in the lobby -waiting to embrace him. His exploits, to judge from their hyperbolic -language, had become quite different, so much did their conversation -exaggerate and distort them, even during the short drive from the Plaza -to the hotel. - -Upstairs he found his room full of friends. Gentlemen who called him -"tu" and who imitated the rustic speech of the peasantry, shepherds, -herdsmen, and such like, slapping him on the back and saying, "You were -splendid ... absolutely first class." - -Gallardo freed himself from this warm reception, and went out into the -passage with Garabato. - -"Go and send off the telegram home. You know--'nothing new.'" - -Garabato excused himself, he wished to help his master to undress. The -hotel people would undertake to send off the wire. - -"No: I want you to do it. I will wait.... There's another telegram too -that you must send. You know for whom it is--for that lady, for Doña -Sol.... Also 'nothing new.'" - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[2] "Good shadow"--lucky. - -[3] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[4] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[5] Two Matadors. "Little Lizard" and "Flask." - -[6] Frascuelo dressed in black in the bull-ring on account of his -political opinions. - -[7] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[8] A café specially frequented by toreros. - -[9] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[10] Easter. - -[11] Aficion. _Vide_ Glossary. - -[12] The knot of hair, dressed with ribbons, worn at the back of the -head by toreros, principally to lessen the shock of a fall. The Mona was -only "lowered" when a torero retired finally from the ring, either on -account of age or inefficiency. - -[13] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[14] Garabato. Balafré--scarred. - -[15] The Snail. - -[16] Lettuce seller. - -[17] A kind of Anisette made at Cazalla, in the Sierra Morena. - -[18] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[19] Muira, a famous breeder whose bulls have a reputation for ferocity. - -[20] About £40. A peseta is worth about 9½d. - -[21] A contraction of "Vuestra Merced"--Your Worship. The usual Spanish -address to an equal or superior. - -[22] Mozo d'estoque--sword or rapier, about a yard long, sharpened on -both sides. The hilt is very small, in the shape of a cross, and is -bound round with red stuff to give a better hold. At the top of the hilt -is a knob which fits into the palm of the hand and strengthens the -thrust. - -[23] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[24] A small portmanteau. Term applied to a torero's valet, but an -insult if applied to a torero. - -[25] Maestro--one high up in the profession. - -[26] Before the fight the bulls are divided and those chosen for the -day's work are put into separate boxes or stalls. - -[27] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[28] Nickname of one of the banderilleros forming part of Gallardo's -cuadrilla. - -[29] Old Spanish head-dress, a kind of net. - -[30] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[31] Toreador's small round hat, like a pork pie. - -[32] Procession cape. - -[33] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[34] These servants have to strip the harness off dead horses and -sprinkle sand over the pools of blood. - -[35] The name of a fountain. - -[36] 'Of the stables.' - -[37] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[38] Banderilleros, Chulos, etc., who fight on foot. - -[39] Lit.:--excitement. - -[40] Square of red silk fastened to a wand--used to irritate the bull -and to throw over his eyes as he charges. - -[41] Brindis.--The matador has to declare before the president in whose -honour--man or woman--he will kill the bull. There is an ancient formula -used: "I dedicate this bull to so and so--either I will kill him or he -will kill me." He then throws his montero on the ground behind him and -fights the bull bareheaded. - -[42] Maestria--complete knowledge. - -[43] As the fox's brush or otter's pad is given with us. - -[44] The banderillas ought to be evenly and symmetrically placed in -pairs--three pairs is the proper complement. - -[45] Term applied to a bull which, after much punishment, is still -plucky and strong. - -[46] Trastos de Matar. - -[47] A man who finishes the bull with a dagger thrust. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -When the husband of Señora Angustias died, the Señor Juan Gallardo, an -excellent cobbler long established under a doorway in the suburb de la -Feria, she wept as disconsolately as was appropriate to the event, but -at the same time in the bottom of her heart, she felt the comfort of one -who rests after a long march, and lays down an overwhelming burden. - -"Poor dear soul! God has him in His glory! So good! ... so hard -working!"... - -During the twenty years of their life together, he had not given her -more troubles than those endured by the other women in the suburb. Of -the three pesetas that, one day with another, he earned by his work, he -gave one to the Señora Angustias for the maintenance of the house and -the family, reserving the other two for the up-keep of his own person, -and the expenses of the "representacions."[48] He must respond to the -civilities of his friends when they invited him to drink a glass, and -the wine of Andalusia, although it is the glory of God, costs dear. -Besides he must inevitably go to the bull-fights, for a man who neither -drinks nor attends corridas ... why is he in the world at all?... - -The Señora Angustias, left with her two children, Encarnacion and Juan, -had to sharpen her wits and develop a multiplicity of talents to carry -the family along. She worked as charwoman in the wealthiest houses in -the suburb, sewed for the neighbours, mended clothes and laces for a -certain pawnbroking friend of hers, made cigarettes for gentlemen, -availing herself of the dexterity acquired in her youth when the Señor -Juan, an ardent and wheedling lover, used to wait for her at the -entrance of the Tobacco factory. - -She never had to complain of infidelities or bad treatment on the part -of the defunct. On Saturdays when he returned to the house in the small -hours of the night, tipsy, supported by his friends, happiness and -tenderness came with him. The Señora Angustias was obliged forcibly to -push him in, for he persisted in remaining at the door, clapping his -hands, and chanting doleful love songs in a drivelling voice, all in -praise of his voluminous companion. And when at last the door was closed -behind him, and the neighbours deprived of a source of amusement, the -Señor Juan, in the fullness of his drunken sentimentality would insist -on seeing the little ones, kissing them and wetting them with huge -tears, all the while chanting his love songs in honour of the Señora -Angustias (Olé! The best woman in the world!) and the good woman ended -by relaxing her frown and laughing, while she undressed him, and petted -him like a sick child. - -This was his only vice. Poor dear! ... of women or gambling there was -never a sign. His selfishness in going well dressed while his family -were in rags, and the inequality in the division of the proceeds of his -work, were compensated for by generous treats. The Señora Angustias -remembered with pride how on the great holidays Juan made her put on her -Manila silk shawl, the wedding mantilla, and with the children in front -walked by her side in a white Cordovan sombrero, with a silver headed -stick, taking a turn through las Delicias,[49] looking just like a -family of tradespeople of the Calle de las Sierpes. On the days of cheap -bull-fights he would treat her magnificently before going to the Plaza, -offering her a glass of Manzanilla in La Campana, or in a café of the -Plaza Nueva. - -This happy time was now nothing but a faded though pleasant recollection -in the poor woman's memory. - -Señor Juan became ill of consumption, and for two years his wife had to -nurse him, working harder than ever at her various jobs to make up for -the peseta that her husband formerly gave her. Finally he died in the -hospital, resigned to his fate, having come to the conclusion that life -was worth nothing without bulls and Manzanilla. His last looks of love -and gratitude were for his wife, as though he were crying out with his -eyes, "Olé! the best woman in the world!"... - -When the Señora Angustias was left alone, her situation became no worse; -on the contrary, she was much less hampered in her movements, freed from -the man who in the last two years of his life had weighed more heavily -on her than all the rest of the family. Being a woman of prompt and -energetic action, she immediately struck out a line for her children. -Encarnacion, who was now seventeen, went to the Tobacco factory, where -her mother was able to introduce her, thanks to her relations with -certain friends of her youth, who were now overseers. Juanillo, who from -his babyhood had spent his days under the doorway in the suburb de la -Feria, watching his father work, should become a shoemaker, by the will -of Señora Angustias. - -She took him away from school, where he had only learnt to read very -badly, and at twelve years old he was apprenticed to one of the best -shoemakers in Seville. - -Now commenced the martyrdom of the poor woman. Ay! that urchin. The son -of such honoured parents!... Almost every day instead of going to his -master's shop, he would go to the slaughter-house with certain -ragamuffins, who had their meeting place on a bench in the Alameda de -Hercules, and for the amusement of shepherds and slaughtermen, would -venture to throw a cloak before the oxen, frequently getting knocked -over and trampled. The Señora Angustias, who watched many nights needle -in hand, so that her son should go decently clad to the workshop in -clean clothes, would find him at the house door, afraid to come in, but -from the extremity of his hunger equally afraid to run away, with his -trousers torn, his jacket filthy, and bruises and grazes on his face. - -To the bruises of the treacherous oxen would be added his mother's blows -and beatings with a broomstick: but the hero of the slaughter-house -endured everything, as long as he could get his poor pittance, "Beat me, -but give me something to eat," and with an appetite sharpened by the -violent exercise, he would swallow the hard bread, the weevilled beans, -the putrefied salt cod, all the damaged goods that the thrifty woman -found in the shops, which enabled her to maintain the family on very -little money. - -Busy all day scrubbing the floors of other people's houses, it was only -now and again in the evenings that she was able to look after her son, -going to his master's shop to enquire about the apprentice's progress. -When she returned from the shoemaker's she was usually panting with -rage, promising herself to administer the most stupendous punishments in -order to correct the rascal. - -On most days he never went near the shop at all. He spent the mornings -at the slaughter-house, and in the evenings formed one of a group of -other vagabonds at the entrance of the Calle de las Sierpes, prowling -round the groups of toreros without contracts, who assembled in La -Campana, dressed in new clothes with spick and span hats, and scarcely a -peseta between them in their pockets, each one boasting of his own -imaginary exploits. - -Juanillo viewed them as creatures of amazing superiority, he envied -their fine carriage, and the coolness with which they ogled the women. -The idea that each one of those men had in his house a set of silk -clothes embroidered with gold, and being dressed in these would march -past before the crowd to the sound of music, produced a shiver of -respect. - -The son of Señora Angustias was known to all his ragged companions as -"Zapaterin,"[50] and he seemed delighted at having a nickname, like -almost all the great men who appeared in the circus. Everything must -have a beginning. Round his neck he wore a red handkerchief filched from -his sister, and from beneath his cap the hair fell over his ears in long -locks, which he smoothed with saliva. He wanted to have his drill -blouses made short to the waist with many pleats, his trousers, old -remains of his father's wardrobe, high in the waist, full in the legs, -well fitting over the hips; and he wept with humiliation when his mother -would not give in to these requirements. - -A cape! Oh! to possess a fighting cape, not to have to implore the loan -of the coveted garment for a few moments from others more fortunate than -himself!... In a small room in their house lay an old empty mattress -from which Señora Angustias had sold the wool in days of distress. The -Zapaterin spent one morning shut up in that room, taking advantage of -his mother's absence, who was working that day at a canon's house. With -the ingenuity of a ship-wrecked man, left to his own resources on a -desert island, who has to make everything for himself, he cut out a -fighting cape from the damp and ravelled linen. Afterwards he boiled in -a pipkin a handful of red aniline which he had bought at a druggists, -and dipped the old linen in the dye. Then Juanillo looked at the result -of his work. A cape of the most brilliant scarlet which would arouse -many envies at the "capeas" in different villages!... It only wanted -drying. So he hung it in the sun among the neighbours' white clothes. -The wind waving the dripping rag, spotted the neighbouring garments, and -a chorus of maledictions and threats, of clenched fists, and mouths -uttering the most abusive words against him and his mother, obliged the -Zapaterin to seize his cape of glory and bolt; his hands and face -covered with red, as if he had just committed a murder. - -The Señora Angustias was a strong woman, obese and mustachioed, who -feared no man, and compelled respect from other women by her energetic -determination, but with her son she was weak and soft-hearted. What -could she do?... She had laid violent hands on every part of the boy's -body, and broom sticks had been broken with no apparent result. That -cursed one, said she, had the hide of a dog. Accustomed out of the house -to the tremendous butting of the calves, the cruel tramplings of the -cows, to the sticks of the herdsmen and slaughtermen, who thrashed the -tauric aspirants without mercy, his mother's blows seemed a natural -event, a continuation of his out-door life prolonged into his family -life, which he accepted without the slightest intention of amendment, as -a fine he had to pay in return for food. So he gnawed the hard bread -with starving gluttony, while the maternal blows and maledictions rained -on his shoulders. - -As soon as his hunger was satisfied he ran away from the house, availing -himself of the liberty perforce left by Señora Angustias, who was -absent, busy at her tasks. - -In La Campana, the venerable agora of tauric gossip, where all the great -news of the "aficion" circulated, he got tidings from his friends which -made him tremble with delight. - -"Zapaterin, there is a corrida to-morrow." - -The country villages celebrated the feast-day of their patron saint by -"capeas" of already[51] tried bulls, and there the young toreros walked, -in the hope of being able to say on their return, that they had spread -their cloaks in the celebrated Plazas of Aznalcollar, Bollullos or -Mairena. They would begin their journey at night, with their cloaks over -their shoulders if it were summer, or wrapped round them if it were -winter, their stomachs empty, talking all the time of bulls. - -If their tramp lasted several days they would camp on the ground, or be -admitted out of charity to the hay-loft of some inn. Alas! for the -grapes, the melons and the figs they came across on their way in the -warm season. Their only anxiety was lest some other party, some other -cuadrilla should have had the same inspiration, and would arrive in the -town before them, thus establishing a rough competition. - -When they came to the end of their journey, their brows dusty and their -mouths parched, tired and foot weary from the tramp, they presented -themselves before the alcalde, and the boldest among them, who fulfilled -the functions of director spoke of the merits of the troup, who thought -themselves lucky if municipal generosity lodged them in the inn stables, -and gave them in addition an "olla"[52] which was emptied in a few -seconds. - -In the square of the town, enclosed with carts and boarded scaffolding, -old bulls would be loosed, veritable castles of flesh, covered with -seams and scars, with enormous sharp horns, brutes that for many years -had been baited at all the holidays in the province, venerable animals -who "knew Latin."[53] Their cunning was so great that accustomed to the -perpetual baiting they were in the secrets of all the possibilities of -the fight. The boys of the town pricked these beasts from a safe place, -and the people derived more amusement from the "toreros" from Seville -even than from the bull. The youngsters spread their cloaks with -trembling legs, but their hearts comforted by the weight in their -stomachs. There was great delight among the crowd when any one of them -was knocked over; and when any lad among them in sudden terror took -refuge behind the palisades, the peasant barbarians received him with -insults, striking the hands clutching hold of the wood, and thrashing -him on the legs to make him jump again into the Plaza. "Arre, coward! -show your face to the bull. Cheat!" - -Sometimes one of the "diestros" would be carried out of the Plaza by -four of his companions, pale with the whiteness of paper, his eyes -glassy, his head hanging, and his breast heaving like a broken bellows. -The barber would arrive, reassuring them all as he saw no blood, it was -only the shock the lad had suffered in being tossed to a distance of -several yards, and falling on the ground like a bundle of clothes. At -other times it was the agony of being trampled under foot by some -enormously heavy animal; then a pail of water would be dashed on his -head, and when he recovered his senses, he would be treated to a long -draught of aguardiente from Cazalla de la Sierra. Not even a prince -could be better cared for, and back he went to the Plaza again. - -When the grazier had no more bulls to loose and night was beginning to -fall, two of the cuadrilla, choosing the best cloak of the company, and -holding it by the corners, would go from stand to stand asking for some -gratuity. Copper money would rain into the red cloth according to the -amusement the strangers had given to the inhabitants, and the corrida -being ended they would recommence their tramp home, knowing their credit -at the inn was exhausted. Very often on the way home they quarrelled -over the division of the coins which were carried tied up in a -handkerchief. - -All the rest of the week would be spent narrating their exploits before -the wide open eyes of the chums who had not been of the expedition. They -would tell of their "veronicas"[54] in El Garrobo, of their -"navarras"[55] in Lora, or of a terrible goring in El Pedroso, imitating -the airs and attitudes of the true professionals, who, a few steps away -from them, were consoling themselves for their failure to get contracts, -by every sort of bragging and lies. - -On one occasion the Señora Angustias was more than a week without news -of her son. At last vague rumours came that he had been wounded in a -"capea" at the village of Tocino. Dios mio! Where might that village be? -How should she get to it?... She made sure her son was dead and wept for -him, nevertheless she wished to go to the place herself. While, however, -she was considering the journey Juanillo arrived, pale and weak, but -speaking with manly pride of his accident. - -It was nothing. A prick in the buttock, which, with the shamelessness -born of his triumph he wished to show to all the neighbours, declaring -that he could put his finger in several inches without its coming to the -end. He was proud of the smell of iodoform which he dispersed as he -passed, and he spoke gratefully of the attentions which had been paid to -him in that town, which, according to him, was the finest in all Spain. -The richest people there, the aristocracy as one might say, were -interested in his mishap, and the alcalde had been to see him, -afterwards giving him his return fare. He still had three duros in his -purse, which he made over to his mother with the air of a grand -gentleman. So much fame at fourteen! His pride was all the greater when -in La Campana, several toreros (real toreros) deigned to take notice of -him, enquiring how his wound was getting on. - -After this accident he never again returned to his master's shop. He -knew now what bulls were, and his wound only served to increase his -boldness. He would be a torero; and nothing but a torero! The Señora -Angustias abandoned all her projects of correction, judging them to be -useless. She tried to ignore her son's existence. When he arrived home -at night, at the time his mother and sister were supping together, they -gave him his food in silence, intending to crush him with their -contempt, but this in no way interfered with his appetite. If he arrived -late, they did not even keep a scrap of bread for him, and he was -obliged to go out again, as empty as he had come in. - -He was one of the evening promenaders in the Alameda de Hercules, with -other vicious-eyed lads, a confused mixture of apprentices, criminals, -and toreros. The neighbours met him sometimes in the streets talking to -young gentlemen whose airs made the women laugh, or grave caballeros to -whom slander gave feminine nicknames. Sometimes he would sell -newspapers, or during the great festivals of Holy Week he would sell -packets of caramels in the Plaza de San Francisco. At the time of the -fair, he would loiter about the hotels waiting for an "Englishman," -because for him all travellers were English, hoping to be engaged as -guide. - -"Milord!... I am a torero!" ... he would say, seeing a foreign figure, -as if this professional qualification was an undeniable recommendation -to strangers. - -In order to establish his identity, he would take off his cap, letting -the pigtail fall down behind, the long lock of hair which as a rule he -wore rolled up on the top of his head. - -His companion in wretchedness was Chiripa, a lad of the same age, small -of body and malicious of eye. He had neither father nor mother, and had -wandered about Seville ever since he could remember anything. He -exercised over Juanillo all the influence of greater experience. He had -one cheek scarred by a bull's horn, and this visible wound the Zapaterin -considered greatly superior to his invisible one. - -When at the door of an hotel some lady, bitten by the idea of "local -colour," spoke with the young toreros, admired their pig-tails, listened -to the stories of their exploits, and ended by giving them some money, -Chiripa would say in a whining voice. - -"Do not give it to him, he has a mother, and I am alone in the world. He -who has a mother does not know what he has!" - -And the Zapaterin, seized with a feeling of compunction, would allow the -other lad to take possession of all the money, murmuring: - -"That is true; that is true." - -This filial tenderness did not prevent Juanillo continuing his abnormal -existence, only putting in an occasional appearance at Señora Angustias' -house, and often undertaking long journeys away from Seville. - -Chiripa was a past master of a vagabond life. On the days of a corrida -he would make up his mind to get into the Plaza de Toros somehow with -his comrade, and would employ for this end every sort of stratagem, such -as scaling the walls, slipping in among the people unperceived, or even -softening the officials by humble prayers. A fiesta taurina,[56] and -they who were of the profession not there to see it!... When there were -no "capeas" in the provincial towns, they would go and spread their -cloaks before the young bulls in the pastures of Tablada. These -attractions of Sevillian life, however, were not sufficient to satisfy -their ambition. - -Chiripa had wandered much, and told his companion of all the things he -had seen in the distant provinces. He was expert in the art of -travelling gratuitously and hiding himself cleverly on the trains. The -Zapaterin listened with delight to his description of Madrid, that city -of dreams with its Bull-ring, which was a kind of Cathedral of -bull-fighting. - -One day a gentleman at the door of a café in the Calle de las Sierpes -told them, in order to take a rise out of them, that they might earn a -great deal of money in Bilbao, as toreros did not abound there as they -did in Seville. So the two lads undertook the journey with empty purses, -and no luggage but their capes--real capes, which had belonged to -toreros whose names figured on placards, and bought by them for a few -reals in an old clothes shop. - -They crept cautiously into the trains, hiding themselves beneath the -seats, but hunger and other necessities obliged them to divulge their -presence to their fellow travellers, who ended by pitying their plight, -laughing at the queer figures they cut, with their pig-tails and capes, -and finally giving them the remains of their victuals. When any official -gave chase at the stations, they would run from carriage to carriage, or -try to climb on the roofs to await, lying flat, the starting of the -train. Many times they were caught, seized by the ears to the -accompaniment of blows and kicks, and left, standing on the platform of -a lonely station, to watch the train vanish like a lost hope. - -They would wait for the passing of the next train, bivouacing in the -open air, or if they found they were being watched would start to walk -over the deserted fields to the next station, in the hope that there -they would be more fortunate. And so they arrived at Madrid after an -adventurous journey of many days, with long waits and not a few cuffs. -In the Calle de Sevilla and the Puerta del Sol, they admired the groups -of unemployed toreros, superior beings, from whom they ventured to -beg--without any result--a little alms to continue their journey. A -servant of the Plaza de Toros who came from Seville had pity on them, -and let them sleep in the stables, procuring them further the delight of -seeing a corrida of young bulls in the famous circus, which, however, -did not seem to them as imposing as the one in their own country. - -Frightened at their own daring, and seeing the end of their excursion -ever further and further off, they decided to return to Seville in the -same way that they had come, but from that time they took a pleasure in -these stolen journeys on the railway. They travelled to many places of -small importance in the different Andalusian provinces, whenever they -heard vague rumours of "fiestas" with their corresponding "capeas." In -this way they travelled as far as La Mancha, and Estremadura, and if bad -luck obliged them to go on foot, they took refuge in the hovels of the -peasants, credulous, good-natured people, who were astounded at their -youth, their daring and their bombastic talk, and took them for real -toreros. - -This wandering existence made them exercise the cunning of primitive -man to satisfy their wants. In the neighbourhood of country houses, they -would crawl on their stomachs to steal the vegetables without being -seen. They would watch whole hours for a solitary hen to come near them, -and having wrung her neck would proceed on their tramp, to light a fire -of dry wood in the middle of the day, and swallow the poor bird scorched -and half raw with the voracity of little savages. The field mastiffs -they feared more than bulls; these watchdogs were difficult brutes to -fight, when they rushed upon the boys showing their fangs, as if the -strange aspect of the latter infuriated them and they scented enemies to -personal property. - -Sometimes when they were sleeping in the open air near a station waiting -for a train to pass, a couple of Civil Guards would rouse them. However, -the guardians of law and order were pacified when they saw the red cloth -bundles which served these vagabonds as pillows. Very civilly they would -take off the urchins' caps, and finding the hairy appendage of the -pig-tail, they would move off laughing, and make no further enquiries. -They were not little thieves; they were "aficionados" going to the -"capeas." In this tolerance there was a mixture of sympathy for the -national pastime, and respect towards the obscurity of the future. Who -could tell if perhaps one of these ragged lads, with poverty stricken -exterior, might not become in the future a "star of the art," a great -man who would pledge[57] bulls to kings, would live like a prince, and -whose exploits and sayings would be recorded in the newspapers! - -At last an evening came, when, in a town of Estremadura the Zapaterin -found himself alone. - -In order the more to astonish the rustic audience who were applauding -the famous toreros "come purposely from Seville," the two lads thought -they would fix banderillas in the neck of an old and very tricky bull. -Juanillo had fixed his darts in the beast's neck and stood near a -staging, delighting in receiving the popular ovation, which expressed -itself in tremendous thumps on his back and offers of glasses of wine. -An exclamation of horror startled him out of this intoxication of -triumph. Chiripa was no longer standing on the ground of the Plaza. -Nothing remained of him but the banderillas rolling on the ground, one -slipper and his cap. The bull was tossing his head as if irritated at -some obstacle, carrying impaled on one of his horns a bundle of clothes -like a doll. By violent head-shakes the shapeless bundle was flung off -the horn pouring out a red stream, but before it reached the ground it -was caught by the other horn, and twirled about for some time. At last -the luckless bundle fell into the dust, and lay there limp and lifeless, -pouring out blood, like a pierced wine skin letting out the wine in -jets. - -The grazier with his bell oxen drew the brute into the yard, for no one -dared to approach him, and the unhappy Chiripa was carried on a straw -mattress to a room in the Town Hall which usually served as a prison. -His companion saw him there with his face as white as plaster, his eyes -dull, and his body red with blood which the cloths soaked in -vinegar--applied in default of anything better--were unable to staunch. - -"Adio, Zapaterin!" he sighed. "Adio, Juaniyo!" and spoke no more. - -The dead lad's companion, quite overcome, started on his return to -Seville, haunted by those glassy eyes, hearing those moaning farewells. -He was afraid. A quiet cow crossing his path would have made him run. He -thought of his mother and the wisdom of her advice. Would it not be -better to devote himself to shoe-making and live quietly?... Those -ideas, however, only lasted as long as he was alone. - -On arriving in Seville he once more felt the influence of the pervading -atmosphere. His friends surrounded him anxious to hear every detail of -poor Chiripa's death. The professional toreros enquired about it in La -Campana, recalling pitifully the little rascal with the scarred face who -had run so many errands for them. Juan, fired by such marks of -consideration, gave rein to his powerful imagination, and described how -he had thrown himself on the bull when he saw his unlucky companion -caught, how he had seized the brute by the tail, with other portentous -exploits, in spite of which poor Chiripa had made his exit from this -world. - -This painful impression soon disappeared. He would be a torero and -nothing but a torero; if others became that, why not he? He thought of -the weevilled beans, and his mother's dry bread, of the abuse which each -new pair of trousers drew on him, of hunger, the inseparable companion -of so many of his expeditions. Besides he felt a vehement longing for -all the enjoyments and luxuries of life, he looked with envy at the -coaches and horses; he stood absorbed before the doorways of the great -houses, through whose iron wickets he could see court-yards of oriental -luxury, with arcades of Moorish tiles; floors of marble and murmuring -fountains, which dropped a shower of pearls day and night over basins -surrounded by green leaves. His fate was decided. He would kill bulls or -die. He would be rich, so that the newspapers should speak of him, and -people bow before him, even though it were at the cost of his life. He -despised the inferior ranks of the torero. He saw the banderilleros who -risked their lives, just like the masters of the profession, receive -thirty duros only for each corrida, and, after a life of fatigues and -gorings, with no future for their old age but some wretched little shop -started with their savings, or some employment at a slaughter-house. -Many died in hospitals; the majority begged for charity from their -younger companions. Nothing for him of banderilleros, or of spending -many years in a cuadrilla, under the despotism of a master! He would -kill bulls from the first and tread the sand of the Plazas as an espada -at once. - -The misfortune of poor Chiripa gave him a certain ascendancy among his -companions, and he formed a cuadrilla, a ragged cuadrilla who tramped -after him to the "capeas" in the villages. They respected him because he -was the bravest and the best dressed. Several girls of loose life -attracted by the manly beauty of the Zapaterin, who was now eighteen, -and also by the prestige of his pig-tail, quarrelled among themselves in -noisy rivalry, as to who should have the care of his comely person. -Added to this, he now reckoned on a Godfather, an old patron and former -magistrate, who had a weakness for smart young toreros, but whose -intimacy with her son made Señora Angustias furious, and caused her to -give vent to all the most obscene expressions she had learnt while she -was at the Tobacco factory. - -The Zapaterin wore suits of English woollen cloth well fitted to his -elegant figure, and his hats were always spick and span. His female -associates looked to the scrupulous whiteness of his collars and shirt -fronts, and on great days he wore over his waistcoat a double chain of -gold like ladies wear, a loan from his respected friend, which had -already figured round the necks of several youngsters who were beginning -their careers. - -He now mixed with the real toreros, and he could afford to stand treat -to the old servants who remembered the exploits of the famous masters. -It was rumoured as true, that certain patrons were working in favour of -this "lad," and were only waiting for a propitious occasion for his -début, at the baiting of novillos[58] in the Plaza of Seville. - -The Zapaterin was already a matador. One day at Lebrija, a most lively -bull was turned into the arena, his companions egged him on to the -supreme feat: "Do you dare to put your hand to him?" ... and he did put -his hand. Afterwards, emboldened by the facility with which he had come -out of the peril, he went to all the "capeas" in which it was announced -that the novillos would be killed, and to all the farm houses where they -baited and killed cattle. - -The proprietor of La Rinconada--a rich grange with its own small -bull-ring--was an enthusiast, who kept the table laid, and his hay-loft -open for all the starving "aficionados" who wished to amuse themselves -fighting his cattle. Juanillo had been there in the days of his poverty -with other companions, to eat to the health of the rural hidalgo. They -would arrive on foot after a two days' tramp, and the proprietor seeing -the dusty troup with their bundles of cloaks would say solemnly: - -"To whoever does best, I will give his ticket to return to Seville by -train." - -The master of the farm spent two days smoking in the balcony of his -Plaza, whilst the youngsters from Seville fought his young bulls, being -often knocked over and pawed. - -"That's no use whatever, blunderer!" he would cry, reproving a cloak -pass ill delivered. - -"Up from the ground, coward!... And tell them to give you some wine to -get over your fright," ... he would shout when a lad continued lying -full length on the ground after a bull had passed over his body. - -The Zapaterin killed a novillo so much to the taste of its owner, that -the latter seated him at his own table, while his comrades remained in -the kitchen with the shepherds and labourers, dipping their horn spoons -into the common steaming pot. - -"You have earned your journey in the railway, Gacho. You will go far, if -your heart does not fail you. You have capabilities." - -When the Zapaterin began his return journey to Seville in a second-class -carriage, while the cuadrilla commenced theirs on foot, he thought a new -life was opening for him, and he cast looks of envy on the enormous -grange, with its extensive olive-yards, its mills, its pastures which -lost themselves to sight, on which thousands of goats grazed and bulls -and cows ruminated quietly with their legs tucked under them. What -wealth! If he could only some day arrive at possessing something -similar! - -The fame of his prowess in baiting the young bulls in the villages -reached Seville, attracting the notice of some of the restless and -insatiable amateurs, who were always hoping for the rise of a new star -to eclipse the existing ones. - -"He looks a promising lad" ... they said, seeing him pass along the -Calle de las Sierpes, with a short step swinging his arms proudly. "We -shall have to see him on the 'true ground.'" - -This ground for them and for the Zapaterin was the circus of the Plaza -of Seville. The youngster was soon to find himself face to face with -"the truth."[59] His protector had acquired for him a gala dress a -little used, the cast-off finery of some nameless matador. A corrida of -novillos was being organized for some charitable purpose, and some -influential amateurs, anxious for novelty, succeeded in including him -in the programme--gratuitously--as matador. - -The son of Señora Angustias would not allow himself to be announced on -the placards by his nickname of Zapaterin, which he wished to forget. He -would have nothing to do with nicknames, still less with any subordinate -employment. He wished to be known by his father's names, he intended to -be Juan Gallardo; and that no nickname should remind the great people, -who in the future would indubitably be his friends, of his low origin. - -All the suburb of la Feria rushed "en masse" to the corrida, with -turbulent and patriotic ardour. Those of la Macarena also showed their -interest, and all the other workmen's suburbs were roused to the same -enthusiasm. A new Sevillian Matador!... There were not places enough for -all, and thousands of people remained outside anxiously awaiting news of -the corrida. - -Gallardo baited, killed, was rolled over by a bull without being -wounded; keeping his audience on tenter hooks with his audacities, which -in most cases turned out luckily, provoking immense howls of enthusiasm. -Certain amateurs whose opinions were worthy of respect smiled -complacently. He still had a great deal to learn, but he had courage and -goodwill, which is the most important thing. Above all he goes in to -kill truly, and he is at last on the "true ground." - -During the corrida the good-looking girls, friends of the diestro, -rushed about frantic with enthusiasm, with hysterical contortions, -tearful eyes, and slobbering mouths, making use in broad daylight of all -the loving words they generally kept for night. One flung her cloak into -the arena, another, to go one better, her blouse and her stays, another -tore off her skirt, till the spectators seized hold of them laughing, -fearing they would throw themselves next into the arena, or remain in -their shifts. - -On the other side of the Plaza, the old magistrate smiled tenderly -under his white beard, admiring the youngster's courage, and thinking -how well the gala dress became him. On seeing him rolled over by the -bull, he threw himself back in his seat as if he were fainting. That was -too much for him. - -Between the barriers Encarnacion's husband strutted with pride, he was a -saddler with a small open shop; a prudent man, detesting vagrancy, he -had fallen in love with the cigarette maker's charms, and married her, -but on the express condition of having nothing to do with that bad lot, -her brother. - -Gallardo, offended by his brother-in-law's sour face, had never -attempted to set foot in his shop, situated on the outskirts of la -Macarena, neither had he ever ceased to use the ceremonious "Uste" when -he met him sometimes in the evening at Señora Angustias' house. - -"I am going to see how they will pelt that vagabond brother of yours -with oranges to make him run," he had said to his wife as he left for -the Plaza. - -But now from his seat he was applauding the diestro, shouting to him as -Juaniyo, calling him "tu," peacocking with delight when the youngster, -attracted by the shouting at last saw him, and replied with a wave of -his rapier. - -"He is my brother-in-law" ... explained the saddler, in order to attract -the attention of those around him. "I have always thought that youngster -would be something in the bull-fighting line. My wife and I have helped -him a great deal." - -The exit was triumphal. The crowd threw themselves on Juanillo, as if -they intended to devour him in their expansive delight. It was a mercy -his brother-in-law was there to restore order, to cover him with his -body, and conduct him to the hired carriage, in which he finally took -his seat by the side of the Novillero. - -When they arrived at the little house in the suburb of la Feria, an -immense crowd followed the carriage, and like all popular manifestations -they were shouting vivas which made the inhabitants run to their doors. -The news of his triumph had arrived before the diestro, and all the -neighbours ran to look at him and shake his hand. - -The Señora Angustias and her daughter were standing at the house door. -The saddler almost lifted his brother-in-law out in his arms, -monopolizing him, shouting and gesticulating in the name of the family -to prevent anyone touching him as though he were a sick man. - -"Here he is; Encarnacion"--he said pushing him towards his wife. "He is -the real Roger de Flor!"[60] - -Encarnacion did not need to ask any more, for she knew that her husband, -as a result of some far off and confused reading, considered this -historic personage as the embodiment of all greatness, and only ventured -to join his name to portentous events. - -Other neighbours who had come from the corrida insinuatingly flattered -Señora Angustias, as they looked admiringly at her portly figure. - -Blessed be the mother who bore so brave a son!... - -The poor woman's eyes wore an expression of bewilderment and doubt. -Could it be really her Juanillo who was making everyone run about so -enthusiastically?... Had they all gone mad? - -But suddenly she threw herself upon him, as if all the past had -vanished, as if her sorrows and rages were a dream; as if she were -confessing to a shameful error. Her enormous flabby arms were flung -round the torero's neck, and tears wetted one of his cheeks. - -"My son! Juaniyo!... If your poor father could see you!" - -"Don't cry, mother ... for this is a happy day. You will see. If God -gives me luck I will build you a house, and your friends shall see you -in a carriage, and you shall wear a Manila shawl which will make -everyone...." - -The saddler acknowledged those promises of grandeur with affirmative -nods, standing opposite his bewildered wife, who had not yet got over -her surprise at this radical change. "Yes, Encarnacion; this youngster -can do everything if he takes the trouble ... he was extraordinary! the -real Roger de Flor himself!" - -That night in the taverns of the people's suburbs, nothing was talked of -but Gallardo. - -The torero of the future. As startling as the roses! This lad will take -off the chignons[61] of all the Cordovan caliphs. - -In this speech Sevillian pride was latent, the perpetual rivalry with -the people of Cordova, also a country of fine bull-fighters. - -From that day forward Gallardo's life was completely changed. The -gentlemen saluted him and made him sit among them in front of the cafés. -The girls who formerly kept him from hunger, and looked after his -adornment found themselves little by little repelled with smiling -contempt. Even the old protector withdrew in view of certain rebuffs, -and transferred his tender friendship to other youths who were -beginning. - -The management of the Plaza de Toros sought out Gallardo, flattering him -as though he were already a celebrity. When his name was announced on -the placards, the result was certain: a bumper house. The rabble -applauded Señora Angustias' son with transports, telling tales of his -courage. Gallardo's renown soon spread throughout Andalusia, and the -saddler, without anyone having asked for his assistance, now mixed -himself up in everything, arrogating to himself the rôle of protector of -his brother-in-law's interests. - -He was a hard-headed man, very expert, according to himself, in -business, and he saw his line of life marked out for ever. - -"Your brother ..." he said at nights to his wife as they were going to -bed ... "wants a practical man at his side who will look after his -interest. Do you think it would be a bad thing for him to name me his -manager? It would be a great thing for him. He is better than Roger de -Flor! And for us...." - -The saddler's imagination pictured to himself the great wealth that -Gallardo would acquire, and he thought also of the five children he -already had and of the rest which would surely follow, for he was a man -of unwearied and prolific conjugal fidelity. Who knew if what the espada -earned might not eventually be for one of his nephews!... - -For a year and a half Juan killed novillos in the best Plazas in Spain. -His fame had even reached Madrid. The amateurs of that town were curious -to know the "Sevillian lad" of whom the newspapers spoke so much, and of -whom the intelligent Andalusians told such stories. - -Gallardo escorted by a party of friends from his own country, who were -living in Madrid, swaggered on the pavement of the Calle de Sevilla near -the Café Ingles. The girls smiled at his gallantries, fixing their eyes -on the torero's thick gold chain and his large diamonds, jewels bought -with his first earnings and on the credit of those of the future. A -matador ought to show by the adornment of his person, and also by his -generous treatment of everyone, that he has over and above enough -money. How distant those days seemed, when he and poor Chiripa, -vagabonds on that same pavement, in fear of the police, looked at the -toreros with wondering eyes and picked up the fag ends of their cigars! - -His work in Madrid was fortunate. He made friendships, and soon gathered -round him a party of enthusiasts, anxious for novelty, who also -proclaimed him "the torero of the future," protesting loudly at his not -yet having received "la alternativa." - -"He will earn money by basketsful, Encarnacion," said his -brother-in-law. "He will have millions, unless any bad accident happens -to him." - -The family life had completely changed. Gallardo, who now mixed with the -gentry of Seville, did not care for his mother to continue living in the -hovel of the days of her poverty. For his own part, he would have liked -to move into the best street in the town, but Señora Angustias wished to -remain faithful to the suburb of la Feria, with that love which simple -people feel as they grow older for the places in which their youth has -been spent. - -They now lived in a much better house. The mother no longer worked, and -the neighbours courted her, foreseeing in her a generous lender in their -days of distress. Juan, besides the heavy and startling jewelry with -which he adorned his person, possessed that supreme luxury of a torero, -a powerful sorrel mare, with a Moorish saddle, and a large blanket, -adorned with multi-coloured tassels rolled up on the bow. Mounted on her -he trotted through the streets, his only object being to receive the -homage of his friends who greeted his elegance with noisy Olé's. This -for the time being satisfied his desire for popularity. At other times -joining some gentlemen, the gallant cavalcade would ride to the pastures -of Tablada, on the eve of some great corrida, to inspect the cattle -that others were to kill. - -When I shall have received "la Alternativa" ... he said perpetually, -making all his plans for the future depend on this event. - -For that future time he also left several projects with which he -intended to surprise his mother; who, poor woman! already frightened by -the comfort which had crept suddenly into her house, would have thought -any farther augmentation an impossibility. - -At last the day of "la Alternativa" arrived, the public recognition of -Gallardo as matador. - -A celebrated master ceded his sword and muleta to him in the full circus -in Seville, the crowd were nearly mad with delight, seeing how he killed -with one sword thrust the first "formal"[62] bull which was placed -before him. The following month this doctorate of tauromachia was -countersigned in the Plaza in Madrid, where another no less celebrated -master gave him "la Alternativa" in a corrida of bulls from Muira. - -He was now no longer a novillero; he was a recognized matador, and his -name figured on the placards by the side of all the old espadas, whom he -had admired as unapproachable divinities, in the days when he went -through the little towns taking part in the "capeas." He remembered -having waited for one of them at a station near Cordova to beg a little -help from him as he passed with his cuadrilla. That night he had -something to eat, thanks to the fraternal generosity existing between -the people of the pigtail, and which made an espada living in princely -luxury give a duro and a cigar to the needy wretch who was trying his -first "capeas." - -Engagements began to pour in to the new espada. In all the Plazas of -the Peninsula they were curious to see him. The professional papers -popularized his portrait and his life, not without adding romantic -episodes to this latter. No matador had as many engagements as he had, -and it would not be long before he made a fortune. - -Antonio, his brother-in-law, viewed this success with scowling brow and -grumbling protests to his wife and his mother-in-law. The fellow was -ungrateful; it was the way of all those who rose too rapidly. Just think -how he had worked for Juan! How obstinately he had discussed matters -with Managers when they were arranging the runs of Novillos!... And now -that he was "Maestro" he had taken for agent a certain Don José, whom he -scarcely knew, who did not belong in any way to the family, and for whom -Gallardo had taken a great affection simply because he was an old -amateur. - -He will suffer for it; he ended by saying: "One can only have one -family. Where will he meet with affection like ours, who have known him -since his earliest childhood? So much the worse for him! With me, he -would have been like the real Roger...." - -But here he stopped short, swallowing the rest of the famous name, from -fear of the laughter of the banderilleros and amateurs who frequented -the matador's house, and who had not been slow in noticing this -historical adoration of the saddler's. - -Gallardo, with the good nature of a successful man, had endeavoured to -give his brother-in-law some compensation, entrusting him with the -supervision of the house he was building. He gave him carte-blanche for -all expenses, for the espada, bewildered with the ease with which money -was pouring into his hands, was not sorry his brother-in-law should make -a profit, and he was pleased to make it up to him in this way for not -having retained him as agent. - -The torero was now able to carry out his cherished wish of building a -house for his mother. The poor woman, who had spent her life in -scrubbing rich people's floors, was now to have her own beautiful -patio,[63] with arches of Moorish tiles, and marble floors, her rooms -with furniture like that of the gentry, and servants, a great many -servants, to wait on her. Gallardo also felt himself drawn by -traditional affection to the suburbs where he had spent his miserable -childhood. It pleased him to dazzle the people who had employed his -mother as charwoman, or to give a handful of pesetas in times of -distress to those who had taken their shoes to his father to mend, or -had even given himself a crust of bread when he was starving. - -He bought several old houses, amongst them the very one with the doorway -under which his father had worked, pulled them down, and commenced a -fine building, which should have white walls, the iron work of its -windows and balconies painted green, a vestibule with a dado of Moorish -tiles, and an iron wicket of fine workmanship, through which would be -seen the patio with its fountain, and arcades with marble pillars -between which would hang gilded cages full of singing birds. - -The pleasure his brother-in-law felt on finding himself completely at -liberty with regard to the direction and progress of the works, was -damped by a terrible piece of news. - -Gallardo had a sweetheart. It was then full summer and the matador was -travelling from end to end of Spain, from one Plaza to another, giving -estocades, and receiving tumultuous applause; but almost every day he -wrote to a young girl in the suburb, and during the brief respite -between two corridas, he would leave his companions, taking the train -to spend a night in Seville "Pelando la Pava"[64] with her. - -"Just fancy that," cried the saddler aghast, in what he called "the -bosom of the hearth," that is to his wife and mother-in-law. "A -sweetheart, without ever saying a word to his family, which is the only -real thing that exists in this world! The Señor wishes to marry--no -doubt he is tired of us.... What a shame!" - -Encarnacion assented to her husband's grumbles by energetic nods of her -fierce looking but handsome head, pleased on the whole to express what -she thought about that brother, whose good fortune had always been a -source of envy. Yes, no doubt he had always been utterly shameless. - -But his mother raised her voice. - -"As for that--No. I know the girl, and her poor mother was a friend of -mine at the Fabrica. She is as pure as a river of gold, well mannered, -good--handsome.... I have already told Juan that as far as I am -concerned ... the sooner the better." - -She was an orphan living with some uncles who kept a small provision -shop in the suburb. Her father, a former wine merchant, had left her two -houses in the suburb of la Macarena. - -"It is not much," said Señora Angustias; "still the girl will not come -empty handed, she brings something of her own.... And for clothes? -Jesus; those little hands are worth their weight in gold, see how she -embroiders; how she is preparing her dowry!" - -Gallardo remembered vaguely having played with her as a child, close to -the doorway where the cobbler worked, while their mothers gossiped. She -was then like a little dry, dark lizard with gipsy eyes, the whole -pupil as black as a drop of ink, the whites blueish and the corners -pale pink. When she ran, nimbly as a boy, she showed legs like thin -reeds, and her hair flew wildly about her head in rebellious and tangled -curls like black snakes. Afterwards he had lost sight of her, not -meeting her again till many years after when he was a novillero, and was -already beginning to make a name. - -It was on a day of Corpus, one of the few festivals in which the women, -generally kept at home by their almost Oriental laziness, all come forth -like Moorish women set at liberty, in their lace mantillas, pinned to -their breasts with bunches of carnations, Gallardo saw a young girl, -tall, slim but at the same time strongly built, her waist well poised -above her curved and ample hips, showing the vigour of youth. Her face, -of a rice-like paleness, flushed as she saw the torero, and her eyes -fell, hidden beneath their long lashes. - -That gachi knows me, ... thought Gallardo vainly, most probably she has -seen me in the Plaza. - -But after following the young girl and her aunt he learnt that it was -Carmen, the playmate of his childhood, and he felt confused and -delighted at the marvellous transformation of the little black lizard of -former days. - -In a short time they became betrothed, and all the neighbours spoke of -the courtship, which they considered so flattering to the suburb. - -"I am like that," said Gallardo, assuming the air of a good prince. "I -do not care to imitate those toreros who, when they marry ladies, marry -nothing but hats, and feathers and flounces, I prefer what belongs to my -own class, a rich shawl, a good figure, grace.... Olé, ya!" - -His friends, delighted, hastened to praise the girl. - -A queenly presence, curves that would drive anyone mad, and such a -figure.... - -But the torero frowned. Enough of these jests if you please. Eh? And -the less you all talk of Carmen the better. - -One night, as he was talking with her through the iron grating of her -window, and looking at her Moorish face framed among the pots of -flowers, the waiter from a neighbouring tavern came bearing a tray on -which stood two glasses of Manzanilla. It was the messenger come to -"Cobrar el piso,"[65] the traditional Sevillian custom, which allows of -this offering to fiancés as they talk at the grating. - -The torero drank a glass, offering the other to Carmen, and then said to -the boy: - -"Thank these gentlemen very much from me, and say I will look in -presently; ... tell Montañes also that he is not to take any payment -from them, for Juan Gallardo will pay for everything." - -And as soon as his interview with his lady-love was ended, he walked -across to the tavern where those who had offered the civility were -waiting for him, some of them friends, others strangers, but all anxious -to drink a glass at the espada's expense. - -On his return from his first tour as recognized matador, he spent his -nights standing by the iron grating of Carmen's window, wrapped in his -elegant and luxurious cape of a greenish cloth embroidered with sprays -and arabesques in black silk. - -"They tell me you drink a great deal," sighed Carmen, pressing her face -against the iron grating. - -"What nonsense!... Only the civilities of my friends that I am obliged -to return, nothing more. And besides, you see, a torero is ... a torero, -and he cannot live like a brother of 'the Mercy.'" - -"They tell me also that you go with loose women." - -"Lies!... That might have been in former days before I knew you. -Rascals! Curse them! I should like to know who the slanderers are who -whisper such things to you...." - -"And when shall we be married?" she continued, cutting short her lover's -indignation by this query. - -"As soon as the house is finished, and would to God that were to-morrow! -That blockhead, my brother-in-law, never gets done with it. The rascal -finds it profitable and rests on his oars." - -"I will get everything into order when we are married, Juaniyo. You will -see, everything will go on all right, and you will see how your mother -loves me." - -And so the dialogues went on, while they were waiting for the marriage -of which all Seville was talking. Carmen's uncle talked over the affair -with Señora Angustias, whenever they met, but all the same, the torero -scarcely ever set foot in Carmen's house, it seemed as though some -terrible prohibition forbade him the door, anyhow the two preferred to -see each other at the grating according to custom. - -The winter was passing by, Gallardo rode and hunted over the country -estates of several wealthy gentlemen, who used the familiar "thou" with -a patronizing air. It was necessary for him to preserve his bodily -agility by continual exercise, till the time of the corridas came round -again. He was afraid of losing his great advantages of strength and -lightness. - -The most indefatigable advertiser of his fame was Don José, the -gentleman who acted as his agent, and who called him "his own matador." -He had a hand in every act of Gallardo's, not even yielding any prior -claims to "the family." He lived on his own income, and had no other -employment than that of talking perpetually of bulls and toreros. For -him there was nothing interesting in the world beyond corridas, and he -divided the nations into two classes, the elect who had bull-rings, and -the numberless others who had neither sun, gaiety, nor good Manzanilla, -and yet thought themselves powerful and happy, although they had never -seen even the worst run of novillos. - -He carried to his love of "the sport" the energy of a champion of the -faith, or of an inquisitor. Although he was young he was stout and -slightly bald with a light beard; but this sociable man, so jovial and -laughter-loving in ordinary life, was fierce and unbending on the -benches of a Plaza, if his neighbours expressed opinions differing from -his own. He felt himself capable of fighting the whole audience for a -torero he liked, and he disturbed the plaudits of the public by -unexpected objections, when those plaudits were given to any torero who -had not been lucky enough to gain his affection. - -He had been a cavalry officer, more on account of his love of horses -than of his love of war. His stoutness and his enthusiasm for bulls had -made him retire from the service.... Oh! to be the guide, the mentor, -the agent of an espada! - -When he became possessed of this vehement desire, all the "maestros" -were already provided, so the advent of Gallardo was a God-send to him. -The slightest doubt cast on his hero's merits made him crimson with -rage, and he generally ended by turning a bull-fighting discussion into -a personal quarrel. He considered it a glorious heroic act to have come -to blows with two evil minded amateurs who censured "his own matador" -for being too bold. - -The press seemed to him quite insufficient to proclaim Gallardo's fame, -so on winter mornings he would go and sit at a sunny corner at the -entrance of the Calle de las Sierpes, through which most of his friends -passed. - -"No. There is only one man!" he would say in a loud voice as if talking -to himself, pretending not to see the people who were approaching. "The -first man in the world! If anyone thinks the contrary let him speak.... -Yes, the only man!" - -"Who?" enquired his friends chuckling, pretending not to understand. - -"Who should it be?" ... "Juan." - -"What Juan?" - -A gesture of indignation and surprise. - -"What Juan is it? As if there were many Juans!... Juan Gallardo." - -"Bless the man!" said some of them, "one would think it was you who were -going to marry him!" - -Seeing other friends approaching he ignored their chaff, and began -again: - -"No, there is only one man!... The first man in the world! If anyone -doesn't believe it, let him open his beak! ... here am I to answer!" - -Gallardo's wedding was a great event. At the same time the new house was -inaugurated, of which the saddler was so proud, that he showed the -patio, the columns, and the Moorish tiles, as if they were all the work -of his own hands. - -They were married in San Gil, before the "Virgin of Hope," also called -la Macarena. As they came out of the church the sun shone on the -tropical flowers and painted birds on hundreds of shawls of Chinese -design, worn by the bride's friends. A deputy was best man, among the -black or white felt hats, shone the tall silk ones of his agent and -other gentlemen, enthusiastic supporters of Gallardo, who smiled, well -pleased with the increase of popularity they gained by being seen at the -torero's side. - -At the house door during the day there was a distribution of alms; many -poor people had come even from distant villages, attracted by the -reports of this splendid wedding. - -There was a grand repast in the patio and several photographers took -snapshots for the Madrid papers, for Gallardo's wedding was a national -event. Well on in the night the melancholy tinkling of the guitars was -still going on, accompanied by the rhythmic clapping of hands and the -rattle of castanets. The girls, their arms raised, danced with dainty -feet on the marble pavement, and skirts and shawls waved round the -pretty figures in the rhythm of Sevillanas. Bottle of rich Andalusian -wine were opened by the dozen, glasses of hot Jerez, of heady Montilla, -and Manzanilla of San Lucar, pale and perfumed, passed from hand to -hand. They were all tipsy, but their drunkenness was gentle, quiet, and -melancholy, and only betrayed itself in their sighs and songs; often -several would start at once singing melancholy airs, which spoke of -prisons, murders and the "poor mother," that eternal theme of Andalusian -popular songs. - -At midnight the last of the guests departed, and the newly-married -couple were left alone in their house with Señora Angustias. The saddler -on leaving made a gesture of despair; tipsy, he was besides furious, for -no one had taken any notice of him during the day. Just as if he were a -nobody! As if he did not belong to the family! - -"They are turning us out, Encarnacion. That girl with her face like the -'Virgin of Hope,' will be mistress of everything, and there will not -even be _that_ for us! You will see the house full of children!..." - -And the prolific husband became furious at the idea of the posterity -that would come to the espada, a posterity sent into the world with the -sole object of damaging his own children. - -Time went by and a year passed without Señor Antonio's prognostications -being verified. Gallardo and Carmen went to all the fêtes, with the -ostentation and show suitable to a rich and popular couple. Carmen with -Manila shawls which drew cries of admiration from poorer women; Gallardo -displaying all his diamonds, ever ready to take out his purse to treat -friends, or to help the beggars who came in swarms. The gitanas, -loquacious and copper coloured as witches, besieged Carmen with their -good auguries.... Might God bless her! She would soon have a child, a -"churumbel" more beautiful than the sun. They knew it by the whites of -her eyes. It was already half way on.... - -But in vain Carmen dropped her eyes and blushed with modesty and -pleasure; in vain the espada drew himself up, proud of his work, and -hoped the prediction would come true. But still the child did not come. - -So another year passed, and still the hopes of the couple were not -realized. Señora Angustias became sad as she spoke of their -disappointment. She certainly had other grandchildren, the children of -Encarnacion, whom the saddler was careful should spend most of their -time in their grandmother's house, doing their best to please their -Señor tio.[66] But she, who wished to compensate for her former -unkindness by the warm affection she now showed Juan, wished to have a -son of his to bring up in her own way, giving it all the love she had -been unable to give its father during his miserable childhood. - -"I know what it is," said the old woman sadly, "poor Carmen has too many -anxieties, you should see the poor thing when Juan is wandering about -the world!..." - -During the winter, the season of rest when the torero was for the most -part at home, or only went into the country for the "trials" of young -bulls or for hunting parties, all went well. Carmen was happy, knowing -her husband ran no risks; she laughed at anything, ate, and her face was -bright with the hues of health. But as soon as the spring time came -round, and Juan left home to fight in the different Plazas in Spain, the -poor girl became pale and weak, and fell into a painful languor, her -eyes, dilated by terror, ready to shed tears on the slightest occasion. - -"He has seventy-two corridas this year," said the intimates of the -house, speaking of the espada's engagements. "No one is so sought after -as he is." - -Carmen smiled with a sorrowful face. Seventy-two afternoons of anguish, -in the chapel like a criminal condemned to death, longing for the -arrival of the telegram in the evening, and yet dreading to open it. -Seventy-two days of terror, of vague superstitions, thinking that one -word forgotten in a prayer might influence the fate of the absent one; -seventy-two days of pained surprise at living in a great house, seeing -the same people, and finding life go on in its usual way; as though -nothing extraordinary was going on in the world, hearing her husband's -nephews playing in the patio, and the flower sellers crying their wares -outside while down there far away, in unknown towns, her beloved Juan -was fighting those fierce beasts before thousands of eyes, and seeing -death lightly pass by his breast with every wave of the red rag that he -carried in his hand. - -Ay! Those days of a corrida, those holidays, when the sky seemed bluer, -and the usually solitary street echoed beneath the holiday maker's -footsteps, when guitars tinkled, accompanied by hand clappings and songs -in the tavern at the corner!... Then Carmen, plainly dressed, with her -mantilla over her eyes, flying from those evil dreams, would leave her -house to take refuge in a church. - -Her simple faith, which anxiety peopled with vague superstitions, made -her go from altar to altar, weighing in her mind the merits and miracles -of each image. Some days she would go to San Gil, the popular church -which had witnessed the happiest day of her life, to kneel before the -Virgin de la Macarena. By the light of the numerous tapers she ordered -to be lighted, she would gaze at the dark face of that statue with its -black eyes and long lashes, which many said so singularly resembled her -own. In her she trusted, she was not "the Lady of Hope" for nothing, -surely at that time she was protecting Juan with her divine power. - -But suddenly uncertainty and fear crept through her beliefs, rending -them. The Virgin was only a woman, and women can do so little! Their -fate is to suffer and to weep, as she was weeping for her husband, as -that other had wept for her Son. She must confide in stronger powers, so -with the egoism of pain, she abandoned la Macarena without scruple, like -a useless friend, and went to the church of San Lorenzo in search of -"Our Father, Jesus of Great Power." The Man-God with His crown of -thorns, and His cross by His side, perspiring, and tearful, an image -that the sculptor Montañes had known how to make terrifying. - -The dramatic sadness of the Nazarene, stumbling over the stones, borne -down by the weight of His cross, seemed to console the poor wife. The -Lord of Great Power! ... this vague but grandiose title tranquilised her. -If that God dressed in purple velvet with gold embroideries would only -listen to her sighs and prayers, repeated hurriedly, with dizzy -rapidity, so that the greatest possible number of words should be said -in the shortest possible time, she was sure that Juan would come safe -and sound out of the arena, where he was at that moment fighting. At -other times she would give money to a sacristan to light some wax -tapers and would spend hours watching the rosy reflection of the red -tongues on the image, fancying she saw on its varnished face in the -changing light and shadow, smiles of consolation, which augured -happiness. - -The Lord of Great Power did not deceive her. When she returned to her -house the little blue paper arrived, which she opened with trembling -hands. "Nothing new." She could breathe again, and sleep, like the -criminal who is freed for the moment from the fear of instant death, but -in two or three days the torment of uncertainty, the terrible fear of -the unknown, would begin afresh. - -In spite of the love Carmen professed for her husband, there were times -when her heart rose in rebellion. If she had only known what this life -was before her marriage!... Now and then, impelled by the community of -suffering she would go and see the wives of the men who composed Juan's -cuadrilla, as if those women could give her news. - -The wife of El Nacional, who had a tavern in the same quarter, received -the chief's wife tranquilly, and seemed surprised at her fears. She was -used to the life, and her husband must be quite well as he sent no news. -Telegrams were dear, and a banderillero earned little enough. When the -newspaper sellers did not shout an accident, it meant that nothing -untoward had happened, and she went on attending to the affairs of her -tavern, as if anxiety could not penetrate the hard rind of her -susceptibilities. - -Other times she would cross the bridge and penetrate into the suburb of -Triana, in search of the wife of Potaje the picador, a kind of gitana, -who lived in a hovel like a fowl house, surrounded by dirty copper -coloured brats, whom she ordered about and terrified by her stentorian -shouts. The visit of the chief's wife filled her with pride, but her -anxieties made her laugh. She ought not to be afraid, the men on foot -nearly always got clear of the bull, and the Señor Juan was very lucky -in throwing himself on the beast. Bulls killed few people, the terrible -things were the falls from horse-back. It was well known what was the -end of nearly all picadors after a life of horrible tosses: he who did -not end his life in an unforeseen and sudden accident, generally died -mad. No doubt poor Potaje would die in this way, he would have endured -all these hardships for a handful of duros, whereas others.... - -She did not conclude her sentence, but her eyes expressed a mute protest -against the injustice of fate, against those fine fellows who directly -they handled a sword, appropriated all the plaudits, the popularity, and -the money, running no more risk than their humble colleagues. - -Little by little Carmen became accustomed to the existence. The cruel -waits on the days of a corrida, the visits to the saints, the -superstitions, doubts, were all accepted as forming part and parcel of -her life. Besides her husband's usual good luck, and the constant -conversation in the house on the chances of the fight, ended by -familiarizing her with the danger. And at last the bull came to be for -her a fairly good-natured and noble animal, who had come into the world -for the express purpose of enriching and giving fame to their matadors. - -She had never been to a corrida of bulls. Since the afternoon when she -had seen her future husband at his first novillada, she had never been -near the Plaza. She felt she should not have the courage to see a -corrida, even though Gallardo were taking no part in it. She should -faint with terror seeing other men face the danger, dressed in the same -costume as Juan. - -After they had been married three years, the espada was wounded in -Valencia. Carmen did not hear of it at once. The telegram came at the -usual hour, bearing the habitual "nothing new," and it was through the -kindness of Don José, who visited Carmen daily and performed clever -sleight of hand tricks to prevent her seeing the papers, that the news -was kept from her for over a week. - -When through the indiscretion of some neighbours Carmen at last heard of -the accident, she wished at once to take the train to join her husband, -and nurse him, feeling sure he was neglected. But there was no need, the -espada arrived before she could leave, pale from loss of blood, and -obliged to keep one leg quiet for some time, but gay and jaunty in order -to reassure his family. - -The house became at once a kind of sanctuary, all sorts of people passed -through the patio, in order to salute Gallardo "the first man in the -world," who, sitting in a cane arm-chair, with his leg on a footstool, -smoked quietly, as though his flesh had not been torn by a horrible -wound. - -Doctor Ruiz, who had brought him back to Seville, declaring he would be -cured in a month, was astonished at the vigour of his constitution. The -facility with which toreros were cured was a mystery for him, in spite -of his long practice as a surgeon. The horn, filthy with blood and -excrement, very often broken at the ends by blows into small splinters, -broke the flesh, lacerated it, perforated it, so that it was at the same -time a deep penetrating wound, and a crushing bruise, but all the same -these awful wounds were cured far more easily than those of daily life. - -"How it can be I know not--it is a mystery"--said the old surgeon, much -perplexed. "Either these lads have flesh like a dog, or the horn in -spite of its filth has some curative property unknown to us." - -Shortly afterwards Gallardo recommenced fighting, his wound, in spite -of his enemies' predictions, having in no way abated his fighting -ardour. - -After they had been married about four years, the espada gave his wife -and mother a great surprise. They were going to become landed -proprietors--proprietors on a large scale--with lands of which they -could not see the end, olive yards, mills, herds innumerable, an estate -as fine as that of the richest men in Seville. - -Gallardo was like all toreros who only dream of being owners of the -soil, and to be horse and cattle breeders. Town property, stocks and -shares in no way tempt them, and they understand nothing whatever about -them. But bulls make them think of the broad plains, and horses remind -them of the country; besides, the necessity of constant movement and -exercise by hunting and walking during the winter months adds to their -desire to possess the soil. - -According to Gallardo's ideas, no one could be rich unless he owned a -large farm, and immense herds of cattle. Ever since the years of his -poverty, when he had wandered on foot, through the cultivated lands and -pastures, he had always nourished the fervent desire of possessing -leagues and leagues of land, that should be his very own, and that -should be enclosed by strong palings from the trespass of other people. - -Don José knew of this wish. He it was who ran Gallardo's affairs, -receiving the money due to him from the different managers, and keeping -accounts which he endeavoured in vain to explain to the matador. - -"I don't understand that music," said Gallardo, rather pleased at his -own ignorance. "I only understand how to kill bulls. Do whatever you -like, Don José. I am quite confident that whatever you do will be for -the best." - -And Don José, who never looked after his own affairs, leaving them to -his wife's rather ineffectual management, thought day and night of the -matador's fortune, investing the money at good interest, with the -keenness of a money-lender. - -One day he came gaily to his protegé. - -"I have got what you longed for--an estate as big as the world, and very -cheap--a splendid bargain. Next week we shall sign all the papers." - -Gallardo enquired the name and situation of the domain. - -"It is called La Rinconada." - -His dearest wishes were fulfilled. - -When Gallardo went with his wife and mother to take possession of the -Grange, he showed them the hay-loft where he had slept with his -companions in misery, the room where he had dined with the former owner, -the little Plaza where he had killed the yearling, thereby earning for -the first time the right to travel by train without being obliged to -hide himself under the seats. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[48] _i.e._ bull-fights, etc. - -[49] The lovely gardens by the Guadalquiver at Seville. - -[50] Little shoemaker. - -[51] Toros corridas. - -[52] Olla--stew. - -[53] _i.e._ knew all about it. - -[54] Pass in which the torero stands with his feet in line with the -bull's forefeet. When the animal is in the act of charging he turns it -by a pass of the cape either to right or left. It is considered a very -brilliant stroke. - -[55] Another pass, when the cape is spread nearly flat on the ground, -and when the bull is in the act of charging it, it is drawn up suddenly -over his head. - -[56] Bull-fighting festival. - -[57] Brindis, dedication or pledge. - -[58] Young bulls--up to about three years old. - -[59] La verdad--full-grown bulls fought according to rules laid down. - -[60] A soldier of fortune of the Middle Ages. - -[61] Quitar la mona--expression used when a torero cuts off his pigtail -or chignon and retires into private life. - -[62] Toro formal--a bull who fulfils all the conditions necessary for a -large bull-fight, age, size, breed, temper, etc. - -[63] Central courtyard of a Spanish house--which is always a garden with -fountain--and arched round like a cloister. - -[64] Plucking the turkey--an expression used of Andalusian lovers who -spend the night at a window spooning. - -[65] Lit.--recover the rent--something akin to paying the footing. - -[66] Uncle. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -During the winter months, when Gallardo was not at La Rinconada, a party -of his friends gathered every evening in his dining-room after supper. - -The first to arrive were always the saddler and his wife, two of whose -children lived in the espada's house. Carmen, as though she wished to -forget her own sterility, and felt the silence of the big house oppress -her, kept her sister-in-law's two youngest children with her. These -children, from natural affection and also probably by their parents' -express orders, were perpetually petting their beautiful aunt and their -generous and popular uncle, kissing them and purring on their knees like -kittens. - -Encarnacion, now almost as stout and heavy as her mother, her figure -deformed by the birth of her numerous children, while advancing years -were bringing a slight moustache to her upper lip, smiled cringingly at -her sister-in-law, apologizing for the trouble her children gave. - -But before Carmen could reply the saddler broke in: - -"Leave them alone, wife! They are so fond of their uncle and aunt! The -little girl especially, she cannot live without her 'titita'[67] -Carmen." - -So the two children lived there as if it were their own house, guessing, -with their infantile cunning, what was expected of them by their -parents, exaggerating their caresses and pettings of those rich -relations, of whom they heard everyone speak with respect. - -As soon as supper was ended, they kissed the hands of Señora Angustias -and of their father and mother, threw their arms round the necks of -Gallardo and his wife, and then left the room to go to bed. - -The grandmother occupied an armchair at the head of the table. But when -the espada had guests--and they were all people of a certain social -position--she refused to take the place of honour, but Gallardo -insisted. - -"No," protested Gallardo, "the little mother must preside. Sit you down -there, mother, or we won't have any supper." - -Offering her his arm, he would conduct her to her chair, lavishing on -her the most affectionate caresses, as if he wished to make up for the -torments his vagabond youth had caused her. - -When El Nacional looked in during the evening for an hour, rather with -the feeling of fulfilling a duty towards his chief, the party became -more lively. Gallardo, wearing a rich zamorra,[68] like a wealthy -landowner, his head bare, and the pig-tail smoothed forward almost to -his forehead, welcomed his banderillero with loquacious amiability. What -were the amateurs of "the sport" saying? What lies were they spreading? -How were the affairs of the Republic getting on? - -"Garabato, give Sebastian a glass of wine." - -But El Nacional refused the preferred civility. No wine, thanks, he -never drank. Wine was the cause of all the working classes being so -hopelessly behindhand. All the assembly burst out laughing, as if -something amusing had been said which they were expecting, and the -banderillero began at once to air his opinions. - -The only one who remained silent, with hostile eyes, was the saddler. He -hated El Nacional, seeing in him an enemy. He also, like a good and -faithful husband, was prolific, and a swarm of brats tumbled about the -tavern, hanging on to their mother's skirts. The two youngest were -godchildren of Gallardo and his wife, so that in this way there was a -sort of connection between the two. Hypocrite! Every Sunday he brought -the two children, dressed in their best to kiss the hands of their -godparents, and the saddler grew pale with anger whenever El Nacional's -children received any present. "He came to rob their own children. -Possibly the banderillero even dreamed that part of Gallardo's fortune -might come to those godchildren. Thief! A man who did not even belong to -the family!"... - -When the saddler did not receive El Nacional's discourses in sulky -silence or with looks of hatred, he endeavoured to mortify him by saying -that in his opinion every one who propagated revolutionary ideas among -the people was a danger to honest people and ought to be shot at once. - -El Nacional was ten years older than his chief. When the latter was -beginning to bait at the capeas, Sebastian was already banderillero in -recognized cuadrillas,[69] and had lately returned from America, where -he had killed bulls in the Plaza at Lima. At the commencement of his -career he had enjoyed a certain amount of popularity because he was -young and agile. He also for some little time had figured as "the torero -of the future," and the amateurs of Seville, fixing their eyes on him, -hoped that he would have eclipsed the matadors from other towns. But -this lasted only a short time. On his return from his American journey -with the prestige of distant and possibly nebulous feats, all the -populace of Seville rushed to the Plaza to see him kill. Thousands of -people could not obtain admittance. But at this moment of decisive proof -"his heart failed him," as the amateurs said. He planted the banderillas -steadily as a serious and conscientious worker fulfilling his duty, but -when it was a case of killing, the instinct of self-preservation, -stronger than his will, kept him at a distance from the bull, and he was -unable to take advantage of his great stature and his strong arm. - -El Nacional therefore renounced the higher glories of tauromachia, he -would be a banderillero and nothing more. He must resign himself to -being, as it were, a day labourer of his art, serving others younger -than himself, in order to earn the poor wages of peon, with which to -maintain his family, and save sufficient to start some small business. -His kindness and his honourable habits were proverbial among his -colleagues of the pig-tail, consequently his chief's wife was much -attached to him, seeing in him a kind of guardian angel of her husband's -fidelity. When in summer Gallardo, with all his men, went to a café -chantant in some provincial town, anxious to enjoy himself and have a -fling, El Nacional would stand silent and grave among the singers in -diaphanous dresses, with painted mouths, like some ancient Father of the -desert amid the Alexandrian courtezans. - -It was not that he felt shocked, but he thought of his wife and little -ones down in Seville. According to him all the defects and vices in the -world were the result of want of education, and most certainly those -poor women knew neither how to read nor write. It was also the case with -himself, and as he attributed his own insignificance and poverty of -brain to this deficiency, he attributed to the same cause all the misery -and degradation which exists in the world. - -In his early youth he had worked as a founder, and had been an active -member of the "International of Workmen." He had been an assiduous -listener to those of his fellow workmen, who, happier than himself, -could read aloud what was said in the papers devoted to the welfare of -the people. During the time of the National Militia, he had played at -being a soldier, figuring in those battalions who wore a red cap in sign -of their federal "intransigeance." He had spent whole days in front of -those platforms erected in public places, or in those clubs which had -declared themselves in permanent sitting, where the orators succeeded -each other day and night, ranting with Andalusian facility on the -divinity of Jesus, or the rise in price of articles of the first -necessity, till the time for repression came, when a strike left him in -the trying position of being a workman marked for his revolutionary -opinions, and excluded from every workshop. - -Then as he was fond of bull-runs, he became torero at twenty-four, just -as he might have chosen any other line of life. Besides, he knew a great -deal and spoke with contempt of the absurdities of existing society. He -had not spent many years listening to papers being read in vain. However -bad a torero he might be, he would earn more, and would lead an easier -life than ever so skilled a workman. His friends, remembering the days -when he shouldered the musket of the National Militia, nicknamed him El -Nacional. - -He always spoke of the taurine profession with a kind of remorse, -apologising for belonging to it in spite of his many years' service. The -committee of his district who had decreed the expulsion from the party -of all their co-religionists who attended corridas, as being barbarous -and retrograde, had made an exception in his favour, keeping him on the -list of voters. - -"I am well aware," he would say in Gallardo's dining-room, "that -bull-fights are reactionary ... something akin to the days of the -Inquisition.... I do not know if I am explaining myself clearly. But to -read and write is quite as necessary to the people as to have bread, -and it is wrong that money should be spent on us, while schools are so -sadly wanted. That is what the papers that come from Madrid say. But my -co-religionists esteem me, and the committee after a lecture from Don -Joselito, kept me on the register of the party." - -His great gravity, that not even the jokes or the comic exaggerations of -fury on the part of the espada and his friends could shake, expressed an -honourable pride in this exceptional favour with which his -co-religionists had honoured him. - -Don Joselito, master of a primary school, verbose and enthusiastic, who -presided over the district committee, was a young man of Jewish origin, -who brought into political strife all the ardour of the Maccabees, and -was proud of his swarthy ugliness, pitted with smallpox, because he -thought it made him resemble Danton; El Nacional always listened to him -open-mouthed. - -When Don José and the maestro's other friends, after dinner, ironically -attacked El National's doctrines with all sorts of extravagant -arguments, the poor man would look confused, and scratching his head -would say: - -"You are gentlemen, and you have been educated, I know neither how to -read nor write, and that is why we of the lower orders are such -simpletons. Oh! if only Don Joselito were here!... By the life of the -blue dove! If only you could hear him when he starts speaking like an -angel!"... - -And in order to strengthen his faith, perhaps a little shaken by these -attacks of ridicule, he would go next day to see his idol, who seemed to -take a bitter pleasure, as a descendant of the great persecuted nation, -in showing him what he called his museum of horrors. This Jew, returned -to the natal country of his ancestors, had collected in a room attached -to the school souvenirs of the Inquisition, and with the meticulous -vindictiveness of a fugitive prisoner endeavoured to reconstruct hour -by hour the skeleton of his jailor. There on the shelves of a cupboard -were rows of books and parchments, accounts of autos da fe and lists of -questions wherewith to interrogate the criminals during their torture. -On one wall was hung a white banner with the dreaded green cross, and in -the corner were piles of torturing irons, fearful scourges, every -instrument that Don Joselito could pick up on the hucksters' stalls that -had been used to split, to tear with pincers, or to shred, which was -catalogued immediately as an ancient possession of the Holy Office. - -El Nacional's good-heartedness, and his simple soul, quick to feel -indignation, rose up against those rusty irons and those green crosses. - -"Good heavens!... And there are people who say.... By the life of the -dove!... I wish I had some of them here." - -The desire of proselytism made him air his convictions on every -occasion, regardless of his companion's jests, but even in this he -showed himself kind-hearted, as he was never personally bitter. -According to him, those who remained indifferent to the fate of the -country and did not figure on the party register, were "poor victims of -the national ignorance." The salvation of the people depended on their -learning to read and write. For his own part he was obliged modestly to -renounce this regeneration, as he felt himself too thick skulled; but he -made the whole world responsible for his ignorance. - -Very often in summer, when the cuadrilla was travelling from one -province to another, and Gallardo changed into the second-class carriage -where "his lads" were travelling, the door would open and some country -priest or a couple of friars would enter. - -The banderilleros would nudge each others' elbows and wink as they -looked at El Nacional, become even more grave and solemn than usual in -presence of the enemy. The picadors, Potaje and Tragabuches, rough and -aggressive fellows, fond of quarrels and practical jokes, who besides -had an instinctive dislike to the cassocks, egged him on in a low voice. - -"Now you have got him!... Go in at him straight!... Give him one in the -eye in your own fashion."... - -But the maestro, with his authority as chief of the cuadrilla, which no -one dare to contest or discuss, rolled his eyes fiercely as he looked at -El Nacional, who was obliged to observe a silent obedience. But the zeal -of proselytism was stronger in this simple soul than his subordination, -and one insignificant word was sufficient to start him on a discussion -with his fellow travellers, trying to convince them of the truth. But -indeed the truth, according to him, seemed an inextricable and tangled -skein of ranting that he had gathered from Don Joselito. - -His companions looked on with astonishment, delighted that one of their -own set could make head against educated men, and even put them in a -corner, which by the way might not be very difficult, as the Spanish -clergy, as a rule, are not highly educated. - -The priests, bewildered by El Nacional's fiery arguments and the -laughter of the other toreros, ended by appealing to their final -argument. How could men who exposed their lives so frequently not think -of God, and believe such things! Did they not think that at that very -time their wives and their mothers were most probably praying for them? - -The cuadrilla became suddenly silent, a silence of fear, as they thought -of the holy medals and scapularies that their women's hands had sewn -into their fighting clothes before they left Seville. The espada, -wounded in his slumbering superstitions, was furious with El Nacional, -as if the banderillero's impiety would place his own life in danger. - -"Shut up, and stop your blasphemies!... Your pardon, Sirs, I pray you. -He is a good fellow, but his head has been turned by all these lies.... -Shut up, and don't answer me! Curse you!... I will fill your mouth -with...." - -And Gallardo, to appease those gentlemen whom he considered as -depositaries of the future, overwhelmed the banderillero with threats -and curses. - -El Nacional took refuge in a contemptuous silence. "It was all ignorance -and superstition, all from not knowing how to read and write." And -strong in his faith, with the obstinacy of a simple man who only -possesses two or three ideas and clutches hold of them in the face of -the roughest shocks, he would shortly afterwards renew the discussion -regardless of the matador's anger. - -His anti-clericalism did not leave him even in the circus among those -peons and picadors, who having said their prayer in the chapel, entered -the arena, in the hope that the sacred scapularies sewn into their -clothes would guard them from danger. - -When an enormous bull, "of many pounds,"[70] as it is called, with a -powerful neck and a black coat arrived at the "turn" of the -banderilleros, El Nacional, with his arms open and the darts in his -hand, would stand a short distance from the animal, shouting -insultingly,-- - -"Come along, priest!" - -The "priest" threw himself furiously on El Nacional, who fixed the darts -firmly in his neck as he rushed past, shouting loudly as if he were -proclaiming a victory. - -One for the clergy! - -Gallardo ended by laughing at El Nacional's extravagances. - -"You are making me ridiculous. People will notice my cuadrilla, and say -we are nothing but a band of heretics. You know there are some audiences -whom this might not please. A torero ought to be nothing but a torero." - -All the same he was greatly attached to his banderillero, remembering -his devotion, which more than once had reached the point of -self-sacrifice. It signified nothing to El Nacional that he should be -hissed, when he stuck the banderillos into a dangerous bull anyhow, so -as to end the matter more quickly. He did not care for glory, and he -only fought to earn his livelihood. But once Gallardo advanced rapier in -hand towards a savage animal, his banderillero remained close by his -side, ready to assist him with his heavy cloak and his strong arm which -obliged the brute to lower his poll. On two occasions, when Gallardo had -been rolled over in the arena, and was in danger of being gored by the -horns, El Nacional had thrown himself on the beast, forgetful of his -children, his wife, the tavern, everything, intending to die himself in -order to save his master. - -On his entry into Gallardo's dining-room in the evenings he was received -like a member of the family. The Señora Angustias felt that affection -for him so often existing between people of a lower class, when they -find themselves in a higher atmosphere, and which draws them together. - -"Come and sit by me, Sebastian. Won't you really take anything? ... tell -me how the establishment is getting on. Teresa and the children well, I -hope?" - -Then El Nacional would enumerate the sales of the previous day; so many -glasses of wine over the counter, so many bottles of country wine -delivered at houses, and the old woman listened with the attention of -one used to poverty and who knows the value of money to the very last -farthing. - -Sebastian spoke of the possibility of increasing his trade. A "bureau de -tabac"[71] in his tavern would suit him down to the ground. The espada -could get him this, through his friendship with great people, but -Sebastian felt scruples at asking such a favour. - -"You see, Seña Angustias, the bureau is a thing that depends on the -Government, and I have my principles. I figure on the register of my -party and am also on the committee. What would my co-religionists say?" - -The old woman was indignant at these scruples. What he had to do was to -bring as much bread into the family as he could. That poor Teresa! with -such a lot of children! - -"Don't be foolish, Sebastian, get all these cobwebs out of your -brain.... Now don't answer me. Don't start telling me all sorts of -impieties like the other night; remember I am going to hear Mass at La -Macarena to-morrow morning." - -But Gallardo and Don José, who were smoking the other side of the table, -with a glass of cognac within reach of their hands, and who delighted in -making El Nacional talk so that they could laugh at his ideas, egged him -on by depreciating Don Joselito: an imposter who upset ignorant men like -him. - -The banderillero received his master's jokes meekly enough. To doubt Don -Joselito! Such a patent absurdity could not make him angry. It was as -though some one was hitting at his other idol Gallardo, by saying he did -not know how to kill a bull. - -But when he heard the saddler, who inspired him with an unconquerable -aversion, take part in these jests, he lost his calm. Who was that -scamp, living by hanging on to his master, that he should dare to argue -with him? With him!... And then losing all restraint, taking no notice -of the espada's wife and mother, or of Encarnacion, who, imitating her -husband, pursed up her mustachioed lip, looking contemptuously at the -banderillero, the latter launched himself full sail on the exposition of -his ideas, with the same ardour as when he discussed in committee. - -For want of better arguments he overwhelmed the beliefs of others with -insults. - -"The Bible?... Rubbish![72] The creation of the world in six days.... -Rubbish!... The story of Adam and Eve? Rubbish!... The whole of it lies -and superstition." - -And this word rubbish, that he employed, in order not to use one even -more disrespectful, and that he applied to everything which seemed to -him false and ridiculous, took on his lips an astonishing intensity of -contempt. - -The history of Adam and Eve was for him the subject of never-ending -sarcasm; he had reflected much on this point during the hours of quiet -drowsiness, when he was travelling with the cuadrilla, during which time -he had discovered an irrefutable argument, drawn entirely from his own -inner consciousness. "How could it be thought that all human beings were -descended from one only pair?" - -"I call myself Sebastian Venegas, and so it is; and you, Juaniyo, you -call yourself Gallardo; and you, Don José, have also your own name; -every one has his own, and when the names are the same people must be -relations. If then we were all grandchildren of Adam, and Adam's name -was--we will suppose--Perez, we should all be named Perez. That is -quite clear?... Well then if we all have our family names, there must -have been a great many Adams, and so what the priests tell us is all ... -rubbish--retrograde superstition! It is education we want, and the -clergy take advantage of our ignorance.... I think I am explaining -myself!" - -Gallardo, throwing himself back in his chair, screaming with laughter, -greeted the orator with a hurrah, which imitated the bellowing of a -bull--while the manager, with Andalusian gravity, stretched out his hand -congratulating him,-- - -"Here, shake it! You have been very good! as good as Castelar!" - -The Señora Angustias was extremely angry at hearing such things in her -house, feeling that as an old woman she must be drawing near to the end -of her life. - -"Shut up, Sebastian. Shut up your infernal mouth, cursed one! or I shall -turn you out of doors. If I did not know that you are an honest man!" - -However, she soon forgave the banderillero, when she thought of his -affection for Juan, and remembered how he had acted in moments of -danger. Besides, it was a great comfort to her and to Carmen, that so -serious and right-minded a man should belong to the cuadrilla with the -other "lads," for the espada, left to himself, was extremely light of -character, and easily drawn away by his desire for admiration from -women. - -The enemy of Adam and Eve held a secret of his master's, which made him -reserved and grave, when he saw him in his own house, between his mother -and Carmen. If those women only knew what he knew! - -In spite of the respect that every banderillero ought to pay his master, -El Nacional had one day ventured to speak to Gallardo, taking advantage -of his seniority in years, and of their very old friendship. - -"Listen to me, Juaniyo. All Seville knows about it! Nothing else is -spoken of, and the news will get to your house and cause a ruction that -will singe the good God's hair!... Just think--the Señora Angustias will -put on a face like the Mater Dolorosa, and poor Carmen will get in a -rage. Remember the row about that singer, and that was nothing to -this.... This bicho[73] is far more dangerous, so beware." - -Gallardo pretended not to understand, feeling annoyed but flattered at -the same time that all Seville should be aware of the secret of his -amours. - -"But who is this 'bicho?' What are these rows you speak of?" - -"Who should it be! Doña Sol; that great lady who gives every one so much -cause for gossip. The niece of the Marquis de Moraima, the breeder." - -And as the espada remained silent but smiling, delighted to find El -Nacional so well informed, the latter went on like a preacher, -disillusioned of the vanities of life. - -"A married man ought to seek, before everything else, the peace of his -household.... All women are just the same.... Rubbish. One is worth just -as much as the other, and it is a folly to embitter your life by flying -from one to another.... Your servant, for the twenty-five years he has -lived with his Teresa, has never deceived her once even in thought, and -yet I, too, am a torero, and have had my good times and many a girl has -cast sheep's eyes at me." - -Gallardo laughed outright at the banderillero's lecture. He really spoke -like the prior of a convent. And yet it was he who wished to gobble up -all the friars alive!... "Nacional, don't be an idiot! Every one is as -he is, and if the women come to us, well then, let them come. One lives -so short a time! And possibly some day I may be carried out of the -circus feet foremost.... Besides, you do not know what a great lady is! -If only you could see that woman!"... - -Presently he added ingenuously as though he wished to disperse the sad -and shocked look on El Nacional's face: - -"I love Carmen dearly, you know it; I love her as much as ever. But I -love the other one too. It is quite another thing.... I cannot explain -it. It is quite another thing, and that is all." - -And the banderillero could get no more out of his interview with -Gallardo. - -Months before, as the end of the bull-fighting season was approaching -with the autumn, Gallardo had had an accidental encounter in the church -of San Lorenzo. - -He rested a few days in Seville before going to La Rinconada with his -family. When this quiet time came round, nothing pleased him better than -to live quietly in his own house, free from those perpetual journeys in -the train. Killing more than a hundred bulls a year, with all the -dangers and exertions of the fight, did not fatigue him half so much as -those journeys lasting so many months from one Plaza to another all over -Spain. - -Those long journeys in full summer, under a burning sun, over scorched -plains, in old carriages of which the roofs seemed on fire were most -exhausting. The large water jar belonging to the cuadrilla which was -filled at every station, utterly failed to quench their thirst. Besides, -the trains were crowded with passengers, country people going to the -towns to enjoy the fairs and see the corridas. Many a time Gallardo, -after killing his last bull in a Plaza, fearing to lose his train, and -still dressed in his gala costume, had rushed down to the station like -a flash of gold and colours, through the crowds of travellers and piles -of luggage. Often he had changed his clothes in the carriage under the -eyes of his fellow passengers, pleased at travelling with such a -celebrity, and had spent a restless night on the cushions, while the -others squeezed themselves together to give him as much room as -possible. These people respected his fatigue, thinking that on the -morrow this man would give them the pleasure of a perhaps tragic -emotion, without the slightest danger to themselves. - -When he arrived wearied out at a town en fête, the streets decorated -with flags and triumphal arches, he had to endure all the torment of -enthusiastic admiration. The amateurs, bewitched by his name, met him at -the station and accompanied him to the hotel. These light-hearted people -who had slept well, and who mobbed him, expected to find him expansive -and loquacious, as if the very fact alone of seeing them, must cause him -the greatest of pleasures. - -Many times there was not only one bull-run. He had to fight on three or -four successive days, and the espada, when night came, exhausted by -fatigue, by want of sleep, and recent emotions, would throw -conventionalities overboard, and sit in his shirt sleeves in front of -his hotel, to enjoy the cool. The "lads" of the cuadrilla who were -lodged in the same hotel remained near their master like schoolboys in -durance vile. Sometimes the boldest spirit would beg leave to take a -turn through the illuminated streets and the fair. - -"To-morrow there are Muira bulls," said the espada. "I know what these -turns mean. You will come back at dawn to-morrow, having taken a few -glasses too much, or done something else which will impair your vigour. -No, no one goes out; you shall have your fill when we have done." - -When their work was ended, if they had a free day before going on to -the next corrida in another town, the cuadrilla would postpone their -journey, then they would indulge in dissolute merriment away from their -families, in company of the enthusiastic amateurs who imagined that this -was the usual way of life of their idols. - -The ill-arranged dates of the corridas obliged the espada to take -ridiculous journeys. He would go from one town to fight at the other end -of Spain, three or four days afterwards he would retrace his steps to -fight in a town close to the first, so that as the summer months were -most abundant in corridas, he virtually spent the whole of them in the -train, travelling in zigzags over every railway in the Peninsula, -killing bulls by day and sleeping in the trains. - -"If all my journeys in the summer were set in a straight line," said -Gallardo, "they would assuredly reach to the North Pole." - -At the beginning of the season he undertook those journeys gaily enough, -thinking of the audiences who had talked of him the whole year, and who -were impatiently expecting his arrival. He thought of the unexpected -acquaintances he might make, of the adventures that feminine curiosity -might bring him, of the life in different hotels, in which the -disturbances, the annoyances, and the diversity of meals made such a -contrast to his placid existence in Seville, or the mountainous solitude -of La Rinconada. - -But after a few weeks of this dizzy life, during which he earned five -thousand pesetas for each afternoon's work, Gallardo began to fret, like -a child away from his family. - -"Ay! for my house in Seville, so cool, and kept like a silver cup by -poor Carmen! Ay! for the mother's good stews! so delicious."... - -On his return home, to rest for the remainder of the year, Gallardo -experienced the satisfaction of a celebrated man, who, forgetful of his -honours, can give himself over to the enjoyment of everyday life. - -He would sleep late, free from the worry of railway time-tables, and the -anxiety of thinking about bulls. Nothing to do that day, nor the next, -nor the next! None of his journeys need be further than the Calle de las -Sierpes or the Plaza de San Fernando. The family, too, seemed quite -different, gayer and in better health, now they knew he was safe at home -for several months. He would go out with his felt hat well back, -swinging his gold-headed cane, and admiring the big diamonds on his -fingers. - -In the vestibule several men would be standing waiting for him close to -the wicket, through the ironwork of which could be seen the white and -luminous patio, so beautifully clean. Many of them were sun-burnt men, -reeking of perspiration, in dirty blouses and wide sombreros with ragged -edges. Some were agricultural labourers, moving or on a journey, who on -passing through Seville thought it the most natural thing to come and -ask for help from the famous matador, whom they called Don Juan. Some -were fellow townsmen who addressed him as "thou," and called him -Juaniyo. - -Gallardo, with his wonderful memory for faces, gained by constantly -mixing with crowds, would recognise them; they were school-fellows, or -companions of his vagabond childhood. - -"So, affairs are not going on well, eh? Times are hard for every one." - -And before this familiarity could tempt them to further intimacies, he -would turn to Garabato, who held the wicket open. - -"Go and tell the Señora to give each of them a couple of pesetas." - -And he went out into the street, pleased with his own generosity and the -beauty of life. - -At the tavern close by Montañe's children and his customers would come -to the door smiling with their eyes full of curiosity. - -"Good-day, gentlemen!... I thank you for your civility, but I do not -drink." - -And freeing himself from the enthusiast who came towards him glass in -hand, he walked on, being stopped in the next street by two old women, -friends of his mother's. They begged him to stand godfather to the -grandchild of one of them; her poor daughter might be confined at any -moment; but her son-in-law, a furious Gallardist, who had often come to -blows to defend his idol as he came out of the Plaza, had not dared to -ask him. - -"But, confound you! do you take me for a child's nurse? I have already -more godchildren than there are foundlings in the Hospital!" - -In order to get rid of the good ladies he advised them to go and talk it -over with his mother, "hear what she had to say about it"; and he walked -on, never stopping till he got to the Calle de las Sierpes, saluting -some, and allowing others to enjoy the honour of walking by his side, in -proud friendship, under the eyes of the passers-by. - -He looked in for a moment at the Club of the "Forty-Five," to see if his -manager were there; this was a very aristocratic club, and, as its name -indicated, limited as to numbers, in which nothing was talked of save -horses and bulls. It was composed of rich amateurs and breeders, among -whom figured as an oracle in the first rank, the Marquis de Moraima. - -During one of these walks on a Friday afternoon, Gallardo, who was going -towards the Calle de las Sierpes, felt a wish to enter the church of San -Lorenzo. - -In the little square were drawn up several sumptuous carriages. All the -best people in the town were going on that day to pray to the miraculous -image of our Father Jesus of Great Power. The ladies descended from -their carriages dressed in black, with rich mantillas, and several men -also went into the church, attracted by the feminine concourse. - -Gallardo also entered. For a torero ought to take advantage of every -opportunity to rub shoulders with people of high position. The son of -Señora Angustias felt a triumphant pride when wealthy men saluted him, -and elegant ladies murmured his name, indicating him with their eyes. - -Besides, he was a devotee of the Lord of Great Power. If he tolerated El -Nacional's opinions about God _or_ Nature without being very much -shocked, it was because for him divinity was something vague and -undecided, something like the existence of a great lord against whom one -may hear every sort of evil-speaking calmly, because one only knows of -him by hearsay. But it was quite another affair with the "Virgin of -Hope" and "Jesus of Great Power"--he had known them since his childhood, -and these, no one should touch. - -His feelings as a rough fellow were touched by the theatrical agony of -Christ, with His cross on His back; the perspiring, agonized and livid -face, reminded him of some of his comrades whom he had seen lying in the -bull-ring infirmary. One must stand well with that powerful Lord; and he -recited fervently several paternosters, as he stood before the image, -the lights of whose wax tapers were reflected like stars on the whites -of his Moorish eyes. - -A rustle among the women kneeling before him, distracted his attention, -greedy of supernatural interventions in his dangerous life. - -A lady was passing through the kneeling devotees and attracting their -attention; she was tall, slight, and of startling beauty, dressed in -light colours, with a dark hat covered with feathers, beneath which -flamed the shining gold of her hair. - -Gallardo recognized her. It was Doña Sol, the niece of the Marquis de -Moraima, the Ambassadress, as she was called in Seville. She passed -through the women, taking no notice of their curiosity, but pleased at -their glances and their murmured words, as if these were a natural -homage due to her wherever she appeared. The foreign elegance of her -dress and the enormous hat, stood out from among the dark mass of -mantillas. She knelt and bent her head for an instant in prayer, and -then her clear eyes of a greenish blue with golden lights wandered -tranquilly through the church as though she were in a theatre seeking -for friends among the audience. Her eyes seemed to smile when they -lighted on a friend, and pursuing their wanderings, they at last met -those of Gallardo fixed on her. - -The espada was not modest. Accustomed to see himself the object of -contemplation by thousands and thousands of eyes on the afternoon of a -corrida, he thought frankly that wherever he was all looks must -necessarily be directed towards himself. Many women, in confidential -hours, had told him of the emotion, the curiosity, and the desire, that -had seized them the first time they had seen him in the circus. Doña -Sol's eyes did not fall as they met those of the torero; on the -contrary, she continued to stare at him with the coldness of a great -lady, and it was the matador, always respectful to the rich, who at last -turned his eyes away. - -What a woman! thought he, with his vanity as a popular idol. Will that -gachi[74] be for me? - -Outside the church, he felt it impossible to go away, and so as to see -her again he waited by the door. His heart told him something was -happening, as on the afternoons of his greatest successes. It was the -same mysterious heart-throb which made him disregard the protests of the -public, throwing himself daringly into the greatest risks, and always -with splendid results. - -When she in her turn came out, she looked at him again without surprise, -as if she had guessed he would be waiting for her at the door. She -mounted into her carriage, accompanied by two friends, and as the -coachman started the horses, she again turned her head to look at him, -and a slight smile passed over her lips. - -Gallardo felt preoccupied all the afternoon. He thought of his previous -amours, of the triumphs his proud bearing as a torero had given him, -conquests that had filled him with pride, making him think himself -invincible, but that now inspired him with shame. But a woman like this, -a great lady, who after travelling throughout Europe, now lived in -Seville like a queen! That would indeed be a conquest!... To his wonder -at Doña Sol's beauty, he added the instinctive respect of the former -vagabond, who in a country where birth and wealth have such great -prestige, had learned to worship the great from his cradle. If only he -could succeed in attracting the attention of such a woman! What greater -triumph could he have! - -His manager, a great friend of the Marquis de Moraima and well in with -all the best sets in Seville, had sometimes spoken to him of Doña Sol. - -After an absence of some years, she had returned to Seville a few months -previously. After her long stay abroad she was enamoured of all the -habits and popular customs of the country, pronouncing them all very -interesting and very ... artistic. She went to the bull-fights in the -ancient maja costume, imitating the manners and dress of the graceful -ladies painted by Goya. She was a strong woman accustomed to all sports -and a great rider, and the people saw her galloping in the outskirts of -Seville in a dark riding habit, a red cravat, and a white felt hat -poised on the golden glory of her hair. Often too she carried the -garrocha[75] across her saddle, and with a party of friends as picadors, -would ride out to the pastures to spear and overthrow bulls, delighting -in this rough sport, so full of danger. - -She was not a girl. Gallardo remembered dimly having seen her in her -childhood, in the gardens of Las Delicias, seated by the side of her -mother, a mass of white frills, while he, poor little wretch, ran -underneath the carriage wheels to pick up cigar ends. No doubt she was -the same age as himself, nearing the thirties; but how magnificent! How -different from all other women! - -Don José was well acquainted with her history.... A little off her head -that Doña Sol!... And her romantic name agreed well with the originality -of her character and the independence of her habits. - -On the death of her mother, she became possessed of a very good fortune. -She had married in Madrid a personage much older than herself who had as -Ambassador, represented Spain at the principal Courts of Europe, a -prospect which could not fail to be attractive to a woman anxious for -splendour and novelty. - -"How that woman has amused herself, Juan!" said the manager. "How many -heads she has turned during the ten years she has travelled about -Europe. She must be really a book on geography, with secret notes on -every page. Certainly she must have a fine crop of memories about every -capital in Europe.... And the poor Ambassador! He died, no doubt, from -vexation, as there was nowhere left for him to go to. She flew very -high, too. The good gentleman would be sent to represent us at some -court or other, and before the year was out, the Queen or the Empress -would be writing home to beg for the removal of the Ambassador and his -seductive wife.... Oh! the crowned heads that gachi has turned!... -Queens trembled at her arrival. Finally, the poor Ambassador, finding no -place open to him except the American Republics--and as he was of good -principles and a friend of kings--died. And don't imagine for a moment -that she contented herself only with people living in royal palaces! if -all that is told of her be true!... Everything she does is most extreme, -everything or nothing. Sometimes fixing on the highest, sometimes on the -lowest in the land. I have been told that in Russia she ran after one of -those shaggy-haired fellows who throw bombs, who did not care much for -her because she disturbed his plots, because she followed him -everywhere, till at last his secret society strangled him. Afterwards -she appears to have taken up with a painter in Paris, but possibly these -may be exaggerations. However, it seems quite certain that she was great -friends with some musician in Germany who writes operas. If you could -only hear her play the piano! And when she sings! it is like one of the -sopranos who come to San Fernando's theatre at Eastertide. And she not -only sings in Italian, but in French, German, and English. Her uncle, -the Marquis de Moraima, who, between ourselves, is just a little rough, -says he even suspects she knows Latin!... What a woman, eh, Juanillo? -What an interesting woman!" - -Don José spoke of Doña Sol with admiration, thinking every act of her -life extraordinary and original, those that were certain as well as -those that were hazy. - -"In Seville," continued he, "she leads an exemplary life, for which -reason I think a great deal that has been said about her is untrue--the -calumnies of certain people who found the grapes were sour. She appears -to have fallen in love with Sevillian life, as though she had never seen -it before! with our warm sunny climate, with our picturesque customs.... -She has been made a member of the charitable brotherhood of the Cristo -de Triana and spends a fortune on Manzanilla for the brothers. Some -nights she fills her house with singers and dancers, who bring their -families and even their most distant relations; they all fill themselves -with olives, sausages and wine, and Doña Sol, seated in an arm-chair -like a queen, spends hours asking for dance after dance. Her servants -who have come with her, dressed in their liveries and as stiff and grave -as lords, hand round trays of wine and sweets to these dancers, who pull -their whiskers and throw the olive stones in their faces!... A most -proper and amusing diversion!... Now, Doña Sol receives every morning an -old gipsy called Lechuzo, who gives her lessons on the guitar...." and -so Don José rambled on, explaining to the matador all Doña Sol's -originalities. - -Four days after Gallardo had seen her in the church of San Lorenzo, the -manager came up to him in a café in the Calle de las Sierpes and said -mysteriously: - -"Gacho, you are the spoiled child of fortune! Who do you think has been -talking to me about you?" - -And putting his mouth close to the torero's ear, he murmured: "Doña -Sol!" - -She had been questioning him about "his matador" and had expressed a -wish that he should be presented to her. He was such an original type! -So thoroughly Spanish! - -"She says she has several times seen you kill, once in Madrid, and in -other places which I forget. She has applauded you, and she knows that -you are very brave. Now see, if she took a fancy to you! What an honour! -You would be brother-in-law or something of the sort to all the kings in -Europe." - -Gallardo smiled modestly, dropping his eyes, but at the same time he -drew up his fine figure, as if he did not consider his manager's -hypothesis at all extraordinary or out of the way. - -"But all the same you must have no delusions, Juanillo," continued Don -José. "Doña Sol wants to see a torero close, just as she takes lessons -from old Lechuzo.... Local colour, and nothing more." - -"Bring him with you to Tablada the day after to-morrow," she said. "You -know what that is; a derribo[76] of cattle at the Moraima breeding farm, -that the Marquis has arranged for his niece's amusement; we will go -together, for I also am invited." - -Two days afterwards, the maestro and his manager rode out in the -afternoon through the suburb de la Feria, dressed as "garrochistas," -amid the expectant crowd who had assembled at the gate or were loitering -in the streets. - -"They are going to Tablada," they said, "there is a 'derribo' of -cattle." - -Don José riding a bony white mare was in country dress; a rough coat, -cloth breeches with yellow gaiters, and over the breeches those leather -leggings called "zajones." The espada had put on for this festivity the -bizarre costume that the ancient toreros used to wear, before modern -habits had made them dress like every one else. On his head he wore a -small round hat with turned up edges, made of rough velvet, fastened -under the chin by a strap. The collar of his shirt, which had no cravat, -was fastened by two diamonds, and two other larger ones flashed on his -goffered shirt frills. The jacket and waistcoat were of wine coloured -velvet with black tags and braidings. The sash was of crimson silk, the -tight-fitting breeches with dark embroideries showed off to advantage -the torero's muscular thighs, and were tied at the knees by black -garters with large ribbon bows. The gaiters were amber coloured, with -leather fringes hanging the whole length of the opening; his boots of -the same colour were almost hidden in the large Moorish stirrups, -leaving only the large silver spurs visible. On his saddle bow, above -the rich Jerez blanket whose coloured tassels danced right and left on -the horse's back was strapped a grey overcoat with black trimmings and a -scarlet lining. - -The two riders galloped along, carrying the "garrocha" of fine strong -wood, over their shoulders like a lance with a ball at the end to -protect the iron point. They received quite an ovation as they rode -through the suburb. Olé the brave men! And the women waved their hands. - -"May God go with you, fine fellow! Enjoy yourself Señor Juan!" - -They spurred their horses to leave behind the swarm of children running -after them. And the little streets with their blueish pavement and white -walls rang with the rhythm of the horses' hoofs. - -In the quiet street where Doña Sol lived, a street of aristocratic -houses, with curved ironwork gratings and large glazed balconies, they -found the other "garrochistas" who were waiting at the door, motionless -in their saddles and leaning on their lances. They were mostly young -men, relations or friends of Doña Sol's, who saluted the torero with -courteous amiability, pleased that he should be of the party. At last -the Marquis de Moraima came out of the house, and mounted his horse -immediately. - -"My niece will be down directly. Women, you know! ... they are never -ready." - -He said this with the sententious gravity with which he always spoke, as -if his words were oracles. He was a tall spare man, with large white -whiskers, but his eyes and mouth preserved an almost childlike -ingenuousness. Courteous and measured in his language, quick in his -gestures, seldom smiling, he was quite a great nobleman of the olden -days: Clad almost always in riding dress he hated town life, bored by -the social obligations that his rank imposed on him when he was in -Seville, longing to range the country with his farmers and herdsmen whom -he treated familiarly as comrades. He had almost forgotten how to write -from want of practice, but when anyone spoke to him of fighting bulls, -of the rearing of horses and bulls, or of agricultural work, his eyes -sparkled with determination, and you recognised at once the great -connoisseur. - -Some clouds passed over the sun, and the golden light faded from the -white walls of the street; some looked up at the sky, to the narrow -strip of blue visible between the two lines of roofs. - -"Do not be uneasy," said the Marquis gravely.... "As I came out of the -house I saw the wind blowing a piece of paper in a direction I know. It -will not rain." - -Every one seemed reassured. It could not rain, as the Marquis had said -it would not. He knew the weather just as well as an old shepherd, and -there was no danger of his being mistaken. - -Then he came up to Gallardo. - -"This year I shall provide you with magnificent corridas. What bulls! We -shall see if you will kill them like good Christians. Last year, you -know, I was not at all pleased, the poor brutes deserved better." - -Doña Sol now appeared, raising with one hand her dark riding habit, -beneath which appeared her high grey leather riding boots. She wore a -man's shirt with a red cravat, a jacket and waistcoat of violet velvet, -and her small velvet Andalusian hat rested gracefully on her curling -hair. - -She mounted lightly, taking her garrocha from a servant. While she -saluted her friends, apologizing for having kept them waiting, her eyes -were watching Gallardo. Don José pricked on his horse to make the -presentation, but Doña Sol was beforehand with him, going up to the -torero. - -Gallardo felt perturbed by the lady's presence. What a woman! What would -she say to him?... - -He saw that she held out a delicate, scented hand, and in his -bewilderment he only knew that he seized and pressed it in the strong -grasp used to overthrowing bulls. But the hand, so white and pink, was -not crushed in the rough involuntary grip, which would have made another -cry out with pain, but after a strong clasp it disengaged itself easily. - -"I thank you much for having come. Delighted to know you." - -And Gallardo, in his flurry, feeling that he must answer something, -stammered as if he were speaking to an amateur: - -"Thanks; and the family, quite well?" - -A little ripple of laughter from Doña Sol was lost in the clatter of -the hoofs, in the noise of their first start. The lady put her horse to -a trot, and the cavalcade of riders followed her, Gallardo, unable to -get over his stupefaction, bringing up the rear, feeling dimly that he -had made a fool of himself. - -They galloped through the outskirts of Seville alongside the river -leaving the Torre Del Oro[77] behind them and then on through the shady -gardens strewn with yellow sand, till they reached a road bordered on -either side by small taverns and eating-houses. - -When they arrived at Tablada, they saw on the green plain a large -concourse of people and carriages drawn up close to the palisades which -separated the meadow from the animals' enclosure. - -The broad stream of the Guadalquivir rolled along the edge of the -pasture; on the opposite side rose the hill of San Juan de Aznalfarache, -crowned by its ruined castle, and many white country houses peeped out -from among the silver grey of the olive trees. On the opposite side of -the wide horizon, on which a few woolly clouds were floating, lay -Seville, the line of its houses dominated by the imposing mass of the -Cathedral, and the marvellous Giralda, dyed a tender pink in the evening -light. - -The riders advanced with no little trouble among the moving crowd. The -curiosity inspired by Doña Sol's originalities had attracted all the -ladies of Seville. Her friends saluted her as she passed their -carriages, thinking she looked very beautiful in her manly dress. Her -relations, the Marquis's daughters, some unmarried, others accompanied -by their husbands, recommended prudence. - -"For God's sake, Sol! do not risk anything".... - -The "derribadores" entered into the enclosure, being greeted as they -went through the palings by the shouts of the populace, who had come to -see the sport. - -The horses, seeing their enemies and sniffing them from afar, began to -prance, neighing and kicking beneath the firm hands of their riders. - -The bulls were in the centre in a group, some were quietly grazing, -while others lay sleepily ruminating on the grass which was a little -rusted by the winter; others, wilder, trotted towards the river, the old -oxen, the prudent "cabestros"[78] immediately starting in pursuit, the -big bells round their necks ringing, while the cowherds assisted them in -collecting the stragglers by slinging stones which struck the tips of -the fugitives' horns. - -The riders remained a long time motionless, holding a council under the -impatient eyes of the crowd who were longing for something exciting. - -The first to ride out was the Marquis accompanied by one of his friends; -the two galloped towards the group of bulls, and when within a short -distance stopped their horses, standing up in their stirrups, waving -their "garrochas" and shouting loudly to frighten them. A black bull -with powerful thighs detached himself from the rest, trotting to the -further end of the enclosure. - -The Marquis had every right to be proud of his herd, composed entirely -of fine animals, carefully selected from judicious crossing. They were -not animals destined only for the production of meat, with rough and -dirty coats, big hoofs, hanging heads, and large and ill-placed horns. -They were animals of nervous vivacity, strong and robust, making the -ground shake as they went along raising clouds of dust under their -hoofs. Their coats were fine and shining like well-groomed horses, their -eyes fiery, the neck broad and proudly carried, their legs short, their -tails long and fine, their horns well shaped, sharp and polished as if -by hand, and their hoofs short, small and round, but hard enough to cut -the grass like a steel. - -The two riders galloped after the animal, attacking him from either -side, barring his way as he tried to make for the river, till the -Marquis, spurring his horse, gained on him, and, nearing the bull with -his garrocha in front of him, drove the iron on to his croup, the -combined impetus of the horse and the rider's arm causing him to lose -his balance, and roll over on the ground belly upwards, his horns stuck -in the ground and his four legs in the air. - -The rapidity and ease with which the breeder had accomplished this feat, -raised shouts of delight from the other side of the paling. Olé for the -old men!... No one understood bulls like the Marquis. He managed them as -if they were his own children, tending them from the day they were born, -till the day they entered the Plazas to die like heroes worthy of a -better fate. - -Immediately other riders wished to go out, and gain the applause of the -crowd, but the Marquis stopped them, giving the preference to his niece. -If she wished to accomplish a "derribo" she had better go out at once, -before the herd got infuriated with the constant attacks. - -Doña Sol spurred her horse, which did not cease rearing, frightened by -the bulls. The Marquis wished to accompany her, but she refused his -escort. No, she preferred having Gallardo, who was a torero. Where was -Gallardo? The matador, still ashamed of his awkwardness, rode up to the -lady's side in silence. - -The two galloped towards the herd, Doña Sol's horse reared up -frequently, refusing to go on, but the strength of the rider forced him -to advance; Gallardo waved his garrocha, giving shouts that were really -bellowings, just as he did in the Plazas when he wished to excite the -animal to attack him. - -It was not difficult to make one animal come out from the rest; a huge -white bull with red spots, an enormous neck and hanging brisket, with -horns of the finest point, soon detached himself. He trotted to the -further end of the enclosure as if he had there his "querencia,"[79] -which irresistibly attracted him; Doña Sol galloped after him, followed -by the espada. - -"Take care, Señora!" shouted Gallardo. "This is an old and malicious -bull, he is drawing you on ... take care he does not turn short." - -And so it was. When Doña Sol prepared to make the same stroke as her -uncle, turning her horse obliquely to the bull so as to plant the -garrocha well on his tail and overthrow him, the brute suddenly turned -as if realizing his danger, planting himself menacingly in front of his -attackers. The horse rushed in front of the bull, Doña Sol being unable -to stop him from the impetus of his wild career, and the bull pursued, -the chaser becoming the chased. - -The lady had no thought of flight. Thousands of people were watching her -from afar, she dreaded the laughter of her friends and the pity of the -men, and succeeded at last in checking her horse, and fronting the bull. -She held her garrocha under her arm like a picador, and drove it into -the bull's neck as it rushed forward bellowing with lowered head. Its -enormous poll was covered with a stream of blood, but it rushed on with -an overwhelming impetus, not seeming to care for the wound, till it -drove its horns under the horse's belly, shaking it, and lifting it off -the ground. - -The rider was thrown out of her saddle, while a wild cry of horror went -up from the palisades; the horse, freed from the horns, rushed on -madly, its belly stained with blood, the girths broken and the saddle -flapping on its loins. - -The bull turned to follow it, but at the same moment something nearer -attracted its attention. It was Doña Sol who, instead of remaining -motionless on the grass, stood up, picking up her garrocha, and putting -it bravely in rest under her arm to confront the brute afresh. It was a -mad display of courage, but she thought of those who were watching her; -a challenge to death certainly, but far better than compounding with -fear and incurring ridicule. - -No one shouted from the palisade. The crowd were motionless in terrified -silence. The groups of cavaliers were approaching at a mad gallop, but -their help would come too late, the bull was already pawing the ground -with its forefeet, and lowering his head, to attack that slight figure -threatening him with her lance. One simple blow of those horns and all -would be over. But at that instant a ferocious bellowing drew the bull's -attention and something red passed before his eyes like a flame of fire. - -It was Gallardo, who had thrown himself off his horse, dropping his -lance, to seize the overcoat strapped on to his saddle bow. - -"Eeee! Entra!"[80]. - -And the bull attacked, running after the red lining of the jacket, -attracted by this adversary so worthy of him, turning his hind quarters -to the figure in the black riding skirt and violet jacket, who still -stood stupefied by the danger, with her lance under her arm. - -"Do not be afraid, Doña Sol, he is mine," said the torero, pale with -emotion, but smiling, sure of his dexterity. - -With no other defence but his jacket, he baited the brute, drawing it -away from the lady, and avoiding its furious attacks by graceful -bendings. - -The crowd, forgetting their previous fright, began to applaud -tremendously. What a joy! To have come to see a simple "derribo" and to -see gratuitously an almost regular corrida, with Gallardo fighting! - -The torero, warmed by the impetuosity of the bull's attack, forgot Doña -Sol and everything else, intent only on slipping away from his attacks. -The bull turned again and again, furious at seeing this invulnerable man -slipping away from between his horns, and constantly meeting the red -lining of the coat instead. - -At last he was wearied out, and stood motionless with his head low, and -his muzzle covered with foam; then Gallardo, taking advantage of the -brute's bewilderment, took off his hat and laid it between the horns. An -immense howl of delight arose from the palisade, greeting this exploit. - -Then shouts and bells rang out behind Gallardo, and a crowd of herdsmen -and bell oxen surrounded the brute, and slowly enticed him towards the -main body of the herd. - -Gallardo went in search of his horse, who, accustomed to being near -bulls, had not moved, picked up his garrocha, mounted and then cantered -slowly towards the palisade; prolonging in this way the noisy rounds of -applause from the populace. - -The riders who had escorted Doña Sol greeted the espada with the -greatest display of enthusiasm, his manager winked at him and then -whispered mysteriously: - -"Gacho, you have not been behindhand. Very good: extremely good! Now I -tell you she is yours." - -Outside the palisade, Doña Sol was sitting in a landau, with the -Marquis's daughters. Her terrified cousins felt her all over, determined -to find something put out of joint by her fall. They offered her glasses -of Manzanilla to get over her fright, but she, smiling vaguely, received -these evidences of feminine concern with contemptuous indifference. - -As she saw Gallardo pushing his horse through the ranks of people, -between waving hats and outstretched hands, she smiled cordially. - -"Come here to me, Cid Campeador![81] Give me your hand." - -And once again their right hands met, in a long, vigorous clasp. - -That evening the affair of which all Seville was talking, was also much -canvassed in the matador's house. The Señora Angustias was beaming as -after a great corrida. Her son saving one of those great ladies, whom -she, accustomed to years of servitude, had always looked upon with such -deference and admiration! but Carmen remained silent, not knowing quite -what to think of the occurrence. - -Many days passed without Gallardo having any news of Doña Sol. His -manager was out of town, at a hunting party with some of his friends of -the "Forty-Five." But one evening Don José went to seek his matador at a -café in the Calle de las Sierpes, where many amateurs of "the sport" -gathered. He had only returned a couple of hours previously from the -hunting party, and had gone at once to Doña Sol's house, in consequence -of a note which he had found waiting for him. - -"God bless me, man! you are worse than a wolf!" said the manager, -marching his man out of the café. "The lady expected you at her house. -She has stayed at home evening after evening thinking you might come at -any moment. Such things are not done. After being presented, and after -what happened you owed her a visit, were it only to enquire after her -health." - -The espada stopped, scratching his head under his felt hat. - -"It is," he murmured uneasily ... "it is ... well I must say it out.... -It frightens me.... Now, Señor, it is said.... Yes, it frightens me. You -know well enough I am no laggard, that I can carry on with most women, -and say a few words to a 'gachi' as well as anyone else. But this -one--no. She is a lady who knows more than Lepe,[82] and when I see her -I feel I am an ignorant brute, and keep my mouth shut, as I cannot speak -without putting my foot in it. No, Don José.... I am not going. I ought -not to go!" - -But Don José ended by over persuading him, and finally carried him off -to Doña Sol's house, talking as he went of his interview with that lady. -She seemed rather offended at Gallardo's neglect. All the best people in -Seville had been to see her after her accident, except himself. - -"You know that a torero ought to stand well with people of good -position. It is only a matter of having a little education and showing -that you are not a cowherd brought up in a stable. Just think. A great -lady like that to distinguish you and expect you!... Stuff and nonsense, -I shall go with you." - -"Ah! if you go with me!" - -And Gallardo breathed again, as if freed from the weight of a great -fear. - -The "patio" of Doña Sol's house was in Moorish style, the delicate work -of its coloured arches making one think of the Alhambra. The ripple of a -fountain, in whose basin gold fish were swimming, murmured gently in -the evening silence. In the four galleries with ceilings of inlaid -Moorish work,[83] which were divided from the patio by marble pillars, -he saw ancient carved panels, dark pictures of saints with livid faces, -ancient furniture with rusty iron mountings, so riddled with worm holes, -that they looked as if they had had a charge of shot. - -A servant shewed them up the wide marble staircase, and there again the -torero was surprised to see retablos with dark figures on gold grounds, -massive virgins, who looked as if they had been cut out with a hatchet, -painted in faded colours and dull gilding; tapestries of soft dead leaf -colour, framed in borders of fruit and flowers, of which one represented -scenes of Calvary, while the other represented hairy, horned, and -cloven-footed satyrs, whom lightly-clad nymphs seemed to be fighting -like bulls. - -"See what ignorance is!" said the matador to Don José. "I thought that -sort of thing was only good for convents! But it seems that these people -also value them."... - -Upstairs, the electric lamps were lighted as they passed, while the -sunset splendours still shone through the windows. - -Gallardo experienced fresh surprises. He, so proud of his furniture -bought in Madrid, all quilted with bright silks, heavily and richly -carved, which seemed to cry out the amount they had cost, could not get -over seeing light and fragile chairs, white or green; tables and -cupboards of simple outline, walls of one colour, with only a few -pictures wide apart hanging by thick cords--a luxury of which the -beautiful polish seemed due only to the finish of the carpenters' work. -He was ashamed of his own surprise, and at what he had admired in his -own house as supreme luxury. "See what ignorance is!" And he sat down -with fear, dreading that the chair would break under his weight. - -The entrance of Doña Sol disturbed his reflections. He saw her, as he -had never seen her before, without either hat or mantilla, her head -crowned by that shimmering hair which seemed to justify her romantic -name. Her beautiful white arms showed through the hanging silk sleeves -of a Japanese tunic, which also left uncovered the curve of her -beautiful neck, marked by the two lines called Venus' necklace. As she -moved her hands, stones of all colours, set in curiously shaped rings -which covered her fingers, flashed brilliantly. On her delicate wrists -gold bracelets tinkled, one of Oriental filigree worked with some -mysterious inscription, the others heavy and massive to which were hung -various small charms and amulets, souvenirs of foreign travel. When she -sat down to talk she crossed her legs with masculine freedom, balancing -on her toe a small red golden-heeled papouche, like an embroidered toy. - -Gallardo's ears were buzzing, his eyes were dim, he could scarcely -distinguish the two clear eyes fixed on him with an expression at once -caressing and ironical. To conceal his emotion he smiled, showing his -teeth--the stiff stereotyped smile of a child who wishes to be amiable. - -"No indeed, Señora!... Many thanks.... It is not worth the trouble," was -all he could stammer to Doña Sol's grateful acknowledgment of his -exploit the other evening. - -Little by little Gallardo recovered his calm, and as the lady and his -manager began to speak of bulls he at last gained confidence. She had -seen him kill several times, and remembered the principal incidents -with great exactitude. He felt proud to think this woman watched him at -such moments, and had kept the remembrance fresh in her memory. - -She had opened a lacquered box decorated with strange flowers and -offered the two men gold-tipped cigarettes which exhaled a strange and -pungent scent. - -"They have opium in them," she said, "they are very nice." - -She lighted one herself, and with her greenish eyes which in the light -seemed like liquid gold, she followed the waving spirals of smoke. - -The torero, accustomed to strong Havanas, inhaled the smoke of this -cigarette with curiosity. Nothing but straw--a thing to please ladies. -But the strange perfume spread by the smoke seemed slowly to dissipate -his timidity. - -Doña Sol, fixing her eyes on him, questioned him about his life. She -wanted to be behind the scenes of glory, to know the inner lining of -celebrity, the miserable and wandering life of a torero who has not yet -succeeded in gaining the good will of the public, and Gallardo talked -and talked with sudden confidence, telling her of his early days, -dwelling, with proud insistence, on the humbleness of his origin, -although he omitted anything he considered shameful in the story of his -adventurous youth. - -"How very interesting.... How very original" ... said the beautiful -woman. - -Turning her eyes from the torero she seemed lost in the contemplation of -something invisible. - -"The first man in the world!" exclaimed Don José, with rough enthusiasm. -"Believe me, Sol, there are not two men like him. And how impervious to -wounds!" - -As proud of Gallardo's strength as though he were his father, he -enumerated the different wounds that Gallardo had received, describing -them as if he saw them through his clothes. The lady's eyes followed -this anatomical journey with sincere admiration. A real hero, simple, -embarrassed, retiring, like all strong men. - -The manager spoke of going away; it was seven o'clock and he would be -expected at home. But Doña Sol remonstrated with smiling insistence; -they really must both of them stay to dinner; it was an unceremonious -invitation, but that evening she was not expecting anyone, she would be -alone as the Marquis and his family had gone into the country. - -"I shall be quite alone.... Not another word, I command it; you must do -penance with me." - -And as if her commands admitted of no reply, she left the room. - -The manager demurred; he really could not stay; he had already come out -that afternoon and so his family had hardly seen him; besides he had -invited two friends. As far as concerned his matador, it seemed quite -correct and natural that he should stay, for really the invitation was -for him. - -"But you really must stay," said the espada in agony. "Curse it!... You -are never going to leave me alone. I should not know what to do, nor -what to say." - -A quarter of an hour afterwards Doña Sol returned to the room, wearing -now one of those creations of Paquin, which were at once the despair and -the wonder of her friends and relations. - -Don José persisted; he really must go, it was unavoidable, but his -matador would remain, and he undertook to let them know at his house -that they were not to expect him. - -Gallardo made an agonized gesture, but was a little quieted by a look -from his manager. - -"Don't be uneasy," he whispered as he went towards the door. "Do you -think I am a child? I shall say you are dining with some amateurs from -Madrid." - -What torments the torero suffered the first few moments at dinner!... -The grave and seigniorial luxury of the room intimidated him; he and his -hostess seemed lost in it, sitting opposite to each other in the middle -of that big table with its enormous silver candelabra fitted with -electric light and pink shades. - -The imposing servants, stiff and ceremonious, who looked as if nothing -could upset their gravity, inspired him with respect. He was ashamed of -his clothes and of his manners, feeling the great contrast between the -surrounding atmosphere and his own appearance. - -But this first feeling of shyness and timidity soon vanished, and Doña -Sol laughed at his abstemiousness and the dread with which he touched -the plates and glasses. Gallardo looked at her admiringly, certainly the -golden-haired lady had a fine appetite! Accustomed as he was to the -prudery and abstentions of ladies he had known, who thought it bad form -to eat anything, he was astonished at Doña Sol's appetite. - -Gallardo, encouraged by her example, ate, and above all drank, drank -deeply, seeking in the many fine wines a remedy for that nervousness -which had made him so shamefaced, and unable to do anything but smile as -he constantly repeated, "Many thanks." - -The conversation became more lively. The espada began to be talkative -and told her many amusing incidents of bull-fighting life, ending by -telling her of El Nacional's original ideas, of the feats of his picador -Potaje, who swallowed hard-boiled eggs whole, who was half an ear short, -because a companion had bitten it off, who, when he was taken wounded to -the infirmary of a Plaza, fell on the bed with such a weight of iron -armour and muscles that his big spurs pierced the mattress and he had -subsequently to be disentangled with extreme difficulty. - -"How very interesting! How very original!" - -Doña Sol smiled as she listened to the anecdotes of these rough men, -always face to face with death, whom she had hitherto only admired from -a distance. - -The champagne ended by bewildering Gallardo, and when they rose from the -table he offered his arm to his hostess, amazed at his own audacity. Did -they not do this in the great world? ... decidedly he was not quite so -ignorant as he had appeared at first sight. - -Coffee was served in the drawing-room, where in a corner Gallardo spied -a guitar, no doubt the one on which Lechuzo gave Doña Sol her lessons. -She offered it to him, asking him to play something. - -"I do not know how!... I am the most ignorant man in the world, except -about killing bulls!"... He much regretted that the Puntillero[84] of -his cuadrilla was not there, a lad who drove the women wild with his -beautiful playing. - -There was a long silence, Gallardo sat on a sofa smoking a splendid -Havana, while Doña Sol smoked one of those cigarettes whose perfume -seemed to induce a vague drowsiness. The torero felt sleepy after his -dinner, and scarcely opened his mouth to answer except by a fixed smile. - -Doubtless this silence bored Doña Sol, for she rose and went to the -grand piano, which soon rang under her vigorous touch with the rhythm of -a Malagueña. - -"Olé! That is fine!" said the torero, shaking off his drowsiness! -"Capital.... Very good!" - -After the Malagueñas she played some Sevillanas, and then some -Andalusian popular songs, all melancholy, with an Oriental ring. - -Gallardo interrupted the singing with his exclamations just as he would -have done before the stage of a café chantant. - -"Well done, the golden hands! Now for another!" - -"Are you fond of music?" enquired the lady. - -"Oh, very," replied Gallardo, who up to now had never asked himself the -question. - -Doña Sol passed slowly from these lively measures to something slow and -more solemn, which Gallardo with his philharmonic learning recognised as -"Church music." - -There were no exclamations now. He felt himself overcome by a delicious -sleepiness; his eyes were closing, and he felt certain that if this -concert went on much longer he should be fast asleep. - -To prevent this catastrophe Gallardo gazed at the beautiful woman who -had turned her back to him. Mother of God! What a beautiful figure, and -he fixed his African eyes on the round white neck, crowned with the -waving curls of golden hair. An absurd idea floated before his confused -mind, keeping him awake with the itching of its temptation. - -"What would that gachi do if I went up softly on tip-toe and kissed that -beautiful neck?"... - -But his thoughts went no further. The woman inspired him with -irresistible respect. He remembered what his manager had said, and how -she managed men as if they were playthings. Still, he looked at that -neck, though the mist of sleep was spreading before his eyes. He knew he -would fall asleep! And he feared that soon a loud snore would interrupt -that music, which although quite incomprehensible to him must be -magnificent. He pinched his thighs and stretched his arms to keep -himself awake, smothering his yawns with his hand. - -A long time passed. Gallardo was not quite sure he had not been asleep. -Suddenly the sound of Doña Sol's voice woke him from his drowsiness; she -was singing in a low voice that trembled with passion. - -The torero pricked up his ears to listen. He could not understand a -word. It was something foreign. Curse it!... Why could she not sing a -tango or something of the sort?... And she expected a Christian to keep -awake!... - -She was singing, as in a waking dream, Elsa's prayer, the lament for the -strong man, the great warrior, so invincible to men, so tender to women. -That tender and strong man! ... that warrior.... Was it possibly the man -behind her.... Why not?... - -He certainly had not the legendary aspect of that other warrior. He was -rough and heavy. Still she remembered clearly the gallantry with which -he had come to her aid the other day, the smiling confidence with which -he had fought the bellowing brute, just as the other heroes fought with -terrifying dragons; yes; he was her warrior! - -She shook from head to foot with voluptuous dread, acknowledging herself -beforehand as conquered. She thought she could feel the sweet danger -which was approaching her from behind. She could see her hero, her -paladin, rise from the sofa, with his Moorish eyes fixed on her; she -could hear his cautious footsteps, she could feel his hands on her -shoulders, and a kiss of fire on her neck, a sign of passion which would -seal her for ever as his slave.... But the romance ended without -anything happening, without her feeling anything on her spine, beyond -the thrill of her own trembling desire. - -Deceived by his respect, she ceased playing and turned round on her -music stool. The warrior was opposite to her, buried in the sofa -cushions, trying for the twentieth time to light his cigar, opening his -eyes wide to overcome his drowsiness. - -When he saw her eyes fixed on him, Gallardo rose. Ay! the supreme moment -was coming! Her hero was coming towards her to clasp her in his -passionate and manly embrace, to conquer her and make her his own. - -"Good-night, Doña Sol.... It is getting late and I am going. You will -wish to rest." - -Between surprise and pique she also stood up, and scarcely knowing what -she did held out her hand.... Tender and strong as a hero! - -Thoughts of feminine conventionality rushed wildly through her mind, all -those restraints which a woman never forgets even in her moments of -greatest self-abandonment. Her longing was not possible. The first time -he had ever entered her house!... And without the slightest show of -resistance!... - -But as she clasped the espada's hand, and saw his eyes, eyes that could -only look at her with passionate intensity, trusting to the mute -expression of his timid desires. - -"Do not go!... Come! Come!!" - -And nothing more was said. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[67] Little aunt - -[68] Sleeveless coat, generally of sheep or goat skin. - -[69] Cuadrillas de cartel. - -[70] Toro de libras. - -[71] Tobacco is a Government monopoly. - -[72] Liquido. - -[73] A not very complimentary term to the lady--a stinging insect, a -dangerous beast. - -[74] Gachi--uncomplimentary gipsy word, applied to male or female, -generally to a Christian. - -[75] Iron-tipped lance, used in overthrowing young bulls. - -[76] Overthrowing--baiting of bulls by overthrowing them with a spear. - -[77] An old Moorish tower on the banks of the Guadalquivir close to the -gardens Las Delicias. - -[78] Heads of the herds--trained to act as leaders and decoys. - -[79] Pet lair or lurking place. - -[80] The cry used to incite a bull to attack--lit. enter, come along, -and attack. - -[81] It is recorded that the Cid tilted at bulls with his lance. - -[82] A proverbially learned Bishop. - -[83] Artesonada. - -[84] Man who gives the _coup de grace_ to a bull with a dagger, if the -matador has failed to kill it with his sword thrust. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -A great satisfaction to his vanity was added to the numerous other -reasons Gallardo had for being proud of his person. - -When he spoke with the Marquis de Moraima he regarded him with an almost -filial affection. That gentleman, dressed as a countryman, a rough -centaur with "Zajones" and a strong garrocha, was an illustrious -personage, who could cover his breast with ribbons and crosses, and in -the king's palace wore an embroidered coat, with a gold key sewn on to -one flap. His remote ancestors had come to Seville with that monarch who -had expelled the Moors, and had received as reward for their great -exploits, immense territories wrested from the enemy, the remains of -which were those vast plains on which the Marquis now reared his cattle. -And this great nobleman, frank and generous, who preserved, -notwithstanding the simplicity of his country life, the distinction of -his illustrious ancestry, was looked upon by Gallardo as in some sort a -near relation. - -The cobbler's son was just as proud as if he had in reality become a -member of the Marquis's family. The Marquis de Moraima was his uncle, -and though he could neither announce it publicly, nor was the -relationship legitimate, he consoled himself by thinking of the -ascendency he exercised over one female of the family, thanks to a love -which seemed to laugh at all prejudices of rank. - -All those gentlemen who up to now had treated him with the rather -disdainful familiarity with which the patrons of the sport of rank -treat toreros, were now in some sort his cousins, and he began to treat -them as equals. - -His life and habits had completely changed. He seldom entered the cafés -in the Calle de las Sierpes, where most of the amateurs assembled. They -were good sort of people, simple and enthusiastic, but of little -importance; small tradesmen, workmen who had become employers, small -clerks, nondescripts without profession, who lived miraculously by -strange expedients, apparently having no other business than to talk of -bulls. - -Gallardo passed by the windows of these cafés, saluting his admirers, -who waved frantically to him to come in. "I will return presently"; he, -however, did not return, he went further up the street to a very -aristocratic club, decorated in the Gothic style, where the servants -wore knee breeches, and the tables were covered with silver plate. - -The son of Señora Angustias could not repress a feeling of pride each -time he passed through the rows of servants drawn up on either side like -soldiers, or when a Major-domo, with a silver chain round his neck, came -to take his hat and stick. In one room fencing was practised, in another -they gambled from the early hours of the afternoon till dawn. The -members tolerated Gallardo because he was a "decent" torero, who spent a -good deal of money, and had powerful friends. - -"He is very well educated," said the members gravely, realizing that he -knew just about as much as they did. - -The sympathetic personality of his well-connected manager, Don José, -served the torero as a guarantee in his new existence. Besides, -Gallardo, with the cunning of a former street urchin, knew how to make -himself popular with this brilliant set, among whom he met "relations" -by the dozen. - -He played heavily. It was the best way of drawing closer to his new -friends. He played and lost, with the proverbial ill-luck of a man -fortunate in other undertakings, and his ill-luck became a matter of -pride to the club. - -"Gallardo was cleared out last night," said the members proudly. "He -must have lost at least eleven thousand pesetas." - -The calmness with which he lost his money made his new friends respect -him, but the new passion soon grew upon him, even to the point of making -him sometimes forget his great lady. To play with all the best in -Seville! To find himself treated as an equal by these gentlemen! Thanks -to the fraternity established by loans of money and common emotions! - -One night a large lamp suddenly crashed down on to the green table. -There was sudden darkness and wild confusion, but the imperious voice of -Gallardo rang out: - -"Calm yourselves, gentlemen. Nothing much has happened. Let the game go -on. They are bringing candles." - -And the game went on, his companions admiring him even more for his -energetic speech, than for the way in which he killed his bulls. - -The manager's friends questioned him as to Gallardo's losses. Surely he -would ruin himself: everything he earned by bull-fighting he lost by -gambling. But Don José smiled disdainfully. - -"This year we had more corridas than anyone else. We shall become tired -of killing bulls and piling up money.... Let the lad enjoy himself. He -works for this and is what he is ... the first man in the world." - -In his new existence Gallardo not only frequented this club, but some -afternoons he went to the "Forty-Five," which was a kind of Senate of -tauromachia. The toreros as a rule did not gain easy access to its -precincts, for their absence admitted of the fathers of the "sport" -giving free vent to their various opinions. - -During the spring and summer the members met in the vestibule, and -overflowed into the street, sitting on cane chairs, waiting for -telegrams about the different corridas. They believed very little in the -opinions of the Press; besides it was necessary for them to have the -news before it got into the papers. - -It was an occupation that filled them with pride and elevated them above -their fellow mortals, to sit quietly at the door of their club breathing -the fresh air and knowing exactly, without interested exaggerations, -what had happened that afternoon in the corrida of Bilbao, Coruña, -Barcelona, or Valencia; how many ears one matador had received, how -another one had been hissed, while their fellow-townsmen remained in -complete ignorance, waiting about the streets till the evening papers -were published. When there was "hule" and a telegram came announcing the -terrible wounds of some native torero their feelings and their patriotic -solidarity softened them sufficiently to admit of their imparting the -momentous secret to some passing friend. The news flew instantaneously -through the cafés in the Calle de las Sierpes, and no one could doubt it -for an instant, for was it not a telegram received by the "Forty-Five"? - -Gallardo's manager, with his aggressive and noisy enthusiasm, rather -disturbed the social gravity. They endured it as he was an old friend, -and ended by laughing at his flights. But it was impossible for sensible -men to discuss the merits of the various toreros quietly with Don José. -Often when they alluded to Gallardo as "a very brave fellow, but without -much art" they would look timorously towards the door. - -"Hush! Pepe[85] is coming," and Pepe would enter waving a telegram -above his head. - -"Is that news from Santander?"... "Yes! here it is: Gallardo, two -estocades ... two bulls ... and the ear of the second. Just what I said! -The first man in the world." - -The telegrams to the "Forty-Five" often differed, but Don José would -pass it over with a gesture of contempt, breaking out into noisy -protests. - -"Lies! All envy! My wire is the true one. What is in yours is only envy -because 'my lad' has lowered so many chignons." - -All the members laughed at Don José, lifting a finger to their foreheads -and joking about the first man in the world, and his kind manager. - -Little by little Gallardo had succeeded, as an unheard-of privilege, in -introducing himself into this society. The torero would come at first -under pretext of looking for his manager, and ended by sitting down -among the gentlemen, although there were many who were no friends to him -and who had chosen other matadors from among his rivals. - -The decoration of the house, according to Don José, was full of -"character." The lower part of the walls were covered with Moorish -tiles, and on the immaculately white walls hung announcements of ancient -corridas, stuffed bulls' heads, of animals celebrated either for the -number of horses they had killed, or for having wounded some celebrated -torero; together with procession capes and rapiers presented by espadas -who had "cut off their pigtails" and retired from the profession. - -Servants in dress coats served the gentlemen in their country clothes, -or possibly in their shirt sleeves, during the hot summer evenings. -During the Holy Week and other great holidays in Seville, when -illustrious enthusiasts from every part of Spain came and paid their -respects to the "Forty-Five," the servants wore knee breeches and -powdered wigs, donned the royal livery of red and yellow, and dressed -thus, like servants of the royal household, handed glasses of Manzanilla -to these wealthy gentlemen, many of whom had even dispensed with their -ties. - -In the evenings when the doyen, the illustrious Marquis de Moraima, came -in, the members in big arm-chairs formed a circle round him, and the -famous breeder in a chair higher than the others presided over the -conversation. For the most part they began by talking of the weather. -Most of them were great breeders or wealthy landed proprietors, whose -living depended on the necessities of the earth, and the variations of -the weather. The Marquis explained the observations that his wisdom had -gathered, during interminable rides over the lonely Andalusian plains, -so immense and solitary, with wide horizons, like the sea, on which the -bulls, slowly moving among the waves of verdure, seemed like basking -sharks. He could generally see some piece of paper blown about the -street which served as a basis to his predictions. The drought, that -cruel scourge of the Andalusian plains, gave them conversation for a -whole afternoon, and when after weeks of anxious expectation the -overcast sky would discharge a few big hot drops, the great country -gentlemen would smile, rubbing their hands, and the Marquis would say -sententiously, as he looked at the great round splashes on the pavement: - -"Glory be to God!... Each drop of this is worth a five duro piece." - -When they were not anxious about the weather, cattle was the subject of -their conversation, and especially bulls, of whom they spoke tenderly, -almost as if there were some relationship between them. The other -breeders listened with deference to the Marquis's opinions, on account -of the advantage given him by his large fortune. The simple -"aficionados" who never left the town admired his skill in producing -fierce animals. What this man knew!... He himself, as he spoke of the -extreme care required by the bulls, seemed quite convinced of the -importance of his occupation. Out of ten calves, at least eight or nine -were fit only for the butcher, after they had been tried to judge of -their fierceness. Only one or two who had shown themselves brave and -ready to charge against the iron of the garrocha were judged fit to pass -as fighting animals; thenceforward these lived apart, with every sort of -care. And what care! - -"A breeding establishment of wild bulls ought not to be a business," -said the Marquis. "It is an expensive luxury. It is true we are paid -four or five times as much for a fighting bull as for the others, but -then, see what it costs to rear!" - -They must be watched constantly, their food and water considered, moved -from one place to another, according to variations of temperature, in -fact every bull costs more than the maintenance of a family, and when at -last they were brought to the highest pitch, they had still to be -carefully watched up to the last moment, in order that they should not -disgrace themselves in the circus, but be fit to do honour to the badge -of the herd which hung round their necks. - -In certain Plazas the Marquis had even fought with the managers and the -authorities, refusing to hand over his animals, because a band was -stationed just over the bulls' entrance. The noise of the instruments -bewildered the noble animals, robbing them of their bravery and their -calmness as they entered the Plaza. - -"They are just like us," said he tenderly, "they only want speech. How -can I say like us? Many are worth more than any of us." - -And he spoke of Lobito,[86] the old head of the herd, swearing he would -not sell him if he were offered all Seville, with the Giralda thrown in. -As soon as the Marquis, galloping across the vast plains, came in sight -of the herd to which this treasure belonged, he would instantly respond -to the call of "Lobito."... And leaving his companions would come to -meet the Marquis, rubbing his muzzle against the rider's boots, and this -although he was an immensely powerful animal and the terror of the rest -of the herd. Then the breeder would dismount, and search in his saddle -bags for a piece of chocolate to give to Lobito, who would gratefully -shake his head, armed with those immense horns. Then with one arm round -the bull's neck the Marquis would calmly walk in among the herd of -bulls, made restless and fierce by a man's presence. There was no -danger. Lobito walked like a dog, covering his master with his body, -looking all around him, and imposing respect on his companions with his -fiery eyes. If any one, more venturesome than his comrades, approached -to sniff the intruder they met with Lobito's threatening horns. If -several of them with heavy playfulness joined to bar his way, Lobito -would stretch out his armed head and force them to make way. - -When the Marquis related the great deeds of some of the animals reared -on his pastures his white whiskers and his shaven lips would tremble -with emotion. - -"A bull!... He is the noblest animal in the world. If only men were more -like him things would go on better in the world. There you have a -portrait of poor Coronel. Do any of you remember that jewel?" - -As he spoke he pointed to a large photograph finely framed, -representing himself, much younger, in peasant dress, surrounded by -little girls in white, who seemed to be seated in the midst of a meadow, -on a black mound, at one end of which appeared a pair of horns. This -dark and shapeless bank was Coronel. Of enormous size and very fierce to -his comrades in the herd, this beast showed the most affectionate -gentleness to his master and his family. He was like one of those -mastiffs who are so fierce to strangers, but who let the children of the -family pull their ears and tail, and receive all their teazing with -grunts of pleasure. The little girls were the Marquis's daughters; the -beast would sniff at their little white dresses, while they half -frightened at first, clung to their father's legs, but would suddenly -with childish confidence rub his muzzle. "Lie down, Coronel," and -Coronel would lie down with his feet doubled beneath him, while the -children sat on his broad back heaving with his heavy breathing. - -One day, after much hesitation, the Marquis sold him to the Plaza in -Pampeluna, and went himself to assist at the corrida. De Moraima was -deeply moved and his eyes were dim as he recalled the occurrence. Never -in his life had he seen a bull like that one. He rushed gallantly into -the arena, though rather dazed at first by the sudden light after the -darkness of his stall and the roars of thousands of people. But directly -a picador pricked him, he seemed to fill the whole Plaza with his -magnificent onslaughts. - -Soon, there were neither men nor horses nor anything else left! In a -moment all the horses were down and their riders tossed in the air. The -peons ran, and the arena was in disarray, as if a branding[87] had been -going on. The audience clamoured for more horses, while Coronel stood -in the middle of the Plaza waiting to turn and rend anyone who came out -against him. The slightest invitation was sufficient to make him attack, -no one had ever seen anything like him for nobility and power, rushing -in to his charge with a grandeur and a dash which drove the populace -mad. When the death signal sounded, he had fourteen wounds in him and a -complete set of banderillas, yet he was as fresh and as brave as if he -had never left his pasture. Then.... - -When the breeder reached this point he always stopped to steady his -shaking voice. - -Then ... the Marquis de Moraima, who was in a box, found himself, he -knew not how, behind the barrier, among the excited servants of the -Plaza and close to the matador, who was slowly rolling up his muleta, as -though he wished to put off the moment when he should have to meet so -formidable an enemy. "Coronel!" ... shouted the Marquis, throwing his -body half over the barrier and striking the woodwork with his hands. - -The animal did not move, but he raised his head, as though these shouts -reminded him of the pastures he might never see again. "Coronel!"... -Till, turning his head he saw a man leaning over the barrier calling -him, and rushed straight to attack him. But he stopped half way in his -wild rush, then came on slowly till he rubbed his horns against the arms -stretched out to him. He came with his chest splashed with the streams -of blood from the darts fixed in his neck, and his skin torn by the -wounds which showed the blue muscles beneath.... "Coronel! My son!..." -And the bull, as if he understood these tender words, raised his muzzle -and rubbed the breeder's white whiskers. "Why have you brought me here?" -his fierce blood-shot eyes seemed to say; and the Marquis, no longer -knowing what he did, kissed the beast's nostrils, wet with his furious -snorting, again and again. - -"Do not kill him!" some kind soul shouted from the seats, and as though -these words reflected the thoughts of the whole audience, an explosion -of voices shook the Plaza, and thousands of handkerchiefs waved like -white doves. "Do not kill him!" And at that moment the crowd, seized -with a vague tenderness, despised their own amusement, abhorred the -torero in his showy dress with his useless heroism, and admired the -bravery of the brute, to whom they felt themselves inferior; and -recognised that among those thousands of reasoning beings, nobility and -affection were alone represented by this poor animal. - -"I took him away," said the Marquis, almost sobbing. "I returned the -manager his two thousand pesetas. I would have given him my whole -fortune. After a month on the pasture there was not the vestige of a -scar on his neck.... I should have wished him to die of old age, but it -is not always the good who prosper in this world. A sulky bull, who -would not have dared to look him in the face, killed him treacherously -with a blow of his horn." - -The Marquis and his fellow-breeders soon forgot their tender sympathy -for the animals in the pride they felt at their fierceness. You should -have seen the contempt with which they spoke of the enemies of -bull-fighting, and of those who clamoured against this art in the name -of the protection of animals. - -"Follies of foreigners," "Ignorant errors," which confound a butcher's -ox with a fighting bull! The Spanish bull is a wild animal: the bravest -wild beast in the world. And he recalled several fights between bulls -and felines, which had always ended triumphantly for the national -beast. - -The Marquis laughed as he remembered another of his animals. A fight was -arranged in a certain Plaza between a bull, and a lion and a tiger -belonging to a celebrated tamer. The breeder sent Barrabas, a vicious -animal, which had to be kept apart at the farm, because he had fought -with and killed several of his companions. - -"I saw this myself," said the Marquis. "There was a huge iron cage in -the middle of the circus and inside it was Barrabas. They loosed the -lion first, and this accursed feline, taking advantage of a bull being -unsuspicious, sprung upon his hind quarters and began to tear him with -teeth and claws. Barrabas bounded furiously in order to dislodge him and -get him within reach of the horns, which are his defence. At last he -succeeded in throwing the lion in front of him and then ... caballeros! -it was just like a game of ball!... He tossed him from one horn to -another, shaking him like a marionette, till at last, as if he despised -him, he threw him on one side, and there lay the so-called king of -animals, rolled into a ball, and lying like a cat who has just been -beaten.... The second affair was much shorter. As soon as the tiger -appeared Barrabas caught him, tossed him in the air, and after shaking -him well, threw him into the corner like the other.... Then Barrabas, -being an evil-minded beast, trotted up and down, with every indecent -display of triumph over his fallen foes." - -These anecdotes always drew shouts of laughter from the "Forty-Five." -The Spanish bull!... The finest wild animal!... It seemed as if the -arrogant bravery of the national animal established the superiority of -the country and the race over all others. - -When Gallardo began to frequent the club, a fresh topic of conversation -had arisen to interrupt the endless talk of bulls and field work. - -The "Forty-Five," like every one else in Seville, were talking of the -exploits of Plumitas, a brigand, celebrated for his audacity, to whom -the useless efforts of his pursuers daily gave fresh fame. The papers -spoke of his kindly disposition, as if he were a national personage. The -Government, who were questioned in the Cortes, promised a speedy -capture, which was never realized. The civil guard were concentrated, -and a perfect army was mobilized to follow and catch him, while -Plumitas, always alone, with no other help but his carbine and his -horse, slipped through those who were following him like a ghost; he -would turn on them, when they were few in numbers, and stretch many -lifeless, but he was reverenced and helped by all the poor peasantry, -wretched slaves of the enormous landed interest, who looked upon the -bandit as the avenger of the starving, a just but cruel justiciary, -after the fashion of the ancient armour-clad knights errant. He exacted -money from the rich, and then with the manner of an actor before an -immense audience, he would assist some poor old woman, or some labourer -with a large family. These generosities were greatly exaggerated by the -gossip of the rural population, who always had the name of Plumitas on -their lips, but who became both blind and dumb when any enquiries were -made by the Government soldiers. - -He went from one province to another like one perfectly acquainted with -the country, and the landed proprietors of Seville and Cordova -contributed largely to his support.... Whole weeks passed and nothing -would be heard of him, then suddenly he would appear in some farm or -village, utterly regardless of danger. - -They had direct news of him in the "Forty-Five," precisely as if he had -been a matador. - -"Plumitas was at my farm the day before yesterday," a rich farmer would -say. "The overseer gave him thirty duros, and he went away after -breakfasting." - -They paid this contribution contentedly, and gave no information except -to friends. Giving information meant making declarations, and every sort -of annoyance. And for what? The civil guard sought him without success, -and had he become incensed against the informers, their goods and -property would have been at his mercy, without any protection whatever -from his vengeance. - -The Marquis spoke of Plumitas and his exploits without being in the -least scandalized by them, and treated them as though they were a -natural and inevitable calamity. - -"They are poor fellows who have had some misfortune, and have taken to -the road. My father (who rests in peace) knew the famous José Maria, and -had twice breakfasted with him. I have run against several of lesser -fame, who went about the neighbourhood doing evil deeds. They are just -the same as bulls, noble and simple creatures. They only attack when -goaded, and their evil deeds increase with punishment." - -He had given orders to all the overseers at his farms and in all his -shepherds' hovels to give Plumitas whatever he asked for; consequently, -as the overseers and cowherds related, the bandit, with the respect of a -country peasant for a kind and generous master, spoke of him with the -greatest gratitude, offering to kill anyone who offended the "Zeno -Marque" in the very slightest degree. Poor fellow! For the wretched -little sums which he demanded, when he made his appearance, wearied and -starving, it was not worth while drawing down on oneself his anger and -revenge. - -The breeder, who was constantly galloping alone over the plains where -his bulls grazed, suspected that he had several times come across -Plumitas. He was probably one of those poor-looking horsemen whom he met -in the solitary plains without so much as a village on the horizon, who -would raise his hand to his greasy sombrero, and say with respectful -civility: - -"Go with God, Zeno Marque." - -The lord of Moraima, when he spoke of Plumitas, looked often at -Gallardo, who declaimed with the vehemence of a novice, against the -authorities for being unable to protect property. - -"Some fine day he will turn up at La Rincona, my lad," said the Marquis, -with his grave Andalusian drawl. - -"Curse him!... But that would not please me, Zeno Marque! God alive! Is -it for this I pay such heavy taxes?" - -No, indeed. It would not please him to run against the bandit during his -excursions at La Rinconada. He was a brave man killing bulls, and in a -Plaza regardless of his own life; but this profession of killing men -inspired him with all the uneasiness of the unknown. - -His family were at the farm. Señora Angustias enjoyed a country life, -after the miseries of an existence spent in town hovels. Carmen also -enjoyed it, and the saddler's children required a change, so Gallardo -had sent his family to La Rincona, promising soon to join them. He, -however, postponed the journey by every sort of pretext, living a -bachelor's life (with no other companion than Garabato), which left him -complete liberty as to his relations with Doña Sol. - -He thought this the happiest time of his life, and he often quite forgot -La Rinconada and its inhabitants. - -He and Doña Sol rode together, mounted on spirited horses, dressed much -the same as on the day when they first met, generally alone, but -sometimes with Don José, whose presence was a sop to people's -scandalized feelings. They would go to see bulls in the pastures round -Seville, or to try calves at the Marquis's dairies, and Doña Sol, always -eager for danger, was delighted when, as he felt the prick of the -garrocha, a young bull would turn and attack her, and Gallardo had to -come to her assistance. - -At other times they would go to the station of Empalme, if a boxing of -bulls was announced for the different Plazas which were giving special -corridas at the end of the winter. - -Doña Sol examined this place, which was the most important centre of -exportation of the taurine industry, with great interest. There were -large enclosures alongside the railway siding, and dozens of huge boxes -on wheels with movable doors. The bulls who were to be entrained, -arrived, galloping along a dusty road edged with barbed wire. Many came -from distant provinces, but on getting close to Empalme they were sent -on with a rush, in order to get them into the enclosures with greater -ease. - -In front galloped the overseers and shepherds with their lances on their -shoulders, and behind them the prudent "cabestros" covering the men with -their huge horns. After these came the fighting bulls, well rounded up -by tame bulls who prevented them straying from the road, and followed by -strong cowherds ready to sling a stone at any wandering pair of horns. - -Arrived at the enclosures the foremost riders drew to either side, -leaving the gateway open, and the whole herd, an avalanche of dust, -pawings, snortings and bells, rushed in like an overwhelming torrent and -the gate was immediately closed after the last animal. - -They tore through the first enclosure without noticing that they were -trapped, the "cabestros," taught by experience and obedient to the -shepherds, stood aside to let them pass into the second, where the herd -only stopped on finding a blank wall before them. - -Now the boxing began. One by one they were driven, by shouts, waving -cloths, and blows from garrochas, into a narrow lane, at the end of -which stood the travelling box, with both its side doors lowered. It -looked like a small tunnel, through which the brutes could see a field -beyond, with animals quietly grazing. The suspicious bulls guessed some -danger in this small tunnel, and had to be driven on by clappings and -whistlings and pricks. Finally they would make a dash for the quiet -pasture beyond, making the sloping platform leading to the box shake as -they rushed up it, but as soon as they had mounted this, the door in -front of them was suddenly closed, and then equally quickly the one -behind, and the bull was caught in a cage where he could only just stand -up or lie down comfortably. The box was then wheeled into the railway, -and another one took its place, till all the herd were successfully -entrained. - -When the first intoxication of Gallardo's good fortune had passed off, -he looked at Doña Sol with the utmost astonishment, wondering in the -hours of their greatest intimacy if all great ladies were like this one. -The caprices and fickleness of her character bewildered him. He had -never dared to address her as "tu," indeed she had never invited him to -such a familiarity, and on the one occasion when with slow and -hesitating tongue he had attempted it, he had seen in her golden eyes -such a gleam of anger and surprise, that he had drawn back ashamed, and -had returned to the former mode of speech. - -She, on the other hand, spoke to him as "tu," but only in the hours of -privacy. If she had to write to him asking him not to come, or saying -she was going out with her relations, she always used the ceremonious -"uste" and there were no expressions of affection, only the cold -courtesies that might be written to a friend of an inferior class. - -"Oh! that gachi," murmured Gallardo, disheartened; "it seems as if she -had always lived with rascals who showed her letters to every one. One -would think she cannot believe me to be a gentleman because I am a -matador." - -Some of her eccentricities left the torero frowning and sad. Sometimes -on going to the house one of the magnificent servants would coldly bar -his way. "The Señora was not at home," or "The Señora had gone out," and -he knew that it was a lie, feeling the presence of Doña Sol a short -distance from him, the other side of the curtained doors. - -"The fuel is spent!" said the espada to himself, "I will not return. -That gachi shall not laugh at me." - -But when he did return, she received him with open arms, clasping him -close in her firm white hands, with her eyes wide open and vague, and a -strange light in them which seemed to speak of mental derangement. - -"Why do you perfume yourself?" she said, as if she perceived the most -unpleasant smells. "It is unworthy of you. I should like you to smell of -bulls, of horses. Those are fine scents! Don't you love them? Say yes, -Juanin, my animal." - -One night in the soft twilight of Doña Sol's bedroom, Gallardo felt -something very like fear, hearing her speak, and watching her eyes. - -"I should like to run on all fours. I should like to be a bull, and that -you should stand before me rapier in hand. Fine gorings I would give -you! Here ... and here!" - -And with her clenched fist, to which her excitement gave fresh -strength, she planted several blows on the matador's chest only covered -by his thin silk vest. Gallardo drew back, not wishing to admit that a -woman could possibly hurt him. - -"No, not a bull. I should like to be a dog ... a shepherd's dog ... one -of those with long fangs, to come out and bark at you. Do you see that -fine fellow who kills bulls, and who the public say is so brave? Well, I -shall bite him. I shall bite him like this! Aaaam!" - -And with hysterical delight she fixed her teeth in the matador's arm, -punishing his swelling biceps. Exasperated by the pain the matador swore -a big oath, shaking the beautiful half-dressed woman from him, whose -snake-like golden hair stood up round her head like that of a drunken -bacchante. - -Doña Sol seemed suddenly to awake. - -"Poor fellow! I have hurt you. And it was I!... I who am sometimes mad! -Let me kiss the bite to cure it. Let me kiss all your glorious scars. My -poor little brute, it made you cry out!" - -And the beautiful fury suddenly became tender and gentle, purring round -the torero like a kitten. - -One evening, finding her inclined to be confidential, and feeling some -curiosity as to her past, he questioned her as to the kings and other -great personages, whom report said had crossed her path. - -With a cold stare in her eyes she replied to his curiosity: - -"What does it matter to you? Are you by any chance jealous?... And if it -were true ... what then?" - -She remained silent a long while, with a strange look in her eyes, the -look of madness, which was always accompanied by extravagant thoughts. - -"You must have struck many women," she said, looking at him curiously; -"do not deny it, it interests me greatly! No, not your wife, I know she -is very good, but all those that toreros mix with; women who love better -when they are beaten. No? Say truly, have you never struck any one?" - -Gallardo protested with the dignity of a brave man, incapable of hurting -those weaker than himself. Doña Sol showed a certain disbelief in his -asseverations. - -"One day you will have to beat me.... I should like to know what it is" -... she said resolutely.... - -But her expression darkened, she frowned, and a steely gleam lit up the -golden light in her eyes. - -"No, my brute, pay no attention to me, and do not attempt it. You would -be the loser." - -The advice was just, and Gallardo had cause to remember it. One day, in -a moment of intimacy, a somewhat rough caress from his fighting hand was -enough to rouse this woman's fury, who was attracted by the man, and yet -hated him at the same time. - -"Take that." And with a fist as hard as a club she gave him a blow on -the jaw from below upwards with a precision, which seemed inspired by a -knowledge of the rules of boxing. - -Gallardo remained bewildered by pain and shame, while the lady, as if -she suddenly realized her unprovoked aggression, endeavoured to justify -herself with cold hostility. - -"It is to teach you better. I know what you toreros are. If I were to -let myself be trampled on once, for ever after you would shake me like a -gipsy of Triana. I am glad I did it. You must keep your distance." - -One evening in early spring, they were returning from a trial of calves -at one of the farms belonging to the Marquis, who with some other -friends was riding home along the road. - -Doña Sol, followed by the espada, turned her horse into the fields, -delighting in the soft sward under their hoofs, which at this season was -carpeted with spring flowers. - -The setting sun dyed everything with crimson, lengthening indefinitely -the shadows of the riders with their long lances over their shoulders, -and the broad river half hidden among the vegetation rolled along one -side of the meadows. - -Doña Sol looked at Gallardo with imperious eyes. - -"Put your arm round my waist." - -The espada obeyed, and so they rode on, their horses close together, the -woman watching their shadows thrown as one by the setting sun on the -grass. - -"It seems as though we were living in another world," she murmured,--"a -legendary world, something like one sees on the tapestries, the loving -knight and the amazon travelling together, their lances on their -shoulders in search of adventures and dangers. But you do not understand -all this--dunce of my heart. Answer truly, you do not understand me?" - -The torero smiled, showing his beautiful strong teeth of luminous -whiteness. She, as if attracted by his rough ignorance, drew closer to -him, laying her head on his shoulder, shivering as she felt his breath -on the back of her neck. - -They rode on in silence. Doña Sol seemed to have fallen asleep on the -torero's shoulder. Suddenly her eyes opened, flashing with that strange -light which was always the precursor of the most extraordinary -questions. - -"Say! Have you never killed a man?" - -Gallardo started, and in his astonishment disengaged himself from Doña -Sol. Who! He?... Never. He had been a good fellow who had followed his -profession without doing harm to anyone. He had scarcely even fought -with his companions at the "capeas," when they held on to the peace -because they were the strongest. He had exchanged a few blows with -others of his profession, or fought a round in a café, but the life of a -man inspired him with deep respect. Bulls were another affair. - -"So that you have never felt the slightest wish to kill a man?... And I -who thought that toreros...." - -The sun had set, and the landscape, which before had seemed so -brilliant, now looked dull and grey; even the river had disappeared, and -Doña Sol spurred on her horse without saying another word, or even -appearing to notice if the espada were following her. - -Before the Holy Week holidays Gallardo's family returned to Seville. The -espada was to fight at the Easter corrida. It was the first time he -would kill in Doña Sol's presence since he had come to know her, and it -made him doubtful of his powers. - -Besides, he never could fight in Seville without a certain disquietude. -He could accept an unlucky mischance in any other Plaza in Spain, -thinking he would probably not return there for some time. But in his -own native town, where his greatest enemies lived!... - -"We must see you distinguish yourself," said Don José. "Think of those -who will be watching you. I expect you to remain the first man in the -world." - -On the Saturday of "Gloria,"[88] during the small hours of the night, -the enclosing of the cattle for the following day's corrida was to take -place, and Doña Sol wished to assist as picqeur at the operation, which -presented the further delight of taking place in the dark. The bulls had -to be brought from the pastures of Tablada to the enclosures at the -Plaza. - -In spite of Gallardo's wish to accompany Doña Sol he was unable to do -so; his manager opposed it, alleging the necessity of his keeping -himself fresh and vigorous for the following afternoon. At midnight the -road leading from the pastures to the Plaza was as lively as a fair. In -the country villas the windows were lighted up, and shadows passed -before them, dancing to the sound of pianos. In the little inns, whose -open doors threw broad streaks of light across the road, the tinkling of -guitars, the clinking of glasses, and shouts and laughter let it be -known that wine was circulating freely. - -About one in the morning a rider passed along the road at a slow trot. -He was "el aviso,"[89] a rough shepherd, who stopped before the taverns -and gay country houses, warning them that the herd would pass in less -than a quarter of an hour, so that lights might be extinguished and -everything be quiet. - -This order, given in the name of the national sport, was obeyed with far -more alacrity than any one given by the authorities. The houses remained -in darkness, the whiteness of their walls confounded with the shadowy -mass of trees. The invisible people, assembled behind the barred and -spiked window gratings, were silent in the expectation of something -extraordinary. In the walks alongside the river the gas lamps were -extinguished one by one as the shepherd advanced shouting the coming of -the herd. - -Everything was absolutely silent. Above the trees the stars were -shining, and below on the ground only the slightest rustle; the faintest -murmur betrayed in the darkness the presence of crowds of people. The -wait seemed very long, till at last in the far distance, the faint sound -of deep bells was heard. "They are coming! They will soon be here!"... - -The clangour of the bells became louder and at last deafening, -accompanied by a confused galloping which shook the ground. First of all -passed several riders, with lances over their shoulders, who appeared -gigantic in the darkness, their horses at full stretch. These were the -shepherds. Then came a group of amateur garrochists, among whom galloped -Doña Sol, delighted at this mad ride through the darkness, in which the -single false step of a horse, or a fall, meant certain death from -trampling beneath the hard hoofs of the fierce herd rushing blindly on -behind in their furious career. - -The herd bells rang wildly; the open mouths of the spectators, hidden by -the darkness, swallowed large gulps of dust, and the furious mob of -cattle rushed by like a nightmare of shapeless monsters of the night, -heavy but at the same time agile, giving horrible snorts, goring at the -shadows with their horns, terrified and irritated by the shouts of the -young shepherds following on foot, and by the galloping of the riders -closing the cavalcade who drove them on with their pikes. - -The transit of this ponderous and noisy troupe only lasted an instant. -There was nothing more to be seen ... and the populace, satisfied by -this fleeting spectacle, came out of their hiding places, and many of -the enthusiasts ran after the herd, hoping to see their entrance into -the enclosures. - -When they arrived near the Plaza the foremost riders drew on one side, -making way for the animals, who, from the impetus of their rush, and -their habit of following the "cabestros," engaged themselves in "la -manga,"[90] a narrow lane formed of palisades leading to the Plaza. - -The amateur garrochists congratulated themselves on the good management -of the enclosing. The herd had been well rounded up without a single -bull being able to stray, or giving work to picqeurs or peons. They were -all well-bred animals, the best from the Marquis' breeding farms, and a -good day might confidently be expected on the morrow. In this hope the -riders and peons soon dispersed. An hour afterwards the surroundings of -the Plaza were completely deserted, and the fierce brutes, safe in their -enclosures, lay down to enjoy their last sleep. - -On the following morning Juan Gallardo rose early. He had slept badly, -with an anxiety that peopled his dreams with nightmares. - -Why did they make him fight in Seville? In other towns he forgot his -family for the moment; he lived as a bachelor in a room in an hotel -completely strange to him, that contained nothing dear to him, and that -reminded him of nothing. But here--to put on his fighting costume in his -own bedroom, where everything about on the table reminded him of Carmen, -to go out and face the danger from the house that he himself had built, -and which contained all that was dearest to him in life, disconcerted -him, and awoke in him as much trepidation as if he were going to kill -his first bull. Besides, he was afraid of his fellow-townsmen, with whom -he had to live, and whose opinion was more important to him than that of -all the rest of Spain. Ay! and that terrible moment of leaving, after -Garabato had put on his gala dress, and he descended into the silent -courtyard. - -The little children came to look at him, frightened by his brilliant -clothes, touching him admiringly, but not daring to speak. His -mustachioed sister kissed him with a look of terror, as if he were being -taken off to die. His mother hid herself in the darkest room. No, she -did not wish to see him; she felt ill. Carmen, deathly pale, was a -little braver, biting her lips white with emotion, blinking her eyes -nervously to keep back the tears, but when she saw him in the courtyard -she immediately raised her handkerchief to her eyes, her whole frame -shaking with the sobs she tried to suppress, and her sister-in-law and -other women had to support her lest she should fall to the ground. - -It was enough to make a coward of even the real Roger de Flor! - -"Curse it all! Come along, man," said Gallardo. "I would not fight in -Seville for all the gold in the world, were it not to give pleasure to -my fellow-townsmen, and to prevent evil speakers from saying I am afraid -of the public in my own town." - -After rising, the espada had wandered about the house, a cigarette in -his mouth, stretching himself to see if his muscular arms still retained -their suppleness. He went into the kitchen and drank a glass of Cazalla, -where his mother, active in spite of years and stoutness, was -superintending the servants, and looking after the proper ordering of -the house. - -Gallardo went out into the patio, so fresh and bright, the birds were -singing gaily in their gilded cages, a flood of sunshine swept over the -marble pavement, and on to the fountain surrounded by plants where the -gold fish swam in the basin. - -The espada saw kneeling on the ground a woman's figure in black, with a -pail by her side, washing the marble floor. She raised her head. - -"Good-day, Señor Juan," she said, with the affectionate familiarity that -all popular heroes inspire, and she fixed on him admiringly the glance -of her solitary eye. The other was lost in a multiplicity of deep -wrinkles which seemed to meet in the hollow black socket. - -The Señor Juan made no reply, but turned away nervously into the -kitchen, calling out to his mother: - -"Little mother, who is that one-eyed woman who is washing the patio?" - -"Who should she be, son? A poor woman with a large family. Our own -charwoman is ill, so I called her in." - -The torero was uneasy, and his look showed both anxiety and fear. Curse -it! Bulls in Seville, and the first person he met face to face was a -one-eyed woman! Certainly those things did not happen to any one else. -Nothing could be of worse augury. Did they want his death? - -The poor woman, shocked by his dismal prognostications and by his -vehement anger, tried to exculpate herself. How could she think of that? -The poor woman wanted to earn a peseta for her children. He must pick up -a good heart and thank God, who had so often remembered them and -delivered them from similar misery.... - -Gallardo was softened by her allusion to their former poverty, which -always made him very tolerant to the good woman. All right, let the -one-eyed one remain, and let what God willed happen. And crossing the -patio with his back turned to her so as not to see that terrible eye, -the matador took refuge in his office close to the vestibule. - -The white walls, panelled with Moorish tiles to the height of a man, -were hung with announcements of corridas printed on silks of different -colours and diplomas of charitable societies with pompous titles, -recording corridas in which Gallardo had fought gratuitously for the -benefit of the poor. Innumerable portraits of himself, on foot, seated, -spreading his cape, squaring himself to kill, testified to the care with -which the papers reproduced the gestures and divers positions of the -great man. Above the doorway was a portrait of Carmen in a white -mantilla, which made her eyes appear darker than ever, with a bunch of -carnations fastened in her black hair. On the opposite wall, above the -arm-chair by the writing bureau, was the enormous head of a black bull, -with glassy eyes, highly varnished nostrils, a spot of white hair on the -forehead, and enormous horns tapering to the finest point, white as -ivory at the base and gradually darkening to inky blackness at the tips. -Potaje, the picador, always broke out into poetic rhapsodies as he -looked at those enormous wide-spreading horns, saying that a blackbird -might sing on the point of one horn, without being heard from the point -of the other. - -Gallardo sat down by the beautiful table covered with bronzes, where -nothing seemed out of place save the thick coating of several days' -dust. On the writing bureau, which was of immense size, the ink bottles -ornamented by two metal horses, were clean and empty; the handsome pen -tray, supported by dogs' heads, was also empty, the great man had no -occasion to write, for Don José, his manager, brought him all contracts -and other professional papers to the club in the Calle de las Sierpes, -where on a small table the espada slowly and laboriously affixed his -signature. - -On one side of the room stood the library, a handsome bookcase of carved -oak, through the never-opened glass doors of which could be seen -imposing rows of volumes remarkable for their size and the brilliance of -their bindings. - -When Don José began to call Gallardo "the torero of the aristocracy," -the latter felt he must live up to this distinction, educating himself -so that his rich friends should not laugh at his ignorance, as had -happened to sundry of his comrades. So one day he entered a book shop -with a determined air. - -"Send me three thousand pesetas' worth of books." - -When the librarian looked slightly bewildered, as if he did not -understand, the torero proceeded energetically. - -"Books. Don't you understand me? The biggest books, and if you have no -objection, I should like them gilt." - -Gallardo was quite pleased with the look of his library. When anything -was spoken of at the club which he did not understand, he smiled -knowingly, and said to himself: - -"That must be in one of the books I have in the study." - -One rainy afternoon when he felt rather poorly, after wandering -listlessly about the house, not knowing what to do, he had opened the -bookcase and taken out a book, the largest of all. But after a few lines -he gave up the reading, and turned over the pages, looking at the prints -like a child who wants to amuse itself. Lions, elephants, wild horses -with flowing manes and fiery eyes, donkeys striped in colours, regular -as if done by rule.... The torero turned them all over carelessly, till -his eyes fell on the painted rings of a snake. Ugh! The beast! The nasty -beast! And he closed convulsively the two middle fingers of his hand, -throwing out the index and little finger like horns, to exorcise the -evil eye. He went on a little, but all the prints represented horrible -reptiles, till at last with shaking hands he shut the book and returned -it to the bookcase, murmuring: "Lizard, lizard," to dispel the -impression of this evil encounter, and the key of the bookcase remained -thenceforward in a drawer of the bureau, covered with old papers. - -That morning, the time he spent in his study only served to increase his -anxieties and trepidation. Scarcely knowing why, he had been -considering the bull's head, and the most painful episode of his -professional life had vividly recurred to his memory. What a sweating -that brute had given him in the circus at Zaragoza! The bull was as -intelligent as a man; motionless, and with eyes of diabolical -maliciousness, he waited for the matador to approach him, when, not -deceived by the red cloth, he struck underneath it directly at the man's -body. The rapiers were sent flying through the air by his charges -without ever succeeding in wounding him. The populace became impatient, -whistling at and insulting the torero. The latter came behind the bull, -following his every movement from one side of the Plaza to the other, -knowing full well that if he stood straight and square before the animal -to kill, that he himself would be the one to die; until at last, -perspiring and fatigued, he took advantage of an opportunity to finish -him by a treacherous[91] side blow, to the great scandal of the mob, who -pelted him with bottles and oranges; a remembrance which made him hot -with shame, and which, returning unluckily at this time, seemed to him -of quite as evil augury as meeting the one-eyed woman, and seeing the -snake. - -He breakfasted alone and ate little as was his habit on the days of a -corrida, and by the time he went up to dress the women had disappeared. -Ay! how they hated that brilliant costume, kept so carefully wrapped up -in linen. Splendid tools which had built up the luxury of the family! - -The farewells were, as usual, disconcerting and troubling for Gallardo. -The flight of the women not to see him come down, Carmen's attempts at -fortitude, accompanying him as far as the door, the wondering curiosity -of the little nephews, everything irritated the torero, grown arrogant -and hectoring as he saw the danger approaching. - -"One would think I was being taken to the gibbet! Good-bye for the -present. Calm yourselves. Nothing will happen." - -And he got into the carriage, making way for himself through the friends -and neighbours assembled in front of the house to wish "Señor Juan" good -luck. - -The afternoons when the espada fought in Seville were the most agonizing -for the family. When he fought away from home they were obliged to -resign themselves patiently to wait for the evening telegram. Here, the -danger being close at hand, a desperate anxiety for news awoke, and the -necessity of hearing every few minutes how the corrida was going on. - -The saddler, dressed as a gentleman, in a suit of light flannel and a -silky white felt hat, offered to let the women know what was happening. -After every bull that Juan killed he would send some urchin with news. -All the same he was furious at the incivility of his illustrious -brother-in-law, who had not even offered him a seat in the carriage with -the cuadrilla to drive to the Plaza! - -Gallardo knew the soil he was treading: it was familiar to him and was -in a sense his own. The sand of the different Plazas exercised an -influence on his superstitious temperament. He recalled the large Plazas -of Valencia and Barcelona, with their white sand, the dark sand of the -northern Plazas, and the red sand of the huge circus in Madrid. But the -sand in Seville was different from any other; drawn from the -Guadalquivir it was a bright yellow, like pulverized ochre. The -architecture of the buildings, too, had a certain influence over him, -some built in Roman style, others again Moorish, but the Plaza of -Seville was like a cathedral full of memories. There the glorious -inventors of different strokes had brought their art to perfection; the -school of Ronda with its steady and dignified fighting, and the school -of Seville with its light play and mobility which caught the public -fancy; and it was there that he, too, this afternoon would be -intoxicated by the applause, by the sun, by the roar of the crowd, -possibly by the sight of a blue bodice and a white mantilla leaning over -the edge of a box, and he felt capable of the most reckless hardihood. - -Anxious to outshine his companions, and monopolize all the applause, -Gallardo seemed to fill the circus with his agility and boldness. Never -had he been in such form. Don José, after each one of his splendid -strokes, stood up shouting, challenging invisible enemies hidden among -the benches. "Who dares to say anything against him! The first man in -the world!" - -At Gallardo's order, El Nacional, by clever cloak-play brought his -master's second bull in front of the box, where the blue bodice with the -white mantilla was seated. It was Doña Sol, accompanied by the Marquis -and his two daughters. - -Followed by the eyes of the audience Gallardo approached the barrier -holding his rapier and the muleta in one hand. When he arrived opposite -the box he stopped, took off his montera, and offered the bull as homage -to the Marquis' niece. Many people smiled maliciously. "Olé! the lad has -good luck." He gave a half turn, threw his montera behind him when he -had ended the "Brindis," and waited for the bull which the peons were -bringing up to him by dexterous cloak-play. - -Keeping the animal in a very limited space, he prevented it moving away -from that spot, and successfully accomplished his task. He wanted to -kill under Doña Sol's eyes, so that she should see him close at the -moment when he defied danger. Every pass from his muleta drew forth -exclamations of enthusiasm and cries of anxiety. The horn seemed to -graze his chest; it seemed impossible that blood should not flow after -the bull's attacks. Suddenly he squared himself, the rapier well in line -forward, and before the public could give its advice, by shouts or -counsels, he had thrown himself swiftly on the bull and for a few -instants man and bull looked as one body. - -When the man disengaged himself, the bull rushed forward with uncertain -step bellowing, its tongue hanging from its mouth, and the red pommel of -the rapier scarcely visible on the crest of its bloody neck. After a few -steps it fell, the spectators rose to their feet as one man and a hail -of applause and furious shouting burst from all parts of the -amphitheatre. There was no one in the world as brave as Gallardo! Had -that man ever felt fear? - -The espada saluted before the box, opening his arms with the rapier and -muleta in either hand, while the white-gloved hands of Doña Sol clapped -feverish applause. - -Then something small was passed down from spectator to spectator, from -the box down to the barrier. It was the lady's handkerchief, the one -which she had held in her hand, a small scented square of lawn and lace, -passed through a diamond ring, which she presented to the torero in -acknowledgment of his "brindis." - -The applause broke out afresh on seeing this recognition, and the -attention of the public, hitherto fixed on the matador, was now turned -on Doña Sol, many turning their backs on the circus to look at her, and -extolling her beauty with the familiarity of Andalusian gallantry. Then -a small hairy and still warm triangle was passed up from hand to hand -to the box. It was the bull's ear, sent by the matador in witness of his -"brindis." - -Before the fiesta was ended the news of Gallardo's great triumph had -spread all over the town, and when the espada returned to his house half -the neighbourhood had assembled to applaud him, as though they had all -been at the corrida. - -The saddler, forgetting his annoyance with the espada, admired him even -more for his friendly relations with the nobility than for his exploits -in the bull-ring. He had his eyes fixed on a certain appointment, and he -made very little doubt about getting it, seeing his brother-in-law's -intimacy with the best people in Seville. - -"Show them the ring. My goodness, Encarnacion, what a present! It is -worthy of Roger de Flor!" - -The ring passed from hand to hand, with cries of admiration from the -women. Carmen only pursed up her lips on seeing it. "Yes, it is very -pretty," and she passed it on hurriedly to her brother-in-law, as if it -burnt her fingers. - -After this corrida, the travelling season began. Gallardo had more -engagements than in any previous year. After the corridas in Madrid, he -was to fight in every Plaza in Spain. His manager was nearly distracted -over the railway time tables, making endless calculations for the future -guidance of his matador. - -Gallardo went from triumph to triumph. Never had he been in such good -form! He seemed to have gained fresh strength. Before the corridas, -cruel doubts overwhelmed him, tremors nearly akin to fear, such as he -had never known in his early days, when he was only beginning to make -his name; but as soon as he found himself in the arena, these fears -vanished and an almost savage bravery possessed him, which was always -accompanied by fresh laurels. - -When his work was over in some provincial town, and he returned to the -hotel with his cuadrilla, for they all lived together, he would sit down -perspiring, wearied with the pleasant fatigue of triumph, and before he -could change his gala dress, all the wiseacres in the locality would -come to congratulate him. He had been "colossal." He was the first -torero in the world! That estocada of the fourth bull!... - -"Yes, indeed," said Gallardo, with almost childish pride. "Really I was -not bad in that." - -With the interminable verbosity of all conversations about bulls, the -time passed without either the espada or his friends wearying of talking -about the afternoon's corridas, or about those of previous years. Night -fell, the lights were lit, but still the aficionados did not go. The -cuadrilla, according to bull-fighting discipline, listened silently to -all this babel of talk at the further end of the room. As long as the -master had not given his permission, his "lads" could neither undress -nor sup. The picadors, fatigued by the iron armour on their legs and the -terrible bruises resulting from their falls from horseback, held their -coarse beaver hats between their knees: the banderilleros, their -skintight silk garments, wet with perspiration, were all hungry after -their afternoon's violent exercise; all were thinking the same thing and -casting furious looks at these enthusiasts. - -"When on earth will those tiresome idiots leave? Curse their hearts!" - -At last the matador noticed them. "You may go," he said. And the -cuadrilla escaped, pushing each other like school boys let loose, while -the maestro continued listening to the praises of the connoisseurs, and -Garabato waited silently to undress him. - -On his days of rest, the maestro, free from the excitements of danger -and glory, turned his thoughts towards Seville. Now and then one of -those short little perfumed notes came for him, congratulating him on -his triumphs. Ay! If only Doña Sol were with him! - -There were moments in which he felt compelled to confide his sadness to -El Nacional with that irresistible impulse of confession which all feel -who carry a heavy weight in their hearts. - -Besides, now he was away from Seville, he felt a greater affection for -the banderillero, a kind of reflected tenderness. Sebastian knew of his -loves with Doña Sol; he had seen her, though from afar, and she had -often laughed when Gallardo told her of the picador's originalities. - -Sebastian received his master's confidences with severe looks. - -"What you have got to do, Juan, is to forget this lady. Family peace is -worth more than anything to us who knock about the world, constantly -exposed to danger and liable to be brought home any day feet foremost. -See! Carmen knows a great deal more than you think. She is perfectly -acquainted with everything, and she has even questioned me indirectly as -to your relations with the Marquis' niece. Poor little thing! It is a -shame to make her suffer!... She has a temper, and if you arouse it, it -may give you some trouble." - -But Gallardo, away from his family, and with his thoughts dominated by -the remembrance of Doña Sol, did not seem to understand the dangers of -which El Nacional spoke, and shrugged his shoulders at these sentimental -scruples. He felt the need of speaking of his remembrances, of making -his friend the confidant of his past happiness. - -"You do not know what that woman is! You are an unlucky man, Sebastian, -who does not know what is good. Take all the beautiful women in Seville -together--they are as nothing. See all those we meet on our -travels--neither are they anything. There is only one--Doña Sol, and -when you know a woman like that, you do not want to know any others. If -you only knew her as I do, gacho! Women of our class reek of health and -clean linen, but this one!... Sebastian, this one!... Picture to -yourself all the roses in the gardens of the Alcazar--No, something -better still--jasmine, honeysuckle, all the bewildering perfumes of the -gardens of Paradise, and those sweet scents seem to belong to her, not -as if she put them on, but as if they were flowering in her veins. -Besides, she is not one of those who once seen are always the same. With -her there is always something still to desire, something to hope for, -something which is never attained. I cannot, Sebastian, express myself -better.... But you do not know what a great lady is; so don't preach any -more, and shut your beak." - -Gallardo no longer received any letters from Seville. Doña Sol was -abroad. He saw her once when he was fighting in San Sebastian. The -beautiful woman was staying in Biarritz and she came over with some -French ladies who wished to know the torero. After that he heard very -little of her; only from the few letters he got, and from the news his -manager collected from the Marquis de Moraima. - -She was at the seaside, then he heard she had gone to England, then to -Germany, and Gallardo despaired of ever seeing her again. - -This possibility saddened the torero, and revealed the ascendancy this -woman had gained both over himself and his will. Never to see her again! -Why then should he expose his life and become famous? Of what use was -the applause of the populace? - -His manager reassured him. She would return: he was quite certain. Even -if it were only for a year, for Doña Sol, with all her mad caprices, was -a very practical woman, and knew how to look after what belonged to her. -She needed her uncle's assistance to disentangle the most involved -affairs, both of her own and her late husband's fortune, produced by -their long and expensive stay abroad. - -The espada returned to Seville towards the end of the summer. He had -still a good many corridas for the autumn, but he wanted to take -advantage of a month's rest, during the absence of his family at the -Baths of San Lucar. - -Gallardo shivered with emotion when one day his manager announced the -unexpected return of Doña Sol. - -He went to see her at once, but after the first few words felt -intimidated by her cold amiability and the expression of her eyes. - -She looked at him as if he were different. In her glance a certain -surprise at his rough exterior, at the difference between herself and -this man, the matador of bulls, could be guessed. - -He also felt this gulf which seemed opening between them. He looked at -her as though she were another woman; a great lady of a different race -and country. - -They talked quietly. She seemed to have forgotten the past, and Gallardo -did not dare to remind her of it, nor to make the slightest advance, -fearing one of her outbursts of anger. - -"Seville!" said Doña Sol. "It is very beautiful ... very pleasant. But -there is more in the world! I warn you. Gallardo, that some day I shall -take flight for ever. I guess that I shall be bored to death. My Seville -seems quite changed." - -She no longer "tutoyed" him, and it was many days before the torero -dared during his visits to make the slightest allusion to the past. He -confined himself to gazing at her in silence, with his moist and adoring -Moorish eyes. - -"I am bored. Some day I shall go away," she exclaimed at all these -interviews. - -Other times the imposing servant would receive the torero at the wicket -and tell him the Señora was out, when he knew quite certainly that she -was at home. - -Gallardo told her one evening of a short excursion he was obliged to -make to his farm of La Rinconada. He wanted to see some olive yards his -manager had bought for him during his absence, and added to the -property. He wanted also to look after the general work. - -The idea of accompanying the espada on this expedition delighted Doña -Sol. To go to that grange where Gallardo's family spent the greater part -of the year! To enter with the startling scandal of irregularity and sin -into the quiet atmosphere of that country house, where the poor fellow -lived with his belongings!... - -The absurdity of the wish decided her. She also would go. The idea of -seeing La Rinconada interested her. - -Gallardo felt afraid. He thought of all the farm people, of the gossips -who would probably tell his family of this trip, but Doña Sol's glance -beat down all his scruples. Who could tell? ... possibly this trip might -bring on a return of their former intimacy. - -All the same he wished to oppose one obstacle to this wish. - -"How about El Plumitas?... According to what I hear, he is wandering -round La Rinconada." - -"Ah! El Plumitas!" Doña Sol's face, darkened by boredom, seemed to light -up with an inward flame. - -"How curious! I should be so delighted if you could present him to me." - -Gallardo arranged the journey. He had thought of going alone, but Doña -Sol's company obliged him to seek an escort, fearing some evil encounter -on the road. - -He looked up Potaje, the picador. He was extremely rough, fearing -nothing in the world but his gipsy wife, who when she was tired of being -beaten would turn and bite him. There would be no need to give him any -explanations, only wine in abundance. Alcohol and his atrocious falls in -the arena seemed to keep him in a perpetual muddle, as if his head were -buzzing, and only permitted his few slow words and a cloudy vision of -everything. - -He ordered also El Nacional to accompany them, he would be one more, and -was of tried discretion. - -The banderillero obeyed from subordination, but he grumbled when he knew -Doña Sol was going with them. - -"By the life of the blue dove! To think of the father of a family mixing -himself up in such ugly doings!... What will Carmen and the Señora -Angustias say of me when they come to hear of it?" - -But when he found himself in the open country, seated by the side of -Potaje, in front of the espada and the great lady, his annoyance -gradually vanished. - -He could not see her well, wrapped up as she was in a large blue veil -which covered her travelling cap, and falling over her yellow silk coat; -but she was very beautiful.... And to hear them talk! What things she -knew! - -Before the journey was half over, El Nacional, in spite of his -twenty-five years of conjugal fidelity, forgave his master's weakness, -and quite understood his infatuation. - -If ever he found himself in a like situation he would do exactly the -same! - -Education!... It was a great thing, capable of infusing respectability -even into the most heinous sins. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[85] Diminutive of José. - -[86] Little wolf. - -[87] Branding of young bulls on the thighs with a hot iron. An operation -which is not conducted without some commotion. - -[88] Holy Saturday, so called from a religious ceremony in the Cathedral -during which the "Gloria" is sung. - -[89] The warner. - -[90] The sleeve. - -[91] This is looked upon as "hitting below the belt." - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -"Let him tell you who he is, or let him go to the devil. Cursed bad -luck.... Can't you let a fellow sleep?" - -El Nacional received this answer through his master's bedroom door, and -passed it on to a farm servant who was waiting on the stairs. - -"Tell him to say who he is; otherwise the master won't get up." - -It was eight o'clock, and the banderillero went to a window to watch the -farm servant, who ran down the road in front of the grange, till he came -to the end of the distant fence which bounded the property. Close to the -entrance through this fence, he saw a rider, who appeared very small in -the distance, both man and horse looking as if they had come out of a -toy box. - -A short time afterwards the labourer returned, having talked with the -rider. - -El Nacional, who seemed interested by these comings and goings, waited -for him at the foot of the staircase. - -"He says he must see the master," mumbled the shepherd, stammering. "He -seems to me up to no good. He says the master must come down at once, as -he has something important to tell him." - -The banderillero returned to knock at his master's door, paying no -attention to his grumbling. He ought to get up, it was a late hour for -the country, and the man might bring some important message. - -"I'm coming," said Gallardo ill-humouredly, without however moving from -his bed. - -El Nacional went again to the window, and saw the rider coming up the -road towards the house. - -The shepherd was going to meet him with the reply. The poor man seemed -uneasy, and in his two dialogues with the banderillero, had stuttered -with an expression of fright and doubt, but had not dared to disclose -his thoughts. - -After rejoining the rider, he listened to him for a few minutes and then -retraced his steps, running towards the farm, but this time very -quickly. - -El Nacional heard him running up the stairs no less quickly, coming up -to him pale and trembling. - -"It is El Plumitas, Seño Sebastian. He says he is Plumitas and that he -must see the master.... My heart beat directly I saw him." - -"El Plumitas!" The shepherd's voice, in spite of being shaking and -breathless, seemed to penetrate throughout the whole house as he -pronounced that name. The banderillero stood dumb with surprise, and -from the espada's room came a volley of oaths, the rustle of clothes, -and the sound of some one throwing himself roughly out of bed. From the -room occupied by Doña Sol other sounds also came which seemed in answer -to this astounding news. - -"Curse him! What does the man want? Why has he come to La Rincona? -especially just now!"... - -Gallardo came quickly out of his room, having only drawn his trousers -and jacket over his night clothes. He ran on before the banderillero, -with the blind impulsiveness of his character, throwing himself in hot -haste down the stairs followed by El Nacional. - -At the entrance of the farm the rider was dismounting. A shepherd held -the horse's reins, and the other labourers gathered in a group at a -short distance, watching the new comer with curiosity and respect. - -The new comer was a man of medium stature, rather short than tall, -plump faced, fair, with short strong limbs. He was dressed in a grey -jacket trimmed with black braid, dark-striped breeches with a large -piece of leather inside the knee, and leather gaiters wrinkled and -cracked by the sun and the rain. Underneath his jacket, his waist seemed -swelled out by the folds of a large silk waist sash, and a cartridge -box, to which were added the thickness of a revolver, and a large knife -passed through his belt. In his right hand he carried a repeating -carbine. His head was covered by a sombrero which had once been white, -but which was now stained and ragged by the inclemency of the weather. A -red handkerchief knotted round his throat was the most showy part of his -dress. - -His broad chubby face had the placidity of a full moon. On his cheeks, -whose whiteness showed through the coat of sunburn, sprouted a red -beard, unshaven for several days. The eyes were the only disquieting -things in this good-humoured face, which looked as if it must belong to -a village sacristan; they were small triangular eyes, sunk in rolls of -fat; little pig eyes, with a malignant dark blue pupil. - -As Gallardo appeared at the door, the man recognized him at once, -raising his sombrero from his round head. - -"God give us a good day, Seño Juan ..." he said with the grave courtesy -of an Andalusian peasant. - -"Good day." - -"Are your family quite well, Seño Juan?" - -"Quite well, thanks. And yours?" enquired the espada automatically from -habit. - -"I believe they are quite well. But it is a long time since I have seen -them." - -The two men were standing close together, examining each other as -naturally as possible, as if they were two wayfarers who had met in the -country. The torero was pale, compressing his lips to hide his feelings. -Did the bandit think he was going to frighten him! Possibly at another -time this visit might have scared him, but now--having upstairs what he -had, he felt capable of fighting him just as if he had been a bull, -directly he declared his evil intentions. - -A few moments passed in silence. All the farm men (about a dozen), who -had not gone out to work in the fields, were looking with almost -childish wonder at this terrible personage, whose very name obsessed -them with its gloomy fame. - -"Can they take the mare round to the stable to rest a little?" enquired -the bandit. - -Gallardo signed to a man, who took the reins and walked away with her. - -"Take good care of her," said Plumitas. "Mia is the best thing I have in -the world and I love her more than wife or children." - -A fresh personage had joined the group, standing in the midst of the -amazed people. - -It was Potaje, the picador, who came out half dressed and stretching -himself, with all the rough strength of his athletic body. He rubbed his -eyes, always bloodshot and inflamed by drink, and approaching the bandit -let one huge hand fall on his shoulder with studied familiarity, as if -he enjoyed feeling him squirm under his grasp and wished at the same -time to express his rough sympathy. - -"How are you, Plumitas?"... - -He saw him for the first time. The bandit drew himself together as if he -intended to resent this rough and unceremonious caress, and his right -hand raised the rifle. However, fixing his little blue eyes on the -picador, he seemed to recognize him. - -"You are Potaje, if I am not mistaken. I saw you spear in Seville at -the last fair. Good Lord how you fell! How strong you are!... One would -think you were made of iron." - -And as if to return the salute, he seized the picador's arm with his -horny hand, feeling his biceps with admiration. The two stood looking at -each other, till the picador gave a deep laugh. - -"Jo! Jo! I thought you were much bigger, Plumitas. But that does not -matter; for in spite of it you are a fine fellow." - -The bandit turned to the espada. - -"Can I breakfast here?" - -Gallardo put on the look of a great nobleman. - -"No one who comes to La Rincona leaves it without breakfast." - -They all entered the farm kitchen, an immense room, with a large wide -open chimney, which was the general gathering place. - -The espada sat down in an arm-chair, and a girl, the overseer's -daughter, busied herself with putting on his boots, for in his hurry he -had run down in his slippers. - -El Nacional, wishing to give signs of his existence, and reassured by -the courteous manner of the visitor, appeared with a bottle of country -wine and some glasses. - -"I know you also," said the bandit, treating him as familiarly as the -picador. "I have seen you fix in banderillas. When you like you can do -well enough, but you must throw yourself on the bull better." - -Potaje and the maestro laughed at this advice. As he took up the glass, -Plumitas found himself embarrassed by his carbine, which he had placed -between his knees. - -"Put it down, man," said the picador. "Do you stick to your weapon when -you are paying a visit?" - -The bandit became suddenly serious. It was all right so, it was his -usual habit. The carbine kept him company everywhere, even when he -slept. This allusion to his weapon which seemed another limb of his -body, made him grave. He looked all round uneasily, and suspiciously, -with the habit of living constantly on the alert, trusting no one, -confiding in nothing but his own endeavours, and feeling danger -constantly all round him. - -A shepherd crossed the kitchen going towards the door. - -"Where is that man going to?" - -As he asked this he sat upright in his chair, drawing his loaded carbine -closer to his breast with his knees. - -He was going to a large field near where the rest of the labourers were -working. Plumitas seemed tranquillized. - -"Listen here, Seño Juan. I have come here for the pleasure of seeing you -and because I know you are a caballero, incapable of breathing a -word.... Besides, you will have heard of Plumitas. It is not easy to -catch him, and he who tries it will pay for it." - -The picador intervened before his master could speak. - -"Don't be a brute, Plumitas. You are here among comrades as long as you -behave well and decently." - -And at once the bandit seemed reassured, and began to speak of his mare, -praising her qualities, and the two men hobnobbed with the enthusiasm of -mountain riders who love a horse far better than a man. - -Gallardo, who still seemed anxious, walked about the kitchen, where some -of the farm women, swarthy and masculine, were preparing the breakfast, -looking sideways at the celebrated Plumitas. - -In one of his turns the espada came up to El Nacional. He must go to -Doña Sol's room, and ask her not to come down. The bandit would most -probably leave after breakfast, and why show herself to that -redoubtable personage? - -The banderillero disappeared, and Plumitas, seeing the maestro apart -from the others, went up to him, inquiring with great interest about the -remaining corridas of the year. - -"I am a Gallardista, you know. I have applauded you oftener than you -could imagine. I have seen you in Seville, in Jaen, in Cordoba ... in -ever so many places." - -Gallardo was astounded. How could he, who had a real army of soldiers -after him, go quietly to a corrida of bulls? Plumitas smiled with -superiority. - -"Bah! I go wherever I like. I am everywhere." - -Then he spoke of the occasions on which he had met the espada on the way -to the farm, sometimes accompanied, at other times alone, passing close -to him on the road, and taking no notice of him, thinking him probably -some poor shepherd riding to deliver a message at some hut close by. - -"When you came from Seville to buy those two mills down there, I met you -on the road. You had then five thousand duros on you. Had you not? Tell -the truth. You see I was well informed.... Another time I saw you in one -of those animals they call automobiles, with another gentleman from -Seville, your manager I believe. You were going to sign the papers for -the Oliver del Cura, and you had a much larger pot of money with you -that time." - -Little by little Gallardo recalled the exactitude of those facts, -looking with wonder at this man, who seemed to be informed about -everything. The bandit, in order to show his generosity to the torero on -those occasions, spoke of the ease with which he surmounted -difficulties. - -"You see, about those automobiles,--it is a trifle! I can stop one of -those 'bichos' with only this," showing his carbine. "Once in Cordoba I -had some accounts to settle with a rich gentleman who was my enemy. I -drew up my mare on one side of the road, and when that 'bicho' came -along in a cloud of dust and stinking of petroleum, I shouted 'Halt!' He -did not choose to stop, so I put a ball into one of his wheels. To cut -it short, the automobile stopped a little further on and I galloped up -and settled my accounts with the fellow. A man who can put a ball -wherever he chooses, can stop anything on the road." - -Gallardo felt more and more astonished as he heard Plumitas tell of his -exploits on the road, with quite professional simplicity. - -"I did not wish to stop you. You are not one of those rich men. You are -a poor man like myself, only you have better luck, more than enough in -your profession; if you have made money you have earned it well. I like -you because you are a fine matador, and I have a weakness for brave men. -The two of us are like comrades; we both live by exposing our lives. For -this reason, although you did not know me, I was there, seeing you pass -without even asking a cigarette from you, for fear that some rascal -should take advantage by going on the highway and saying he was -Plumitas; stranger things have happened...." - -An unexpected apparition cut short the bandit's speech, and the torero's -face changed to a look of extreme annoyance. "Curse it! Doña Sol! Had -not El Nacional given his message?"... The banderillero followed the -lady, making various signs from the kitchen door, which meant that all -his prayers and advice had been useless. - -Doña Sol came down in her travelling coat, her golden hair combed and -knotted hurriedly. El Plumitas in the farm: What joy! Part of the night -she had been thinking of him, proposing on the following morning to -ride about the solitudes around La Rinconada, in the hopes that good -luck would make her run against the interesting bandit. And as if her -thoughts exercised a far distant influence in attracting people, the -bandit had obeyed her wishes and had appeared early in the grange. - -El Plumitas! The name alone called up the full figure of the bandit -before her imagination. She scarcely needed to know him; she would -scarcely feel any surprise. She saw him tall, slim, of dark complexion, -a pointed hat placed over a red handkerchief, from under which appeared -curls of hair as black as jet. She saw an active man, dressed in black -velvet, his slim waist encircled by a purple silk sash, and his legs in -gaiters of a fine date colour--a veritable knight errant of the -Andalusian steppes. - -Her eyes, wide open with excitement, wandered over the kitchen, without -seeing either a pointed hat or a blunderbus. She saw an unknown man, -standing up, a kind of keeper with a carbine, just like any of those she -had so often seen on estates belonging to her family. - -"Good day, Señora Marquesa.... Your uncle, the Marquis, is he quite -well?" - -The looks of every one converging on that man, told her the truth. "Ay! -And that was Plumitas!"... - -He had taken off his hat with clumsy courtesy, abashed by the lady's -presence, and continued standing with his carbine in one hand, and the -old felt hat in the other. - -Gallardo was fairly astounded at the bandit's address. That man seemed -to know every one. He knew who Doña Sol was, and by an excess of -respect, extended to her the titles belonging to her family. - -The lady, recovering from her surprise, signed to him to sit down and -cover himself, but though he obeyed the first, he left the felt hat on a -chair close by. - -As if he guessed the question in Doña Sol's eyes, which were fixed on -him, he added: - -"The Señora Marquesa must not be surprised at my knowing her. I have -seen her very often with the Marquis and others going to the trial of -the calves. I have seen also from afar how the Señora attacked the young -bulls with her garrocha. The Señora is very brave and the handsomest -woman I have seen on God's earth. It is a pure delight to see her on -horseback. And men ought to fight for her heavenly blue eyes!" - -The bandit was drawn on quite naturally by his southern warmth to seek -fresh expressions of admiration for Doña Sol. - -She had grown paler, and her eyes were wide open with half pleased -terror; she began to find the bandit decidedly interesting. Had he come -to the farm only for her? Did he propose to carry her off to his hiding -places in the mountains?... - -The torero grew alarmed hearing these expressions of rough admiration. -Curse him! In his own house ... before his very face! If he went on like -this he would go up and fetch his gun, and even though Plumitas were the -other one, they would see which one would carry her off. - -The bandit seemed to understand the annoyance his words had caused, and -went on most respectfully. - -"Your pardon, Señora Marquesa. It is idle talk and nothing more. I have -a wife and four children, who weep for me more than the Virgin of -Sorrows. I am an unhappy man, who is what he is because bad luck has -pursued him." - -As if he were endeavouring to make himself agreeable to Doña Sol, he -broke out into praises of her family. The Marquis de Moraima was one of -the most honourable men in the world. - -"If only all rich men were like him. My father worked for him and often -spoke of his kindness. I spent one hot weather in the hut of one of his -shepherds. He knew it and never said a word. He has given orders on all -his farms to give me what I want and to leave me in peace.... These -things are never forgotten. There are so many rich rascals in the -world!... Very often I have met him alone, riding his horse like a young -man, as if years had stood still for him. 'Go with God, Seño Marque.' -'Your health, my lad.' He did not know me; and could not guess who I was -because my companion (touching his carbine) was hidden under my blanket. -And I should have wished to stop him to take his hand, not to shake -it--that no--how could so good a man shake hands with me, who have so -many deaths and mutilations on my soul, but to kiss it as if he were my -father, and to thank him for what he has done for me." - -The vehemence with which he spoke of his gratitude did not move Doña -Sol. And so that was the famous Plumitas!... A poor sort of man, a good -country rabbit whom every one looked on as a wolf, deceived by his fame. - -"There are very bad rich men," went on the bandit. "What some of them -make the poor suffer!... Near my village lives one who lends money on -usury and who is more perverse than Judas. I sent him a notice that he -should not cause trouble to the people, and he, the thief, gave -information to the civil guards to search for me. Result, that I burnt -his hay-rick, and did a few other little things, and he was more than a -year without ever daring to go into Seville for fear of meeting -Plumitas. Another man was going to evict a poor old woman from the house -in which her parents had lived, because she had not paid any rent for a -year. I went to see the gentleman one evening, when he was sitting at -table with his family. 'My master, I am El Plumitas, and I want a -hundred duros.' He gave them to me, and I took them to the old woman. -'Here, granny, take these--pay that Jew what you owe him, and keep the -rest for yourself, and may they bring you luck.'" - -Doña Sol looked at the bandit with more interest. - -"And dead men?" she enquired. "How many have you killed?" - -"Lady, we will not speak of that," said the bandit gravely. "You would -take a dislike to me, and after all I am only an unhappy man, whom they -are trying to trap, and who defends himself as best he can." - -There was a long silence. - -"You cannot imagine how I live, Señora Marquesa," he went on. "The wild -beasts are better off than I am. I sleep where I can, or not at all. I -rise on one side of the province and lie down to rest on the other. I -have to keep my eyes well open and a heavy hand, so that they may -respect me and not sell me. The poor are good, but poverty is a thing -that turns the best bad. If they had not been afraid of me they would -have betrayed me to the civil guards again and again. I have no true -friends but my mare and this (touching his carbine). Now and then I feel -the longing to see my wife and little ones, and I go by night into my -village. All the neighbours who see me shut their eyes. But some day -this will end badly.... There are times when I am weary of solitude and -feel I must see people. I have thought for a long time of coming to La -Rincona. 'Why should I not pay a visit to Seño Juan Gallardo, I who -admire him and who have so often clapped him?' But I have always seen -you with so many friends, or your wife and your mother and the children -who have been at the farm. I know what that means. They would have died -of fright at the very sight of Plumitas. But now it is different. When I -saw you come with the Señora Marquesa, I said to myself: 'Let us go and -salute these Señores and have a chat with them.'" - -And the cunning smile which accompanied these words at once established -a difference between the torero's family and that woman, giving them to -understand that Gallardo's relations with Doña Sol were no secret to -him. In the bottom of this rough peasant's heart was a deep respect for -legitimate marriage, and he thought himself free to take greater -liberties with the torero's aristocratic friend than with the poor women -who formed his family. - -Doña Sol took no notice, but she pressed the bandit with questions as to -how he had come to be what he was. - -"It was injustice, Señora Marquesa, one of those misfortunes which fall -upon us poor people. I was one of the sharpest in my village, and the -labourers always put me as spokesman when they had anything to ask from -the rich people. I can read and write, for I became sacristan when I was -quite a boy, and I gained my name of Plumitas from running after the -hens and plucking out their tail feathers for pens." - -A thump from Potaje interrupted him. - -"Comparé, I had already thought since I saw you that you were a church -rat, or something similar." - -El Nacional was silent, without daring to remark on these confidences, -but he smiled slightly. A sacristan turned into a bandit! What would Don -Joselito say when he told him this! - -"I married my wife and our first child was born. One night two civil -guards came to our house, and carried me out of the village, to the -threshing floors. Some one had fired some shots at the door of a rich -man, and those good gentlemen made up their minds it was I. I denied it -and they beat me with their carbines. I denied it again, and again they -beat me. To cut it short, till dawn they beat me all over the body, -sometimes with the ramrods, sometimes with the butt-ends, till they got -tired and I became unconscious. They had tied both my hands and my feet, -and beat me as if I were a bundle, saying: 'Are you not the bravest in -your village? Get up and defend yourself, let's see how far your fists -can reach.' It was their mockery I felt the most. My poor wife cured me -as best she could, but I could not rest, I could not live remembering -the blows and the mockery.... To cut it short again: one day one of -those civil guards was found dead on the threshing floor, and I, to save -myself annoyance, fled to the mountains ... and up to now...." - -"Gacho, you did well," said Potaje admiringly. "And the other one?" - -"I know not; I think he must still be alive. He fled from the village; -with all his valour he begged to be removed, but I have not forgotten -him. Some day I shall settle with him. Sometimes I am told he is at the -other end of Spain, and there I go. I would go if it were to hell -itself. I leave the mare and the carbine with some friend to keep for me -and I take the train like a gentleman. I have been in Barcelona, in -Valladolid, in many other places. I stand near the prison and watch the -civil guards who go in and out. 'This is not my man, neither is this -one.' My informants must have been mistaken, but it does not signify. I -have searched for him for years and some day I shall meet him--unless he -be dead, which would be a real pity." - -Doña Sol followed this story with great interest. What an original -figure was Plumitas! She had been mistaken in thinking him a rabbit. - -The bandit was silent. He frowned as though he was afraid of having said -too much, and wished to avoid further confidences. - -"With your permission," he said to the espada. "I will go to the stables -and see how they are treating the mare. Are you coming, comrade?... You -will see something good." - -Potaje accepting the invitation, they left the kitchen together. - -When the lady and the torero were left alone his ill humour broke out. -Why had she come down? It was imprudent to show herself to a man like -that: a bandit whose name was the terror of every one. - -But Doña Sol, delighted with the good luck of the meeting, laughed at -the espada's fears. The bandit seemed a good sort of fellow, an -unfortunate man whose evil deeds were exaggerated by the popular -imagination. - -"I had fancied him different, but in any case I am delighted to have -seen him. We will give him some alms when he goes. What an original -country this is! What types!... And how interesting his chase after that -civil guard all over Spain!... With this material one might write a most -delightful feuilleton." - -The farm women were taking the great frying-pans off the fire, which -spread the most excellent smell of pork sausages. - -"To breakfast, caballeros!" shouted El Nacional, who took upon himself -the functions of majordomo, when he was at the matador's farm. - -In the centre of the kitchen stood a large table spread with cloths, -round loaves and bottles of wine. Potaje and Plumitas arrived at the -summons, and various employés of the farm, the steward, the overseer, -and all those fulfilling the more confidential functions. They proceeded -to sit down on two benches placed alongside the table, while Gallardo -looked undecidedly at Doña Sol. She ought to breakfast upstairs in the -family's rooms. But the lady, laughing at this invitation, sat down at -the head of the table. She enjoyed this rustic life, and she thought it -very interesting to breakfast with these people. She had been born for a -soldier. With masculine free and easiness she made the espada sit down, -sniffing the delicious smell of the sausages with her pretty nose. What -a delicious meal. How hungry she was! - -"This is all right," said Plumitas sententiously, as he looked at the -table. "The masters and the servants eating together, as they are said -to have done in ancient times. But this is the first time I have seen -it." - -He sat down by the picador, still holding his carbine, which he placed -between his knees. - -"Get along further up, my lad," said he, pushing Potaje with his body. - -The picador, who treated him with rough comradeship, replied by another -push, and the two men laughed as they pushed each other, amusing the -whole table with their rough horseplay. - -"But curse you!" said the picador. "Put your gun away from between your -knees. Don't you see it is pointing at me, and an accident might -happen?" - -Certainly the bandit's carbine, standing between his legs, was pointing -its black muzzle towards the picador. - -"Put it down, man!" insisted the latter. "Do you want it to eat with?" - -"It is all right as it is. There is no fear," replied the bandit -shortly, frowning, as if he would not admit of any remark as to his -precautions. - -He seized a spoon, took a large piece of bread and looked round at the -others, to make sure, with his rural courtesy, if the proper time for -beginning had arrived. - -"Your health, Señores!" and without more ado he attacked the enormous -dish which had been placed in the middle of the table for him and the -toreros. Another equally large dish smoked further down for the farm -people. - -He soon seemed ashamed of his voracity, and after a few spoonsful -stopped, thinking an explanation necessary. - -"Since yesterday morning I have touched nothing but a scrap of bread and -a drop of milk which they gave me in a shepherd's hut. Good appetite, -gentlemen!"... - -And he again attacked the dish, acknowledging Potaje's jests as to his -voracity by winking and the continued working of his jaws. - -The picador wished to make him drink. Intimidated by his master's -presence, who was afraid of his drunkenness, he looked anxiously at the -flasks of wine placed within reach of his hand. - -"Drink, Plumitas. Dry food is bad; you must wet it." - -But before the brigand could accept his invitation, Potaje drank and -drank again hurriedly. Plumitas only now and then touched his glass, and -even then with great hesitation. He was afraid of wine, and also he had -lost the habit of drinking it. In the country he could not always get -it. Besides, wine was the worst enemy for a man like himself, who had to -live constantly wide awake and on guard. - -"But you are here among friends," said the picador. "Think, Plumitas, -that you are in Seville, beneath the very mantle of the Virgin de la -Macarena. No one would touch you here. And if by any unlucky chance the -civil guards did come, I should place myself by your side, seizing a -garrocha, and we would not leave one of the blackguards alive.... It -would take very little to make me a rider of the mountain! ... that has -always attracted me!" - -"Potaje!" ... roared the espada from the other end of the table, fearing -his loquacity and his propinquity to the bottles. - -Although the bandit drank little, his face was flushed and his blue eyes -sparkled with pleasure. He had chosen his seat opposite the kitchen -door, a place from which he enfiladed the entrance of the grange, seeing -also part of the lonely road. Now and again, a cow or a pig or a goat -would cross over the strip of road, their shadows projected by the sun -in front of them. This was quite enough to startle Plumitas, who would -drop his spoon and clutch his rifle. - -He talked with his neighbours at table without ever diverting his -attention from outside, with the habit of always living ready at any -time for resistance or flight, feeling it a point of honour never to be -surprised. - -When he had done eating, he accepted another glass from Potaje, the -last, and remained with his chin on his hand looking out silently and -sleepily. - -Gallardo offered him an Havana cigar. - -"Thanks, Seño Juan. I do not smoke, but I will keep it for a companion -of mine who is also out on the mountain, a poor fellow who appreciates a -smoke even more than food. He is a young fellow who had a misfortune, -and who now helps me when there is work for two." - -He put the cigar away under his jacket, and the remembrance of that -companion, who at that time was certainly wandering not very far off, -made him smile with ferocious glee. The wine had warmed Plumitas, and -his face had become quite different. His eyes had an alarming metallic -lustre, and his chubby face was contracted by a spasm which seemed to -alter his usual good-natured expression. One could guess also a desire -to talk, to boast of his exploits, to repay the hospitality received by -astonishing his benefactors. - -"Have any of you heard what I did last month on the road to Fregenal? Do -you really know nothing about it?... I placed myself on the road with my -companion, because we had to stop the diligence, and settle with a rich -man, who remembered me every hour of his life--an important man that, -accustomed to move alcaldes, officials and even civil guards at his -will--what they call in the papers a cacique.[92] I had sent him a -message asking for a hundred duros for an emergency, which made him -write to the Governor of Seville, and start a scandal even in Madrid, -making them persecute me more than ever. Thanks to him, I had a brush -with the civiles, in which I got wounded in the leg, and not content -with this, they put my wife in prison, as if the poor woman could know -her husband's doings. That Judas did not dare to leave his village for -fear of meeting Plumitas, but just at that time I disappeared. I went on -one of those journeys I told you about, and our man gained confidence -enough to go to Seville one day on business and to set the authorities -on me. So we waited for the return coach from Seville, and the coach -arrived. The companion, who is a very good hand for anything on the -road, cried 'Halt!' to the driver. I put my head and my carbine in -through the doorway. There were screams from the women, yells from the -children, and the men, who said nothing, were as white as wax. I said to -the travellers: 'I have nothing to do with you, calm yourselves, ladies; -your good health, gentlemen, and pleasant journey.... But make that fat -man get out.' And our man, who had hidden himself among the women's -petticoats, had to get out, as pale as death, looking bloodless, and -staggering as though he were drunk. The coach drove off, and we remained -alone in the middle of the road. 'Listen here, I am el Plumitas, and I -am going to give you something to remember me by.' And I gave it. But I -did not kill him at once. I gave it to him in a certain place I know, so -that he should live twenty-four hours, and that he should be able to -tell the civiles when they picked him up that it was Plumitas who had -killed him, so that there should be no mistake and no one else should -take the credit." - -Doña Sol listened, intensely pale, with her lips compressed by terror, -and in her eyes that strange light which always accompanied her -mysterious thoughts. - -Gallardo frowned, annoyed by this ferocious story. - -"Every one knows his own business, Seño Juan," Plumitas continued, as if -he guessed the matador's thoughts. "We both live by killing; you kill -bulls, I kill men. The only difference is that you are rich and carry -off the palm and the beautiful women, and I often rage with hunger, and -if I am careless I shall be riddled with shot, and left in the middle of -a field for the crows to pick. But all the same the business does not -please me, Seño Juan! You know exactly where you have to strike the bull -for him to fall to the ground at once. I also know exactly where to hit -a Christian so that he shall die at once, or that he should last a -little, or that he should spend weeks raging against Plumitas, who -wishes to interfere with no one, but who knows how to treat those who -interfere with him." - -Doña Sol again felt an intense desire to know the number of his crimes. - -"You will feel repugnance towards me, Señora Marquesa; but after all -what does it matter?... I do not think I can remember them all, -although I try to recall them. Possibly they might be thirty-three or -thirty-five. I really could not quite say. In this very restless life, -who thinks of keeping exact accounts? But I am an unhappy man, Señora -Marquesa, very unfortunate. The fault lay with those who first harmed -me. These dead men are like cherries, if you pull one, the others come -down by dozens. I have to kill in order to go on living, and if ever one -feels any pity one has to swallow it." - -There was a long silence. The lady looked at the bandit's coarse strong -hands, with their broken nails. But Plumitas took no notice of her, all -his attention was fixed on the espada, wishing to show his gratitude for -having been received at his table, and anxious to dispel the impression -that his words seemed to have caused. - -"I respect you, Seño Juan," he added. "Ever since I saw you fight for -the first time, I said to myself: 'That is a brave fellow.' There are -many aficionados who love you, but not as I do!... Just imagine, that to -see you I have often disguised myself, and have gone into the towns, -exposing myself to the risk of anyone laying hands on me. Isn't that -love of sport?" - -Gallardo smiled, nodding his head. He was flattered now in his artistic -pride. - -"Besides," continued the bandit, "no one can say that I ever came to La -Rincona even to ask for a bit of bread. Many a time I have been -starving, or have wanted five duros when I was passing by here, but -never till to-day have I passed through the fence of your farm. I have -always said, 'Seño Juan is sacred to me--he earns his money by risking -his life just as I do.' We are in a way comrades. Because you will not -deny, Seño Juan, that although you are a personage, and that I am of the -very worst, still we are equal, as we both live by playing with death. -Now we are breakfasting together quietly, but some day, if God looses -his hand from us and becomes tired of us, I shall be picked up from the -side of the road, shot like a dog, and you with all your money may be -carried out of the arena feet foremost, and though the papers may speak -of your misfortune for a month or so, it is cursed little gratitude you -will feel towards them when you are in another world." - -"It is true ... it is true ..." said Gallardo, suddenly paling at the -bandit's words. - -The superstitious terror that always seized upon him as the time of -danger approached was reflected in his face. His probable fate seemed to -him just the same as that of this terrible vagabond, who must one day -necessarily succumb in his unequal strife. - -"But do you believe that I think of death? No, I repent of nothing, and -I go on my way. I also have my pleasures and my little prides, just the -same as you, when you read in the papers that you did very well with a -certain bull and were given the ear. Just think that all Spain talks of -el Plumitas, that the papers tell the biggest lies about me, they even -say they are going to exhibit me at the theatres, and in that place in -Madrid, where the deputies meet, they talk daily of my capture. Over and -above this I have the pride of seeing a whole army tracking my -footsteps, to see myself, a man alone, driving thousands mad who are -paid by Government and wear a sword. The other day, a Sunday, I rode -into a village during Mass, and drew up my mare in the Plaza close to -some blind men who were singing and playing the guitar. The people were -lost in admiration before a cartoon carried by the singers, which -represented a fine looking man with whiskers, in a pointed hat, -splendidly dressed and riding a magnificent horse, with a gun across the -saddle bow, and a good looking girl en croupe behind. It was a long -time before I realised that that good looking fellow was Plumitas!... -That did please me. When one goes about ragged and half starving, it is -delightful that people should imagine you something quite different. I -bought the paper they were singing from. I have got it here, the -complete life of Plumitas with many lies, all in verse. But it is a fine -thing. When I lie on the hill-side I read it so as to learn it by heart. -It must have been written by some very clever man." - -The terrible Plumitas showed an almost childish pride in speaking of his -fame. The modest silence with which he had entered the farm had -vanished, that desire that they should forget his personality, and see -in him only a poor wayfarer pressed by hunger. He warmed at the thought -that his name was famous, and that his deeds received at once the -honours of publicity. - -"Who would have known me," he continued, "had I gone on living in my -village?... I have thought a great deal about that. For us of the lower -orders, nothing is open but to eat one's heart out working for others, -or to follow the only career which gives fame and money--killing. I -should be no good at killing bulls. My village is in the mountains where -there are no fierce cattle. Besides, I am heavy, and not very clever.... -So ... I kill people. It is the best thing a poor man can do to make -himself respected and open a way for himself." - -El Nacional, who up to now had been gravely listening to the bandit, -thought it necessary to intervene. - -"What a poor man wants is education--to know how to read and write." - -This was greeted with shouts of laughter by all who knew El Nacional's -mania. - -"Now you have given us your ideas, comrade," said Potaje, "let Plumitas -go on with his stories; what he is telling us is capital." - -The bandit received the banderillero's remarks contemptuously, indeed he -thought very little of him owing to his prudence in the circus. - -"I know how to read and write. And what good has it done me? When I -lived in my village it was useful to get me noticed and to make life -seem a little less hard.... What a poor man wants is justice; that he -may have his rights, but if they are not given then let him take them. -One must be a wolf and spread fear. The other wolves will respect you, -and the herds will let themselves be devoured with pleasure. If they -find you cowardly and without strength even the sheep will spit on you." - -Potaje, who was now very drunk, assented delightedly. He did not exactly -understand, still through the mists of drink he seemed to perceive the -brilliancy of supreme wisdom. - -"That is true, comrade. Go on; capital." - -"I have seen what the world is," continued the bandit. "The world is -divided into two classes--the shorn and the shearers. I do not wish to -be shorn. I was born to be a shearer, because I am a man who fears -nothing. The same thing has happened to you, Seño Juan. By struggling we -have risen from the low herd, but your path is better than mine." - -He was silent for some time, considering the espada. At last he went on -in a tone of conviction: - -"I believe, Seño Juan, that we have come into the world too late. What -things men of valour and enterprise, like ourselves, might have done in -former days! You would not have been killing bulls, neither should I be -wandering over the country hunted like a wild beast. We might have been -viceroys, archipampanos,[93] or something great across the seas. Have -you never heard of Pizarro, Seño Juan?" - -Señor Juan made an indefinable gesture, as he did not wish to admit his -ignorance of this name which he now heard for the first time. - -"The Señora Marquesa knows all about him; I learnt his history when I -was a sacristan, and read the old romances that the priest had. Well, -Pizarro was a poor man like us, who crossed the sea with twelve or -thirteen gachos, as good fighters as himself, and entered a country that -must have been a real paradise, a country in which were the mines of -Potosi: I can't say more. They fought many battles with the inhabitants, -and at last conquered them, seizing their king's treasures, and he who -got least got his house full up to the roof with gold pieces, and there -was not one of them who was not made a Marquis, or a General, or a -Justiciary. Just imagine, Seño Juan, if we had lived then! What you and -I could have done with a handful of brave men like these who are -listening to me!" - -The farm men listened in silence, but their eyes flashed as the bandit -spoke. - -"I repeat, we have been born too late, Seño Juan. The gates are closed -to poor men, the Spaniard does not now know where to go or what to do. -All the places where he might have spread have been appropriated by the -English or other countries. I, who might have been a king in America or -elsewhere, am proclaimed an outlaw, and they even call me a thief. You, -who are a brave man, kill bulls and carry off the palms, still I know -many who look upon a torero's profession as a low one." - -Doña Sol interrupted to ask the bandit why he did not become a soldier. -He could go to distant countries where there were wars and utilize his -talents nobly. - -"I might have done so, Señora Marquesa. I have often thought of it. But -when I sleep at a farm, or hide in my house for a few days, the first -time I lie in a bed like a Christian, or have a hot meal at a table like -this, a feeling of comfort pervades my body, but in a short time I get -restless; it seems as if the mountain, with all its miseries, draws me, -and I long once more to sleep on the ground, wrapped in my blanket with -a stone for my pillow.... Yes, I might have been a soldier, and I should -have been a good one. But where to go? Besides, the same things happen -over again in the army as in the world--the shorn and the shearers. You -do some great thing and the Colonel appropriates it, or you fight like a -wild beast and the General is rewarded.... No, I have been born too late -to be a soldier." - -Plumitas remained some time silent with lowered eyes, as if he were -absorbed in the mental contemplation of his misfortune, at finding no -place for himself in the present age. - -Suddenly he stood up grasping his carbine. - -"I am going.... Many thanks, Seño Juan, for your kindness. Good-bye, -Señora Marquesa." - -"But where are you going?" said Potaje, catching hold of him. "Sit down. -You are better here than anywhere else." - -The picador wanted to prolong the bandit's stay, delighted to think he -should be able to describe this interesting meeting in the town. - -"I have been here three hours, and I must go. I never spend so long a -time in so open and unconcealed a place as La Rinconada. Possibly by now -some one has carried the news that I am here." - -"Are you afraid of the civiles," enquired Potaje. "They will not come, -or if they do, I am at your side." - -Plumitas made a contemptuous gesture. The civiles! They are men like any -others: some of them brave enough, but they are all fathers of families, -and would manage not to see him. They only came out against him when -chance brought them face to face, and there was no means of avoiding it. - -"Last month I was at the farm of 'the five chimnies' breaking fast as I -am here to-day, though not in such good company, when I saw six civiles -on foot coming. I am quite sure they did not know I was there, and only -came for refreshment. It was an unlucky chance, for neither they nor I -could turn tail in the presence of all the farm people. The owner locked -the gates, and the civiles began to knock for them to be opened. I -ordered him and a shepherd to stand by the two leaves of the door. 'When -I say "now" open them wide.' I mounted my mare, with my revolver in my -hand. 'Now!' The door was opened wide, and I galloped out like the -devil. They fired two or three shots, but did not touch me. I also fired -as I went out, and I understand wounded two of the civiles.... To cut it -short, I fled lying on the mare's neck, so that they should not make a -target of me, and the civiles revenged themselves by thrashing the farm -servants; for which reason, Seño Juan, it is best to say nothing about -my visits. For if you do, down come the three cornered hats, sickening -you with enquiries and declarations, as if they were going to catch me -with those." - -Those of La Rinconada assented mutely. They knew it well enough. They -must hold their tongues to avoid annoyances, as they did in all the -other farms or shepherd's ranches. This general silence was the bandit's -most powerful auxiliary. Besides, all these country peasants were -admirers of Plumitas, looking on him as an avenging hero. They need fear -no harm from him. His menaces only touched the rich. - -"I am not afraid of the civiles," continued the bandit. "Those I fear -are the poor. The poor are good, but poverty is such an ugly thing! I -know that those three cornered hats will not kill me: they have no balls -that can touch me. If anyone kills me, it will be one of the poor. I let -them approach without fear because they belong to my own class, but some -day advantage will be taken of my carelessness. I have enemies, people -who have sworn vengeance on me; for one must have a heavy hand, if one -would be respected. If one kills a man outright his family remain to -avenge him, but if one is good natured and contents oneself with taking -down his trousers and caressing him with a bunch of nettles and thistles -he remembers the jest all his life.... It is the poor, those of my own -class that I fear; besides, in every village there is some fine fellow -who thinks he would like to be my heir--and hopes to find me some day -sleeping in the shade of a tree, and will blow off my head point blank." - -A quarter of an hour later Plumitas came out of the stable into the -courtyard mounted on his powerful mare, the inseparable companion of his -wanderings. The bony animal looked bigger and brighter for her brief -hours of plenty in the Rinconada mangers. - -Plumitas caressed her flanks, pausing as he arranged his blanket on the -saddle-bow. She might indeed be content. She would not often be so well -treated as at Señor Juan Gallardo's farm. And now she must carry herself -well, for the day would be long. - -"And whither are you going, comrade?" asked Potaje. - -"Don't ask me--throughout the world! I myself do not know. Where -anything turns up!" - -And putting a foot in his rusty and muddy stirrup with one bound he sat -erect in his saddle. - -Gallardo left Doña Sol's side, who was watching the bandit's -preparations for departure with strange eyes, her lips pale and drawn. - -The torero searched in the inside pocket of his coat, and advancing -towards the rider offered him shamefacedly some crumpled papers that he -held in his hand. - -"What is this?" said the bandit. "Money?... Thanks, Seño Juan. Some one -has told you that it is necessary to give me something when I come to a -farm; but that is for those others, the rich, whose money grows like the -roses. You earn yours by risking your life. We are companions. Keep it -yourself, Seño Juan." - -Señor Juan kept his bank notes, though rather annoyed by the bandit's -refusal, and his persistence in treating him as a comrade. - -"You shall pledge[94] me a bull some time or other when we see each -other in a Plaza. That would be worth more than all the gold in the -world." - -Doña Sol now came forward till she was quite close to the rider's foot, -and taking from her breast an autumn rose, she offered it silently, -looking at him with her green and golden eyes. - -"Is this for me?" said the bandit surprised and wondering. "For me, -Señora Marquesa?" - -As she nodded her head, he took the flower shyly, handling it awkwardly, -as if its weight were overpowering, not knowing where to place it, till -at last he passed it through a button-hole in his jacket, between the -two ends of the red handkerchief he wore tied round his neck. - -"This is good, indeed!" his broad face expanding into a smile. "Nothing -of the sort has ever happened to me before in my life." - -The rough rider seemed moved and troubled by the womanliness of the -gift. Roses for him!... - -He gathered up his reins. - -"Good-bye to you all, caballeros. Till we meet again.... Good-bye, my -fine fellows. Some time or other I will throw you a cigar if you plant a -good lance." - -He gave a rough clasp of the hand to the picador, who replied by a thump -on the thigh which made the bandit's vigorous muscles jump. That -Plumitas, how "simpatico" he was! Potaje, in his drunken tenderness, -would have liked to go with him to the mountain. - -"Adio! Adio!" - -And spurring his horse, he rode out of the courtyard. - -Gallardo seemed relieved on seeing him depart. He turned towards Doña -Sol; she was standing motionless, following the rider with her eyes as -he grew smaller and smaller in the distance. - -"What a woman!" murmured the espada sadly. "What a woman!" - -It was fortunate that Plumitas was ugly and was dirty and ragged as a -vagabond. - -Otherwise, she would have gone with him. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[92] Wealthy yeoman landed proprietor. - -[93] Word used to express an imaginary dignity. - -[94] "Brindar"--to pledge or dedicate. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -"It seems impossible, Sebastian, that a man like you, with a wife and -children, should have lent yourself to this debauchery.... I who -believed you so different and who had such confidence in you when you -went on journeys with Juan! I who felt quite at ease thinking that he -went with a man of good character! Where is all your talk about your -ideas and your religion? Is this what you learn at the meeting of Jews -in the house of Don Joselito, the teacher?" - -El Nacional, terrified by the indignation of Gallardo's mother, and -touched by the tears of Carmen, who was silently weeping, her face -hidden behind a handkerchief, defended himself feebly. - -"Seña Angustias, do not touch my ideas; and if you please, leave Don -Joselito in peace, as he has nothing whatever to do with this. By the -life of the blue dove! I went to La Rincona because my master ordered -me. You know well enough what a cuadrilla is. It is just the same as an -army, discipline and obedience. The matador orders, and we have to obey. -As all this about the bulls dates from the time of the Inquisition, -there is no profession more reactionary." - -"Imposter!" screamed Señora Angustias, "you are fine with all these -fables about the Inquisition and reaction! Between you all you are -killing this poor child, who spends her days weeping like la Dolorosa. -What you want to do is to hide my son's debauchery because he feeds -you." - -"You have said it, Seña Angustias, Juaniyo feeds me; so it is. And as -he feeds me, I must obey him.... But look here, Señora, put yourself in -my place. If my matador tells me I am to go to La Rincona ... all right. -If at the time of our departure I find a very pretty woman in the -automobile! ... what am I to do? The matador orders. Besides, I did not -go alone; Potaje also went, and he is a person of a certain age and -respectability, even though he is rough; but he never laughs." - -The torero's mother was furious at this excuse. - -"Potaje! A bad man, whom Juaniyo would not have in his cuadrilla if he -had any shame. Don't speak to me of that drunkard, who beats his wife, -and starves his children." - -"All right; we'll leave Potaje out. I say, when I saw that great lady, -what was I to do? She is the Marquis' niece, and you know that toreros -have to stand well with people of rank if they can. They have to live on -the public. And what harm was there? And then at the farm there was -nothing. I swear it by my own. Do you think I should have countenanced -this dishonour, even if my matador had ordered me? I am a decent man, -Seña Angustias, and you do wrong to call me the bad names you did just -now. I repeat there was nothing. They spoke to each other just as you -and I do; there was not an evil look or word, each spent the night on -their own side; there was decency at all times, and if you wish for -Potaje to come, he will tell you...." - -But Carmen interrupted in a tearful voice cut by sobs. - -"In my house!" she said with a dazed expression. "At the farm! And she -slept in my bed!... I knew it all, too, and I held my tongue, I held my -tongue! But this! Jesus! This. There is not a man in Seville who would -have dared so much!" - -El Nacional interposed kindly. - -"Calm yourself, Señora Carmen. It certainly is of no importance. Only -the visit of a lady to the farm, who is enthusiastic about the maestro -and wished to see how he lived in the country. These ladies who are half -foreign are very capricious and strange! But if you had only seen the -French ladies, when the cuadrilla went to fight at Nîmes and Arles!... -The sum total is--nothing at all. Altogether--rubbish! By the blue dove, -I should like to know the babbler who brought the gossip. If I were -Juaniyo, if it were anyone belonging to the farm, I should turn him out, -and if it were anyone outside I would have him up before the judge and -put in prison as a calumniator and an enemy." - -Carmen still wept as she listened to the banderillero's indignation. But -Señora Angustias seated in an arm-chair, which scarcely contained her -overflowing person, frowned, and pursed up her hairy and wrinkled mouth. - -"Hold your tongue, Sebastian, and don't tell lies," cried the old woman. -"That journey to the farm was an indecent orgy--a fiesta of gipsies. -They even say Plumitas, the brigand, was with you." - -El Nacional fairly jumped with surprise and anxiety. He thought he saw, -coming into the patio, trampling the marble pavement, a rider, dirty, -ragged, with a greasy sombrero, who got off his horse, and pointed his -rifle at him as a coward and informer. And immediately after him -followed many civil guards in shining three-cornered hats, whiskered and -enquiring, writing down notes, and then all the cuadrilla in their gala -dresses, roped together on their way to prison. Most certainly he must -deny it all energetically. - -"Rubbish! All rubbish! What are you talking about, Plumitas? There was -nothing but decency. God alive! They will be saying next that I, a good -citizen, who can carry a hundred votes from my suburb to the urns, am a -friend of Plumitas!" - -Señora Angustias, who was not quite sure about this last piece of news, -seemed convinced by El Nacional's asseverations. All right; she would -say nothing more about El Plumitas. But as for the other thing! The -journey to the farm with that ... female! And firm in her mother's -blindness, which made the responsibility for all the espada's acts fall -on his companions, she continued pouring blame on El Nacional. - -"I shall tell your wife what you are. Poor thing, working herself to -death in her shop from dawn till dark, while you go to that orgy like a -reprobate. You ought to be ashamed of yourself ... at your age! and with -all those brats!" - -The banderillero fairly fled before the wrath of Señora Angustias, who, -moved by her great indignation, developed the same nimbleness of tongue -as in the days when she was at the tobacco factory. He vowed he would -never again return to his master's house. - -He met Gallardo in the street. The latter seemed out of temper, but -pretended to be bright and smiling when he saw the banderillero, as if -he were in no way troubled by his domestic dissensions. - -"All this is very bad, Juaniyo. I will never return to your house, even -if I am dragged there. Your mother insults me, as if I were a gipsy of -Triana. Your wife weeps and looks at me, as if all the fault were mine. -Man alive, do me the pleasure not to remember me next time. Choose some -other of your associates another time, if you take ladies." - -Gallardo smiled, well pleased. It would be nothing at all, these things -passed off quickly. He had often faced worse troubles. - -"What you ought to do is to come to the house. When there are many -people there, there can be no rows." - -"I?" exclaimed El Nacional. "I will be a priest first!" - -After this the espada thought it was no use insisting. He spent the -greater part of the day out of the home, away from the women's morose -silence, interrupted by floods of tears, and when he returned it was -with an escort, availing himself of his manager and other friends. - -The saddler was a great help to Gallardo, who for the first time began -to think his brother-in-law "simpatico," remarkable for his good sense, -and worthy of a better fate. He it was who, during the matador's -absence, undertook to pacify the women, including his own wife, leaving -them like exhausted furies. - -"Let us see," he said. "What is it all about? A woman of no importance. -Every one is as he is, and Juaniyo is a personage who must mix with -influential people. And if this lady did go to the farm, what then? One -must cultivate good friendships, for in that way one can ask favours and -help on one's family. There was nothing wrong. It was all calumny. El -Nacional was there, who is a man of good character.... I know him very -well." - -For the first time in his life he praised the banderillero. Being -constantly in the house he was a valuable auxiliary to Gallardo, and the -torero was not niggardly in his gratitude. The saddler had closed his -shop, as trade was bad, and was waiting for some employment through his -brother-in-law. In the meanwhile the torero supplied all the wants of -the family and finally invited them all to take up their quarters -permanently in his house. In this way poor Carmen would worry less, not -being so much alone. - -One day El Nacional received a message from his matador's wife that she -wished to see him. The banderillero's own wife delivered the message. - -"I saw her this morning. She came from San Gil. The poor thing's eyes -looked as though she were constantly crying. Go and see her.... Ay! -those handsome men. What a curse they are!" - -Carmen received El Nacional in the matador's study. They would be alone -there, and there would be no fear of Señora Angustias coming in with her -vehemence. Gallardo was at the club in the Calle de las Sierpes. He was -away from the house most days to avoid meeting his wife; he even had his -meals out, going with some friends to the inn at Eritana. - -El Nacional sat on a divan, with his head bent, twirling his hat in his -hands, scarcely daring to look at his master's wife. How she was -altered! Her eyes were red and surrounded by black hollows. Her dark -cheeks and the end of her nose were also reddened from the constant -rubbing of her handkerchief. - -"Sebastian, you will tell me the whole truth. You are kind, and you are -Juan's best friend. All the little mother said the other day was temper. -You know how really good she is. It was only an outburst, over directly. -Pay no attention to it." - -The banderillero nodded assent, and then hazarded the question: - -"What did Señora Carmen wish to know?" - -"You must tell me all that happened at La Rincona, all you saw, and all -you fancied." - -Ah! Good Nacional! With what noble pride he raised his head, pleased at -being able to do good, and give comfort to that unhappy woman. - -"See?..." He had seen nothing wrong. "I swear it to you by my father. I -swear it ... by my ideas." - -He supported his oath without fear by the sacrosanct testimony of his -ideas, for in fact he had seen nothing, and having seen nothing, he -reasoned logically in the pride of his perspicuity and wisdom, that -nothing wrong could have occurred. - -"I think they are nothing more than friends ... now.... If there has -been anything before, I know not.... The people here ... talk. They -invent so many lies. But pay no attention, Señora Carmen. Live happily, -that is the best thing!" - -But she insisted. What had happened at the farm? The grange was her -home, and she was indignant, as, joined to the infidelity, this seemed -to her a sacrilege, a direct insult to herself. - -"Do you think me a fool, Sebastian? I have seen it all along. From the -first moment he began to think of that lady ... or whatever she is, I -have known what Juan was thinking. The day he pledged the bull to her, -and she gave him that diamond ring, I guessed what there was between the -two, and I should have liked to snatch the ring and trample on it.... -Very soon I knew everything. Everything! There are always people ready -to carry rumours because it hurts others. Besides, they have never -hidden themselves, going everywhere like man and wife, in the sight of -every one, on horseback, just like gipsies who ride from fair to fair. -When we were at the farm I had news of everything Juan was doing, and -afterwards in San Lucar also." - -El Nacional interposed, seeing Carmen so upset, and weeping at these -recollections. - -"My good woman, do you believe all this humbug? Do you not see they are -inventions of people who wish you ill? All jealousy, nothing more." - -"No, I know Juan. Do you believe that this is the first? He is as he is, -and cannot be otherwise. Cursed profession, which seems to send men -mad! After we had been married two years he fell in love with a handsome -girl in the market, a butcher's daughter. How I suffered when I knew -it.... But I never said a word. Even now he thinks I know nothing. Since -then how many have there been? I do not know how many--dozens--and I -held my tongue, wishing for peace in my home. But this woman is not like -the others, Juan is mad about her; and I know he has lowered himself a -thousand times, remembering that she is a great lady, so that she should -not turn him out, being ashamed of having relations with a torero. Now -she is gone. You did not know it? She is gone because she was bored in -Seville. You see people tell me everything, and she left without saying -good-bye to him. When he went there the other day he found the door -locked. Now he is as wretched as a sick horse, he goes among his friends -with a face like a funeral, and drinks to enliven himself. No, he cannot -forget that woman. He was proud of being loved by a woman of that class, -and now he suffers in his pride that he is abandoned. Ay! what disgust I -feel. He is no longer my husband; he seems like some one else. We -scarcely speak. I am alone upstairs, he sleeps downstairs in one of the -patio rooms. Before, I overlooked everything; they were bad habits -belonging to the profession: the mania of toreros, who think themselves -irresistible to women ... but now I can't bear to see him; I feel -repugnance towards him." - -She spoke energetically, and a flame of hate shone in her eyes. - -"Ay! that woman. How she has changed him!... He is another man! He only -cares now to go with rich people; and the people in the suburbs, and the -poor in Seville, who were his friends and helped him when he first -began, all complain of him; some fine day they will start a disturbance -against him in the Plaza to disgrace him. Money comes in here by -bucketsful, and it is not easy to count it. He himself does not know how -much he has, but I see clearly. He plays heavily, so that his new -friends may welcome him; and he loses largely; the money comes in by one -door and goes out by the other. But I say nothing. After all it is he -that earns it. He has had to borrow from Don José for things about the -farm, and some olive yards he bought this year to join to the property -were bought with other people's money. Almost all he earns during the -next season will go to pay his debts. And if he had an accident. If he -found himself obliged to retire like others? He has tried to change me, -as he himself has changed. I know he feels ashamed of us when he returns -from seeing Doña Sol. It is he who has obliged me to put on those -unbecoming hats from Madrid, that make me feel like a monkey dancing on -an organ! And a mantilla is so beautiful! He also it is who has bought -that infernal car, in which I go in fear and which smells like the -devil. If he could he would even put a hat with a cock's tail on the -little mother's head!" - -The banderillero interrupted. No, no, Juan was very kind, and if he did -these things it was because he wished his family to have every comfort -and luxury. - -"Juaniyo may be anything you will, Señora Carmen, but still you must -forgive him a good deal. Remember that many are envious of you! Is it -nothing to be the wife of the bravest torero, with handfuls of money, a -house that is a marvel, and to be absolute mistress of everything, for -the master lets you dispose of all?" - -Carmen's eyes were overflowing, and she raised her handkerchief to wipe -away her tears. - -"I would rather be the wife of a shoemaker. How often have I thought so! -If Juan had only gone on with his trade instead of this cursed -bull-fighting! How much happier I should be in a poor shawl taking his -dinner to the doorway where he worked like his father. At least he would -be mine, and no one would want to take him from me; we might want -necessities, but on Sundays, dressed in our best, we should go to -breakfast at some little inn. And then the frights one has from those -horrid bulls. This is not living. There is money, a great deal of money, -but believe me, Sebastian, it is like poison to me. The people about -think I am happy, and envy me, but my eyes follow the poor women who -want everything, but who have their child on their arm, who when they -are unhappy look at the little one and laugh with it. If only I had one! -If Juan could but see a little one in the house that would be all his -own, something more than the little nephews...." - -The banderillero came out from this interview shocked and troubled and -went in search of his master, whom he found at the door of the -"Forty-five." - -"Juan, I have just seen your wife. Things are going worse and worse. Try -and calm her and set yourself right with her." - -"Curse it! life is not worth living. Would to God a bull might catch me -on Sunday and then all would be over! And for what life is worth...." - -He was rather tipsy. The frowning silence he met in his house drove him -to desperation, and even perhaps more still (although he would not -confess it to anyone) Doña Sol's flight, without leaving a single word, -not even a line to bid him farewell. They had sent him away from the -door worse than a servant, and no one knew where that woman had gone. -The Marquis was not much interested in his niece's journey--a most crazy -woman! Neither had he been informed of her intended departure; however, -he did not think on that account that she was lost. She would give -signs of existence from some far country, whither her caprices had -driven her. - -Gallardo could not conceal his despair in his own home. Maddened by the -frowning silence of his wife, who resented all his efforts at -conversation, he would break out: - -"Curse my bad luck! Would to God that on Sunday one of those Muira bulls -would catch me, trample me, and then I could be brought home to you in a -basket!" - -"Don't say such things, evil one!" exclaimed Señora Angustias. "Do not -tempt God; it will bring you bad luck." - -But the brother-in-law interposed sententiously, taking advantage of the -occasion to flatter the espada. - -"Don't worry yourself, little mother. There is no bull that can touch -him; no horn that can gore him!" - -The following Sunday was the last corrida of the year in which Gallardo -was to take part. The morning passed without those vague terrors, and -superstitious anxieties which usually assailed him; he dressed gaily, -with a nervous excitability which seemed to double the strength of his -muscles. What a joy to tread again the yellow sand, to astonish over -twelve thousand spectators with his grace and reckless daring! Nothing -was true but his art, which gained him the applause of the populace, and -money like heaps of corn. Everything else, family and amours were only -complications of life, serving to create worries. Ay! what estocades he -would give! He felt the strength of a giant: he felt another man free -from fears and anxieties. He was even impatient it was not yet time to -go to the Plaza, so contrary to other occasions; and he longed to pour -out on the bulls the concentrated anger caused by his domestic -dissensions and Doña Sol's insulting flight. - -When the carriage arrived Gallardo crossed the patio without -encountering as heretofore the emotion of the women. Carmen did not -appear. Bah! those women! ... their only use was to embitter life. His -brother-in-law was waiting, extremely proud of himself in a suit of -clothes that he had filched from the espada, and had altered to his own -figure. - -"You are finer than the real Roger de Flor himself!" said he gaily. -"Jump into the coach, and I will take you to the Plaza." - -He sat down beside the great man, swelling with pride that all Seville -should see him sitting among the torero's silk capes and splendid gold -embroideries. - -The Plaza was crammed. It was an important corrida, the last one of the -autumn, and consequently it had attracted an immense audience, not only -from the town but from the country. On the benches of the sunny side -were crowds of people from surrounding villages. - -From the first Gallardo showed a feverish activity. He stood away from -the barrier, going to meet the bull, amusing it with his cape play, -while the picadors waited for the time when the brute would turn on -their miserable horses. - -A certain predisposition against the torero could be noticed. He was -applauded the same as ever, but the demonstrations were far warmer and -more prolonged on the shady side, from the symmetrical rows of white -hats, than from the lively and motley sunny side, where many stood in -their shirt sleeves under the heat of the scorching sun. - -Gallardo understood the danger. If he had the least bad luck, half the -circus would rise up against him vociferating and reproaching him for -his ingratitude towards those who had first started him. - -He killed his first bull with only moderate good fortune. He threw -himself with his usual audacity between the horns, but the rapier struck -on a bone. The enthusiasts applauded, because the estocade was well -placed, and the inutility of the endeavour was no fault of his. He put -himself again in position to kill, but again the sword struck on the -same place, and the bull, butting at the muleta, jerked it out of the -wound, throwing it to some distance. Taking another rapier from -Garabato's hand, he turned again towards the beast, who waited for him, -firm on his feet, his neck dripping with blood and his slavering muzzle -almost on the sand. - -The maestro, spreading his muleta before the brute's eyes, quietly moved -aside with his sword the banderillas which were falling across his poll. -He wished to execute the "descabello."[95] Leaning the point of the -blade on the top of the head, he sought for a suitable spot between the -two horns; he then made an effort to drive in the rapier, the bull -shivered painfully, but still remained on foot, and threw out the steel -with a rough movement of its head. - -"One!" shouted mocking voices from the sunny side. - -"Curse them! Why did the people attack him so unjustly?" - -Again the matador struck in the steel, succeeding this time in finding -the vulnerable spot, and the bull fell suddenly with a crash, his horns -sticking into the sand, his belly upward and his legs rigid. - -The people on the shady side applauded from a class feeling, but from -the sunny side came a storm of whistling and invectives. - -Gallardo, turning his back to these insults, saluted his partizans with -the muleta and the rapier. - -The insults of the populace, who had up to now been so friendly, -exasperated him, and he clenched his fists. - -What do those people want? The bull did not admit of anything better. -Curse them! It is got up by my enemies. - -He spent the greater part of the corrida close to the barrier, looking -on disdainfully at his companions' actions, accusing them mentally of -having promoted this display of dissatisfaction, and he launched -maledictions against the bull and the shepherd who reared him. He had -come so well prepared to do great things, and then to meet with a bull -like this! All the breeders who sent in such animals ought to be shot. - -When he took his killing weapons for his second bull, he gave an order -to El Nacional and to another peon to bring the bull by their cloak play -to the popular side of the Plaza. - -He knew his public. You must flatter those "citizens of the sun," a -tumultuous and terrible demagogy, who brought class hatred into the -Plaza, but who would change their whistling into applause with the -greatest ease, if a slight show of consideration flattered their pride. - -The peons, throwing their capes in front of the bull, endeavoured to -attract him towards the sunny side of the circus. The populace saw this -manoeuvre and welcomed it with joyful surprise. The supreme moment, the -death of the bull, would be enacted under their eyes instead of at a -distance for the convenience of the wealthy people on the shady side. - -The brute, being alone for a moment on that side of the Plaza, attacked -the dead body of a horse. It buried its horns in the open belly, lifting -on its horns like a limp rag the miserable carcass which spread its -entrails all round. The body fell to the ground almost doubled up, while -the bull moved off undecidedly; but it soon turned again to sniff it, -snorting and burying its horns in the cavity of the stomach, while the -populace laughed at this stupid obstinacy, seeking for life in an -inanimate body. - -"Go it.... What strength he has!... Go on, son!... I'm looking at you!" - -But suddenly the attention of the audience was turned from the furious -brute to watch Gallardo, who was crossing the Plaza with light step, -bending his figure, carrying in one hand the folded muleta, and -balancing the rapier in the other like a light cane. - -All the populace roared with delight at the torero's approach. - -"You have gained them," said El Nacional, who had placed himself with -his cloak in readiness close to the bull. - -The multitude, clapping their hands, called the torero: "Here! here!" -every one wishing to see the bull killed in front of his own bench so as -not to lose a single detail, and the torero hesitated between the -contradictory calls of thousands of voices. - -With one foot on the step of the barrier, he was considering the best -place to kill the bull. He had better take him a little further on. The -torero felt embarrassed by the body of the horse, whose miserable -remains seemed to fill all that side of the arena. - -He was turning to give the order to El Nacional to have the body -removed, when he heard behind him a voice he knew, and though he could -not at once recall to whom it belonged, it made him turn round suddenly. - -"Good evening, Seño Juan! We are going to applaud 'the truth.'" - -He saw in the first rank, below the rope of the inside barrier, a -jacket folded on the line of the wall; on it were crossed a pair of arms -in shirt sleeves, on which rested a broad face, freshly shaved, with the -hat pulled down to its ears. It looked like a good-natured countryman -come in from his village to see the corrida. - -Gallardo recognized him; it was Plumitas. - -He had fulfilled his promise; there he was, audaciously among twelve -thousand people who might recognise him, saluting the espada, who felt -pleased and grateful for this mark of confidence. - -Gallardo was astounded at his temerity. To come down into Seville, to -enter the Plaza, far away from the mountains, where defence was so easy, -without the help of his two companions, the mare and the rifle, and all -to see him kill bulls! Truly, of the two, which was the braver man? - -He thought, furthermore, that in his farm he was at Plumitas' mercy, in -the country life which was only possible if he kept on good terms with -that extraordinary person. Certainly this bull must be for him. - -He smiled at the bandit, who was placidly watching him. He took off his -montera, shouting towards the heaving crowd, but with his eyes on -Plumitas. - -"This bull is for you!" - -He threw his montera towards the benches, where a hundred hands were -outstretched, fighting to catch the sacred deposit. - -Gallardo signed to El Nacional, so that with opportune cape play he -should bring the bull towards him. - -The espada spread his muleta, and the beast attacked with a deep snort, -passing under the red rag. "Olé!" roared the crowd, once more bewitched -by their old idol, and disposed to think everything he did admirable. - -He continued giving several passes to the bull, amid the exclamations -of the people a few steps from him, and who seeing him close were giving -him advice. "Be careful, Gallardo! The bull still has his full strength. -Don't get between him and the barrier. Keep your retreat open." - -Others more enthusiastic excited his audacity by more daring advice. - -"Give him one of your own!... Zas! Strike and you pocket him!" - -But the brute was too big and too mistrustful to be put in anybody's -pocket. Excited by the proximity of the dead horse, he constantly -returned to it, as though the stench of the belly intoxicated him. - -In one of his evolutions, the bull fatigued by the muleta, stood -motionless. It was a very bad position, but Gallardo had come out of -worse corners victorious. - -He wanted to take advantage of the brute's quiescence, the public -incited him to action. Among the men standing by the inside barrier, -leaning their bodies half over it so as not to lose a single detail of -the supreme moment, he recognised many amateurs of the people, who had -begun to turn from him, and who were now again applauding him, touched -by his show of consideration for the populace. - -"Take advantage of it, my lad.... Now we shall see the truth.... Strike -truly." - -Gallardo turned his head slightly to salute Plumitas, who stood smiling, -with his moon face leaning on his arms over the jacket. - -"For you, comrade!"... - -And he placed himself in profile with the rapier in front in position to -kill, but at the same instant he thought that the ground was trembling -beneath him, that he was flung to a great distance, that the Plaza was -falling down on him, that everything was turning to deep blackness, and -that a furious hurricane was raging round him. His body vibrated -painfully from head to foot, his head seemed bursting, and a mortal -agony wrung his chest; then he seemed falling into dark and endless -space, plunging into nothingness. - -At the very moment that he was preparing to strike, the bull had reared -unexpectedly against him, attracted by his "querencia" for the horse -which was behind him. - -It was a terrific shock, which made the silk and gold clad man roll and -disappear beneath the hoofs. The horns did not gore him, but the blow -was horrible, crushing, as head, horns, and all the frontal of the brute -crashed down on the man like a blow from a club. - -The bull, who only saw the horse, was going to charge it again, but -feeling some obstacle between his hoofs, he turned to attack the -brilliant figure lying on the ground, lifted it on one horn, shaking it -for a few seconds, and then flinging it away to some distance; again a -third time it turned to attack the insensible torero. - -The crowd, bewildered by the quickness of these events, remained silent, -their hearts tightened. The bull would kill him! Perhaps he had killed -him already! But suddenly a yell from the whole multitude broke the -agonizing silence. A cape was spread between the bull and his victim, a -cloth almost nailed on to the brute's poll by two strong arms, -endeavouring to blind the beast. It was El Nacional who, impelled by -despair, had thrown himself on the bull, choosing to be gored himself if -only he could save his master. The brute, bewildered by this fresh -obstacle, turned upon it, turning his tail towards the fallen man. The -banderillero engaged between the horns, moved backwards with the bull, -waving his cape, not knowing how to extricate himself from this perilous -position, but satisfied all the same, at having drawn the ferocious -brute away from Gallardo. - -The public absorbed by this fresh incident, almost forgot the espada. -El Nacional would fall also; he could not get out from between the -horns, and the brute carried him along as if he were already impaled. - -The men shouted as if their cries could have been of any assistance, the -women sobbed, turning their heads aside and wringing their hands, when -the banderillero, taking advantage of a moment when the brute lowered -his head to gore him, slipped from between the horns to one side, while -the bull rushed blindly on, carrying away the ragged cape on his horns. - -The tense feeling broke out into deafening applause. The unstable crowd, -only impressed by the danger of the moment, acclaimed El Nacional. It -was the finest moment of his life, and in their excitement they scarcely -noticed the inanimate body of Gallardo, who with his head hanging down -was being carried out of the Plaza between the toreros and arena -servants. - -In Seville that night nothing was spoken of but Gallardo's accident, the -worst he had ever had. In many towns special sheets had already been -published, and the papers all over Spain gave accounts of the affair, -which was wired in all directions, as if some political personage had -been the victim of an attempt. - -Terrifying news flew about the Calle de las Sierpes, coloured by the -vivid southern imagination. Poor Gallardo had just died, he who brought -the news had seen him lying on a bed in the infirmary of the Plaza, as -white as paper, with a crucifix between his hands, so it must be true. -According to others less lugubrious, he was still alive, though he might -die at any moment. All his bowels were torn, his heart, his loins, -everything, the bull had made a perfect sieve of his body. - -Guards had been placed around the Plaza to prevent the mob anxious for -news from storming the infirmary. Outside, the populace had assembled, -asking every one who came out as to the espada's state. - -El Nacional, still in his fighting dress, came out several times, -frowning and angry, as the preparations for his master's removal were -not ready. - -Seeing the banderillero, the mob forgot the wounded man in their -congratulations. - -"Señor Sebastian, you were splendid!... Had it not been for you!..." - -But he refused all congratulations. What did it signify what he had -done? Nothing at all ... rubbish. The important thing was Juan's -condition, who was in the infirmary struggling with death. - -"And how is he, Seño Sebastian?" asked the people, returning to their -first interest. - -"Very bad. He has only just recovered consciousness. He has one leg -broken to bits: a gore underneath the arm, and what besides, I know -not!... The poor fellow is to me like my own saint.... We are going to -take him home." - -When the night closed in, Gallardo was carried out of the circus on a -litter. The crowd walked silently after him. Every few moments El -Nacional, carrying the cape on his arm, and still wearing his showy -torero's dress amongst the common clothes of the people, leaned over the -cover of the litter and ordered the porters to stop. - -The doctors belonging to the Plaza walked behind and with them the -Marquis de Moraima, and Don José, the manager, who seemed ready to faint -in the arms of some friends of the "Forty-five," one common anxiety -mixing them up with the ragged crew, who also followed the litter. - -The crowd were horrified; it was a sad procession, as though some -national disaster had occurred which levelled all beneath the general -misfortune. - -"What a misfortune, Seño Marque!" said a chubby-faced, red-haired -peasant, who carried his jacket on his arm, to the Marquis de Moraima. - -Twice this man had pushed aside some of the porters of the litter, -wishing to assist in carrying it. The Marquis looked at him -sympathetically. He must be one of those country peasants who were -accustomed to salute him on the roads. - -"Yes, a great misfortune, my lad." - -"Do you think he will die, Seño Marque?" - -"It is to be feared, unless a miracle saves him. He is ground to -powder." - -And the Marquis, placing his right hand on the shoulder of the unknown -man, seemed pleased by the sorrow expressed on his countenance. - -Gallardo's return to his house was most painful. Inside the patio were -heard cries of despair, and outside other women, friends and neighbours -of Juaniyo, were screaming and tearing their hair, thinking him already -dead. - -The litter was carried into a room off the patio, and the espada with -the greatest care was lifted on to a bed. He was wrapped in bloody -cloths and bandages smelling of antiseptics, of his fighting dress he -retained nothing but one pink stocking, and his under garments were all -torn or cut with scissors. - -His pigtail hung unplaited and entangled on his neck, and his face was -as pale as a wafer. He opened his eyes slightly, feeling a hand slipped -into his, and saw Carmen, a Carmen as pale as himself, dry-eyed and -terrified. - -The friends of the torero prudently intervened. She must remember the -wounded man had only received first aid, and a great deal remained for -the doctors to do. - -The wounded man made a sign with his eyes to El Nacional, who leaned -over him to catch the slight murmur. - -"Juan says," he murmured, going out into the patio, "he would like -Doctor Ruiz sent for." - -"It is already done," said the manager, pleased with his prevision. He -had telegraphed at once when he knew the importance of the accident, and -he had no doubt but that Doctor Ruiz was already on the way and would -arrive on the following morning. - -After their first bewilderment, the doctors were more hopeful. It was -possible he might not die. He had such a splendid constitution and such -energy. What was most to be dreaded was the terrible shock, which would -have killed most men instantaneously, but he had recovered -consciousness, although the weakness was great. As far as the wounds -were concerned, they did not think them dangerous. That on the arm was -not much, though it was possible the limb might be less agile than -before. The hurt on the leg did not offer equal hopes, the bones were -fractured, and probably Gallardo would be lame. - -Don José, who had endeavoured to keep calm, when hours before he had -thought the espada's death inevitable, quite broke down. His matador -lame! Then he would no longer be able to fight! - -He was furious at the calm with which the doctors spoke of the -possibility of Gallardo becoming useless as a torero. - -"That could not be. Do you think it logical that Juan should live and -not fight?... Who would fill his place? I tell you, it cannot be! The -first man in the world!... And you want him to retire!" - -He spent the night watching with the men of the cuadrilla and -Gallardo's brother-in-law, and next morning early he went to the station -to meet the Madrid express. It arrived and with it Dr. Ruiz. He came -without any luggage, as carelessly dressed as ever, smiling behind his -yellowish beard, bobbing along in his loose coat, with the swinging of -his little short legs and his big stomach like a Buddha. - -As he entered the house, the torero, who seemed sunk in the extreme of -weakness, opened his eyes, reviving with a smile of confidence. After -Ruiz had listened in a corner to the other doctors' opinions and -explanations, he approached the bed. - -"Courage, my lad; this will not finish you! You have good luck!" - -And then he added, turning to his colleagues: - -"See what a magnificent animal this Juanillo is! Another one by now, -would not be giving us any work." - -He examined him very carefully; it was a "cogida" which required great -care. But he had seen so many!... Bull-fighting wounds were his -spécialité, and in them he always expected the most extraordinary cures, -as if the horns gave at the same time the wound and its remedy. - -"You may almost say that he who is not killed outright in the Plaza is -saved. The cure becomes then only a matter of time." - -For three days Gallardo endured tortures, his weakness preventing the -use of anæsthetics, and Doctor Ruiz extracted several splinters of bone -from the broken leg. - -"Who has said you would be useless for fighting?" exclaimed the Doctor, -satisfied with his own cleverness. "You will fight, my son. The public -will still have to applaud you." - -The manager agreed with this. Exactly what he had thought; how could -that lad, who was the first man in the world, end his life in that -fashion? - -By order of Doctor Ruiz, the torero's family were moved to Don José's -house. The women drove him wild, and their proximity was intolerable -during the hours of the operations. A groan from the torero would -instantly be answered from every part of the house by the howls of his -mother and sister, and Carmen struggled like a mad woman to go to her -husband. - -Sorrow had changed the wife, making her forget her rancour. "The fault -is mine," she would often say despairingly to El Nacional. "He said very -often he wished a bull would end him once for all. I have been very -wrong; I have embittered his life." - -In vain the banderillero recalled all the details to convince her that -the misfortune was accidental. No; according to her, Gallardo had wished -to end it for ever, and had it not been for El Nacional he would have -been carried dead out of the arena. - -When the operations were over the family returned to the house, and -Carmen paid her first visit to the sick man. - -She entered the room quietly, with cast down eyes, as if she were -ashamed of her former hostility, and taking Juan's hand in both hers she -asked: - -"How are you?" - -Gallardo seemed shrunk by pain, pale and weak, with an almost childish -resignation. Nothing remained of the proud and gallant fellow who had -delighted the populace with his audacity. He seemed daunted by the -terrible operations endured in full consciousness, all his indifference -to pain had vanished and he moaned at the slightest discomfort. - -After ten days stay in Seville, the Doctor returned to Madrid. - -"Now, my lad," he said to the sick man, "you don't require me any -longer, and I have a great deal to do. Now don't be imprudent, and in a -couple of months you will be well and strong. It is possible you may -feel your leg a little, but you have a constitution of iron, and it will -go on getting better." - -Gallardo's cure progressed, as Doctor Ruiz had foretold. At the end of a -month the leg was liberated from its enforced quiet, and the torero, -weak and limping slightly, was able to sit in a chair in the patio, and -receive his friends. - -During his illness, when fever ran high, and gloomy nightmares troubled -him, one thought always remained steadfast in his mind, in spite of all -restless wanderings--the remembrance of Doña Sol. Did that woman know of -his accident? - -While he was still in bed, he had ventured to question the manager about -her when they chanced to be alone. - -"Yes, my man," said Don José, "she has remembered you. She sent me a -wire from Nice, enquiring after you, two or three days after the -accident. Most probably she saw it in the papers. They spoke about you -everywhere, as if you were a king." - -The manager had replied to the telegram, but had not heard subsequently -from her. - -Gallardo appeared satisfied for some days with this explanation, but -afterwards asked again, with a sick man's persistence, had she not -written? Had she not enquired again after him?... The manager tried to -excuse Doña Sol's silence, and console him. He must remember she was -always moving about. Goodness knows where she might be at that time. - -But the torero's despair, thinking himself forgotten, forced Don José to -pious lies. Some days before, he had received a short letter from Italy, -in which Doña Sol inquired after him. - -"Let me see it!" said the espada anxiously. - -And, as the manager made some excuse, pretending to have left it at -home, Gallardo implored this comfort. - -"Do bring it to me. I long to see her letter, to convince myself that -she remembers me." - -To avoid further complications in his pretences, Don José invented a -correspondence that did not pass through his hands, but was directed to -others. Doña Sol had written (according to him) to the Marquis about her -money matters, and at the end of every letter she enquired after -Gallardo. At other times the letters were to a cousin, in which were the -same remembrances of the torero. - -Gallardo listened quietly, but at the same time shook his head -doubtfully. When would he see her! Should he ever see her again? Ay! -what a woman to fly like that without any motive, except the caprices of -her strange character. - -"What you ought to do," said the manager, "is to forget all about -women-kind and attend to business. You are no longer in bed, and you are -almost cured. How do you feel as to strength? Say, shall we fight or no? -You have all the winter before you to recover strength. Shall we accept -contracts, or do you decline to fight this year?" - -Gallardo raised his head proudly, as though something dishonouring was -being proposed to him. Renounce bull-fighting?... Spend a whole year -without being seen in the circus? Could the public resign themselves to -such an absence? - -"Accept them, Don José. There is plenty of time to get strong between -now and the Spring. You may promise for the Easter corrida. I think this -leg may still give me some trouble, but, please God, it will soon be as -strong as iron." - -He longed for the time to return to the circus. He felt greedy of fame -and the applause of the populace, and in order to get quite strong he -decided to spend the rest of the winter with his family at La Rinconada. -There, hunting and long walks would strengthen his leg. Besides, he -could ride about to overlook the work, and visit the herds of goats, the -droves of pigs, the dairies and the mares grazing in the meadows. - -The management of the farm had not been good, everything cost him more -than it did other landlords, and the receipts were less. His -brother-in-law, who had established himself at the farm as a kind of -dictator to set things right, had only succeeded in disturbing the -routine of the work, and rousing the labourers' anger. It was fortunate -that Gallardo could count on the certain incomings from the corridas, an -inexhaustible source of wealth, which would over and above recoup his -extravagances and bad management. - -Before leaving for La Rinconada, Señora Angustias wished her son to -fulfil her vow of kneeling before the Virgin of Hope. It was a vow she -had made that terrible night when she saw him stretched pale and -lifeless on the litter. How many times she had wept before La Macarena, -the beautiful Queen of Heaven, with the long eye-lashes and swarthy -cheeks, imploring her not to forget Juanillo! - -The ceremony was a popular rejoicing. All the gardeners of the suburb -were summoned to the church of San Gil, which was filled with flowers, -piled up in banks round the altars, and hanging in garlands between the -arches and from the chandeliers. - -The ceremony took place on a beautiful sunny morning. In spite of its -being a working day, the church was filled with people from the suburb. -Stout women with black eyes, wearing black silk dresses, and lace -mantillas over their pale faces, workmen freshly shaved, and the -beggars arrived in swarms, forming a double row at the church door. - -A Mass was to be sung, with accompaniment of orchestra and voices; -something quite out of the way, like the opera in the San Fernando -theatre at Easter. And afterwards the priests would intone a Te Deum of -thanksgiving for the recovery of Señor Juan Gallardo, the same as when -the king came to Seville. - -The party arrived, making their way through the crowd. The espada's -mother and wife walked first, among relations and friends, dressed in -rustling black silks, smiling beneath their mantillas. Gallardo came -after, followed by an interminable escort of toreros and friends, all -dressed in light suits, with gold chains and rings of extraordinary -brilliancy, their white felt hats contrasting strangely with the women's -black clothes. - -Gallardo was very grave. He was a good believer. He did not often -remember God, though he often swore by Him blasphemously at difficult -moments, more by habit than anything else; but this was quite another -affair, he was going to return thanks to the Santisima Macarena, and he -entered the church reverently. - -They all went in except El Nacional, who leaving his wife and children, -remained in the little square. - -"I am a freethinker," he thought it necessary to explain to a group of -friends. "I respect all beliefs; but that inside there is for me ... -rubbish. I do not wish to be wanting in respect to La Macarena, nor to -take away any credit which is hers, but, comrades, suppose I had not -arrived in time to draw away the bull when Juaniyo was on the -ground!"... - -Through the open doors came the wail of instruments, the voices of the -singers, a sweet and flowing melody, accompanied by the perfume of the -flowers and the smell of wax. - -When the party came out, all the poor people scrambled and quarrelled -for the handfuls of money thrown to them. There was enough for -everybody, for Gallardo was liberal, and Señora Angustias wept with joy, -leaning her head on a friend's shoulder. - -The espada appeared at the church door radiant and magnificent, giving -his arm to his wife, and Carmen smiling, with a tear on her eyelashes, -felt as if she were being married to him a second time. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[95] The "descabello" is a _coup de grace_ given to a bull already -pierced by a rapier--the stroke consists in driving the rapier straight -down behind the skull so as to pierce the spinal marrow--if it is badly -delivered the animal only gets a slight wound--and it is considered very -unskilful and rouses the indignation of the populace. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -When the Holy Week came round, Gallardo gave his mother a great -pleasure. - -In previous years as a devotee of "Our Father Jesus of Great Power" he -had walked in the procession of the parish of San Lorenzo, wearing the -long black tunic, with high pointed hood and mask, which only left the -eyes visible. - -It was the aristocratic brotherhood, and when the torero found himself -on the high road to fortune he had entered it, avoiding the popular -brotherhood, whose devotion was generally accompanied by drunkenness and -scandal. - -He spoke with pride of the serious gravity of this religious -association. Everything was well ordered and strictly disciplined as in -a regiment. On the night of Holy Thursday, as the clock of San Lorenzo -struck the second stroke of two in the morning, the church doors would -be suddenly opened, so that the crowd massed on the dark pavement -outside could see the interior of the church, resplendent with lights -and the brotherhood drawn up in order. - -The hooded men, silent and gloomy, with no sign of life but the flash of -their eyes through the black mask, advanced slowly two by two, each -holding a large wax taper in his hand, and leaving a wide space between -each pair for their long sweeping trains. - -The crowd, with southern impressionability, watched the passing of this -hooded train, which they called "Nazarenos," with deepest interest, for -some of these mysterious masks might be great noblemen whom traditional -piety had induced to take part in this nocturnal procession. - -The brotherhood, obliged to keep silence under pain of mortal sin, were -escorted by municipal guards to prevent them being molested by the -drunken rabble, who began their Holy Week holiday on Wednesday night by -visits to every tavern. It happened now and then that the guards relaxed -their vigilance, which enabled these impious tipplers to place -themselves alongside of the silent brothers, and whisper atrocious -insults against their unknown persons, or their equally unknown -families. The Nazarene suffered in silence, swallowing the insults, -offering them as a sacrifice to the "Lord of Great Power." The rascals -emboldened by this meekness would redouble their insults, till at last -the pious mask, considering that if silence was obligatory inaction was -not, would lift their wax tapers and thrash the intruders, which -somewhat upset the holy meditations of the ceremony. - -In the course of the procession, when the porters of the "pasos"[96] -required rest, and the huge platforms hung round with lanthorns on which -the figures stood, halted, a slight whistle was enough to stop the -hooded figures, who turned facing each other, resting their large tapers -on their feet, looking at the crowd through the mysterious slit of the -mask. Above the pointed hoods floated the banners of the brotherhood, -squares of black velvet with gold fringes, on which were embroidered the -Roman letters S.P.Q.R., in commemoration of the part played by the -Procurator of Judea in the condemnation of the Just One. - -The paso of "Our Father Jesus of Great Power" stood on a heavy platform -of worked metal, trimmed all round with hangings of black velvet which -fell to the ground, concealing the twenty half-naked and perspiring -porters. At each of the four corners hung groups of lanthorns and golden -angels, and in the centre stood Jesus, crowned with thorns and bending -under the weight of His cross; a tragical, dolorous, blood-stained -Jesus, with cadaverous face and tearful eyes, but magnificently dressed -in a velvet tunic, covered with gold flowers, which only showed the -stuff as a slight arabesque between the complicated embroideries. - -The appearance of the Lord of Great Power drew sighs and groans from -hundreds of breasts. - -"Father Jesus!" murmured the old women, fixing their hypnotised eyes on -the figure--"Lord of Great Power! Remember us!" - -As the paso stopped in the middle of the Plaza with its hooded escort, -the devotion of this Andalusian people, which confides all its thoughts -to song, broke out in bird-like trills and interminable laments. - -A childish voice of trembling sweetness broke the silence. Some girl -pushing her way to the front would send a "saeta"[97] to Jesus, the -three verses of which celebrated the Lord of Great Power, "The most -divine sculpture," and the artist Montañes, a companion of the artists -of the golden age, who had carved it. The hooded brothers listened -motionless, till the conductor of the paso, thinking the pause had been -long enough, struck a silver bell on the front of the platform. "Up with -it," and the Lord of Great Power, after many oscillations, was hoisted -up, while the feet of the invisible porters began to move like tentacles -on the ground. - -After this came the Virgin, Our Lady of the Greatest Sorrow, for all the -parishes sent out two pasos. Under a velvet canopy her golden crown -trembled in the surrounding lights. The train of her mantle, which was -several yards long, hung down behind the paso, being puffed out by a -frame-work of wood, which displayed the splendour of its rich, heavy and -splendid embroideries, which must have exhausted the skill and patience -of a whole generation. - -To the roll of the drums a whole troup of women followed her, their -bodies in the shadow, and their faces reddened by the glare of the -tapers they carried in her hands. Old barefooted women in mantillas, -girls wearing the white clothes which were to have served them as -shrouds, women who walked painfully, as if they were suffering from -hidden and painful maladies, an assembly of suffering humanity saved -from death by the goodness of the Lord of Great Power and His Blessed -Mother. - -The procession of the pious brotherhood, after having slowly walked -through the streets, with long pauses during which they sang hymns, -entered the Cathedral, which remained all night with its doors open. -With their lighted tapers they wound through the gigantic naves, -bringing out of the darkness the immense pillars hung with velvet -trimmed with gold, but their light was unable to disperse the darkness -gathered in the vaults above. Leaving this crypt-like gloom they came -out again under the starlight, and the rising sun ended by surprising -the procession still wandering about the streets. - -Gallardo was an enthusiast about the Lord of Great Power and the -majestic silence of the brotherhood. It was a very serious thing! One -might laugh at the other pasos for their disorder and want of devotion. -But to laugh at this one!... Never! Besides, in this brotherhood one -rubbed against very great people. - -Nevertheless, this year the espada decided to abandon the Lord of Great -Power, to go out with the brotherhood of la Macarena, who escorted the -miraculous Virgin of Hope. - -Señora Angustias was delighted when she heard his decision. He owed it -to the Virgin, who had saved him after his last "cogida." Besides, this -flattered her feelings of plebeian simplicity. - -"Every one with his own, Juaniyo. It is all right for you to mix with -gentlefolk, but you ought to think that the poor have always loved you, -and that now they are speaking against you, because they think you -despise them." - -The torero knew it but too well. The turbulent populace who sat on the -sunny side of the Plaza were beginning to show a certain animosity -against him, thinking themselves forgotten. They criticised his constant -intercourse with wealthy people, and his desertion of those who had been -his first admirers. Gallardo wished therefor to take advantage of every -means of flattering those whose applause he wanted. A few days before -the procession, he informed the most influential members of la Macarena -of his intention to follow in it. He did not wish the people to know it, -it was purely an act of devotion, and he wished his intention to remain -a secret. - -All the same, in a few days the suburb was talking of nothing else, it -was the pride of the neighbourhood. "Ah! we must see la Macarena this -year," said the gossips as they spoke of the torero's intention. "The -Señora Angustias will cover the paso with flowers, it will cost at least -a hundred duros. And Juaniyo will hang all his jewellery on the Virgin. -A real fortune!" - -And so it was. Gallardo gathered together all the jewellery in the -house, both his own and his wife's, to hang on the image. La Macarena -would wear on her ears those diamond ear-rings which the espada had -bought for Carmen in Madrid, which had cost the proceeds of many -corridas. On her breast she would wear a large double gold chain -belonging to the torero, on which would hang all his rings and the large -diamond studs that he wore on his shirt front. - -"Jesus! How smart our Morena[98] will be," said they often, speaking of -the Virgin. "Seño Juan intends to pay for everything. It will make half -Seville rage!" - -When the espada was questioned about it, he smiled modestly. He had -always felt a deep devotion for la Macarena. She was the Virgin of the -suburb in which he was born, besides his poor father had never failed to -walk in the procession as an armed man. It was an honour of which the -family was proud, and had his own position admitted of it he would have -been delighted to put on the helmet and carry the lance, like so many -Gallardos, his forebears, who were now underground. - -This religious popularity flattered him: he was anxious that every one -in the suburb should know about his following the procession, but at the -same time he dreaded the news spreading about the town. He believed in -the Virgin, and he wished to stand well with her, in view of future -dangers; but he trembled when he thought of the derision of his friends -assembled in the cafés and clubs of the Calle de las Sierpes. - -"They will turn me into ridicule if they recognize me," said he. "All -the same, I must try and stand well with everybody." - -On the night of Holy Thursday he went with his wife to the Cathedral to -hear the Miserere. The immensely high Gothic arches had no light but -that of a few wax tapers hung on to the pillars, just sufficient for -the crowd not to be obliged to feel their way. All the people of better -social position were seated in the side chapels behind the iron -gratings, anxious to avoid contact with the perspiring masses pouring -into the nave. - -The choir was in complete darkness, except for a few lights looking like -a starry constellation, for the use of the musicians and singers. The -Miserere of Eslava was sung in this atmosphere of gloom and mystery. It -was a gay and graceful Andalusian Miserere like the fluttering of doves' -wings, with tender romances like love serenades, and choruses like -drinkers' rounds, full of that joy of life, which made the people -forgetful of death, and rebel against the gloom of the Passion. - -When the voice of the tenor had ended its last romance, and the wails in -which he apostrophised "Jerusalem! Jerusalem!" were lost in the vaults, -the crowd dispersed, much preferring the liveliness of the streets, as -gay as a theatre, with their electric lights, and the rows of chairs on -the pavements, and wooden stages in the Plazas. - -Gallardo returned home quickly to put on his Nazarene dress. Señora -Angustias had prepared his clothes with a tenderness which carried her -back to her youthful days. Ay! her poor dear husband! who on that night -would don his bellicose array, and shouldering his lance, would leave -the house, not to return till the following day, his helmet knocked in, -his "tonelete"[99] a mass of filth, having camped with his brethren in -every tavern in Seville. - -The espada was as careful of his underclothing as a woman, and he put on -his "Nazarene" dress with the same scrupulous care as he did his -fighting costume. First he put on his silk stockings and patent leather -shoes, then the white satin robe his mother had made for him, and above -this the high pointed hood of green velvet, which fell over his -shoulders and face like a mask, and hung down in front like a chasuble -as far as his knees. On one side of the breast the coat of arms of the -brotherhood was delicately embroidered in variegated colours. The torero -having put on his white gloves took the tall staff which was a sign of -dignity in the brotherhood. It was a long staff covered with green -velvet, with a silver top, and pointed at the end with the same metal. - -As Gallardo took his way through the narrow street on his way to San Gil -he met the company of "Jews," that is to say, of armed men, fierce -soldiers, their faces framed by their helmets' metal chin strap, wearing -wine-coloured tunics, flesh-coloured cotton stockings and high sandals, -round their waists was fastened the Roman sword, and over their -shoulders, like a modern gun strap, was the cord which supported their -lances. These soldiers, young and old, marched to the roll of drums and -carried a Roman banner with the senatorial inscription. - -An imposingly magnificent personage swaggered sword in hand at the head -of this troup. Gallardo recognised him as he passed. - -"Curse him!" said he, laughing beneath his mask. "No one will pay any -attention to me. This 'gacho' will carry off all the palms to-night." - -It was Captain Chivo, a gipsy singer, who had arrived that morning from -Paris, faithful to his military discipline, to put himself at the head -of his soldiers. - -To fail in this duty would have been to forfeit the title of Captain, -which El Chivo ostentatiously displayed on every music-hall placard in -Paris, where he and his daughters danced and sang. These girls were as -lively as lizards, graceful of movement, with large eyes, and a delicacy -of colouring and suppleness of figure which drove men mad. The eldest -had had the good fortune to run away with a Russian prince, and the -Parisian papers for days were full of the despair "of that brave officer -of the Spanish army," who intended to avenge his honour by shooting the -fugitives. In a theatre on the boulevards a piece had been hastily -mounted, on the "Flight of the Gipsy," with dances of toreros, choruses -of friars, and other scenes of faithful local colouring. El Chivo soon -compromised with his left-handed son-in-law in consideration of -pocketing a good indemnity, and continued dancing in Paris with the -other girls in hopes of another Russian prince. His rank as Captain made -many foreigners, well informed as to what was going on in Spain, -thoughtful. Ah! Spain! ... a decadent country which does not pay its -noble soldiers, and forces its hidalgos to send their daughters on the -stage. - -On the approach of Holy Week, Captain Chivo could no longer bear his -absence from Seville, so he took farewell of his daughters with the air -of a severe and uncompromising "pére noble." - -"My children, I am going.... Mind that you are good ... observe -propriety and decency.... My company is waiting for me. What would they -say if their Captain failed them?" - -He thought with pride as he travelled from Paris to Seville of his -father and grandfather, who had been captains of the Jews of la -Macarena, and that to himself fresh glory accrued through this -inheritance from his forefathers. - -He had once drawn a prize of ten thousand pesetas in the National -Lottery, and the whole of this sum he had spent on a uniform suitable to -his rank. The gossips of the suburb rushed to have a look at the -Captain, dazzling in his gold embroideries, wearing a burnished metal -corselet, a helmet over which flowed a cascade of white feathers, and -whose brilliant steel reflected all the light of the procession. It was -the fantastic magnificence of a red skin; a princely dress, of which a -drunken Auracanian might have dreamt. The women fingered the velvet -kilt, admiring its embroideries of nails, hammers, thorns, in fact all -the attributes of the Passion. His boots seemed trembling at every step -from the flashing brilliancy of the spangles and paste jewels which -covered them. Below the white plumes of the helmet, which seemed to make -his dark Moorish colouring darker still, the gipsy's grey whiskers could -be seen. This was not military. The Captain himself nobly admitted it. -But he was returning to Paris, and something must be conceded to art. - -Turning his head with warlike pride and fixing his eyes on the legionary -eagle, he shouted: - -"Attention! let no one leave the ranks! ... observe decency and -discipline!" - -The company advanced, marching slowly, stiffly and solemnly to the -rubadub of the drum. In every street were many taverns, and before their -doors stood boon companions, their hats well back, and their waistcoats -open, who had lost count of the innumerable glasses they had drunk in -commemoration of the Lord's death. - -As they saw the imposing warrior come along they hailed him, holding up -from afar glasses of fragrant amber-coloured wine. The Captain -endeavoured to conceal his inward perturbation, turning his eyes away, -and holding himself up even more rigidly inside his metal corselet. If -only he had not been on duty!... - -Some friends more pressing than the others, crossed the street to push -the glass under the plumed helmet; but the incorruptible centurion drew -back, presenting the point of his sword. Duty was duty. This year at -all events it should not be as other years, in which the company had -fallen into disorder and disarray almost as soon as they had started. - -The streets soon became real Ways of Bitterness for Captain Chivo. He -was so hot in his armour, surely a little wine would not destroy -discipline; so he accepted a glass, and then another, and soon the -company were moving along with gaps in their ranks, strewing the way -with stragglers, who stopped at every tavern they passed. - -The procession marched with traditional slowness, waiting hours at every -crossway. It was only twelve at night, and la Macarena would not have to -return home till twelve the following day; it took her longer to go -through the streets of Seville than it took to go from Seville to -Madrid. - -First of all advanced the paso of "The Sentence of our Lord Jesus -Christ," a platform covered with figures, representing Pilate seated on -a golden throne, surrounded by soldiers in coloured kilts and plumed -helmets, guarding the sorrowful Jesus, ready to march to execution, in a -tunic of violet velvet with resplendent embroideries, and three golden -rays, representing the three Persons of the Trinity, appearing above His -crown of thorns. But this paso in spite of its many figures and the -richness of its decoration did not rivet the attention of the crowd. It -seemed dwarfed by the one following it, that of the Queen of the popular -suburbs, the miraculous Virgin of Hope, la Macarena. - -When this Virgin with her pink cheeks and long eye-lashes appeared, -beneath a canopy of velvet, which swayed with every step of the -concealed carriers, a deafening acclamation rose from the populace -assembled in the Plaza. Ah! how beautiful she was; the Queen of Heaven! -A beauty which never aged! - -Her splendid mantle, of immense length, with a wide reticulated gold -border like the meshes of a net, extended a long way behind the paso, -like a gigantic peacock's folded tail. Her eyes shone, as if they were -moistened with tears at the joyous welcome of the faithful. The image -was covered with flashing jewels, like a brilliant armour over the -velvet dress. They were in hundreds, possibly thousands! She seemed -covered with shining rain drops, flaming with every colour of the -rainbow. From her neck hung rows of pearls, gold chains on which -hundreds of rings were strung, and all the front of her dress was plated -with gold watches, pendents of emeralds and brilliants, and ear-rings as -large as pebbles. All the devotees lent their jewels for the Santisima -Macarena to wear on her progress, and the women showed their -unornamented hands on that night of religious mourning, delighted that -the Mother of God should be wearing those jewels which were their pride. -The public knew them, for they saw them every year; they could tell all -the tale of them, and point out any novelties; and they knew that the -ornaments the Virgin wore on her breast hanging on a gold chain belonged -to Gallardo the torero. - -Gallardo himself, with his face covered, leaning on the staff of -authority, walked in front of the paso with the dignitaries of the -brotherhood. Others carried long trumpets hung with gold-fringed green -banners. Now and again they put them to their lips through a slit in -their masks, and a heart-rending funereal trumpeting broke the silence. -But this horrifying roar woke no echo in the hearts of the people, the -soft Spring night with its perfume of orange flowers was too sweet and -smiling; in vain the trumpets roared funereal marches, or the singers -wept as they sang the sacred verses, or the soldiers marched frowning -like veritable executioners, the Spring night smiled, spreading the -perfume of its thousand flowers, and no one thought of death. - -The inhabitants of the suburbs swarmed in disorder round the Virgin, -small shopkeepers, with their dishevelled wives, dragging tribes of -children along by the hand on this excursion which would last till dawn; -young men with their black curls flattened over their ears flourishing -sticks as if some one intended to insult la Macarena, and their strong -arms would be required for her protection, crowds of men and women -flattening themselves between the enormous paso and the walls in the -narrow streets. "Olé! La Macarena!... The first Virgin of the world!" - -Every fifty paces the saintly platform was stopped. There was no hurry, -the night was long. In many cases the Virgin was stopped so that people -could look at her at their ease; every tavern keeper also requested a -halt in front of his establishment. - -A man would cross the road towards the leaders of the paso. - -"Here! Hi! Stop!... Here is the first singer in the world who wants to -sing a 'saeta' to the Virgin." - -The "first singer in the world," leaning on a friend, with unsteady legs -and passing on his glass to some one else, would, after coughing, pour -forth the full torrent of his hoarse voice, of which the roulades -obscured the clearness of the words. Before he had half ended his slow -ditty another voice would begin, and then another, as if a musical -contest were established; some sang like birds, others were hoarse like -broken bellows, others screamed with piercing yells, most of the singers -remained hidden in the crowd, but others proud of their voice and style -planted themselves in the middle of the roadway in front of la Macarena. - -The drums beat and the trumpets continued their gloomy blasts, everybody -sang at once, their discordant voices mixing with the deafening -instruments, but no one ever got confused, each one sang straight -through his saeta without hesitation as if they were all deaf to other -sounds, keeping their eyes steadily fixed on the image. - -In front of the paso walked barefoot a young man dressed in a purple -tunic and crowned with thorns. He was bending beneath the weight of a -heavy cross twice as high as himself, and when the paso resumed its way -after a long pause, charitable souls helped him to readjust his burden. - -The women groaned with compassion as they saw him. Poor fellow! with -what holy fervour he fulfilled his penance. All in the suburb remembered -his criminal sacrilege! That cursed wine which was men's undoing. - -Three years before on the morning of Good Friday, when la Macarena was -on her way back to her church, this poor sinner, who in point of fact -was a very good sort of fellow, after wandering about the streets all -night with his friends, had stopped the procession in front of a tavern -in the market place. He sang to the Virgin, and then fired by holy -enthusiasm broke out into compliments. Olé! the beautiful Macarena! He -loved her more than his sweetheart! In order to display his devotion he -wished to throw at her feet what he held in his hand, thinking that it -was his hat, but unfortunately it was a glass which smashed itself on -the Virgin's face.... He was carried off weeping to prison. He did love -la Macarena just as if she were his mother! It was all that cursed wine -which took men's wits away! He trembled at the thought of the years of -jail awaiting him for this disrespect to religion, and he wept so -effectually that even those who were most indignant with him ended by -pleading in his favour, and everything was settled on his giving a -promise to perform some extraordinary penance as a warning to other -sinners. - -He dragged along the cross, perspiring and gasping, shifting the place -of the heavy weight when his shoulders became bruised by the sorrowful -burden. His comrades pitied him, and offered him glasses of wine, not by -way of mockery of his penance, but from sheer compassion. He was -fainting from fatigue, he ought to refresh himself. - -But he turned his eyes from the longed-for refreshments towards the -Virgin, taking her as witness of his martyrdom. Never mind, he would -drink well, without fear, next day when la Macarena was safely lodged in -her church. - -The paso was still in the suburb of la Feria, while the head of the -procession had reached the centre of Seville. The green-hooded brothers -and the company of armed men marched forward with warlike astuteness. It -was a question of occupying la Campana, and so gaining possession of the -entrance to the Calle de las Sierpes,[100] before any other brotherhood -could present itself. Once the vanguard were in possession of this point -they could wait quietly for hours till the Virgin arrived, enjoying the -angry protests of other brotherhoods, quite inferior people, whose -images could in no way compare with their Macarena, and who were -therefore obliged to take up a humble position behind her. - -Often the rabble escorting the different pasos came to blows, heads were -broken, and one or two lads were hurried off to prison or to the nearest -chemist's shop. Meanwhile Captain Chivo had executed his great strategic -movement, occupying la Campana up to the entrance of the Calle de las -Sierpes, to the noisy and triumphant roll of his drums. There is no -thoroughfare here! Long live the Virgin of la Macarena! - -The Calle de las Sierpes was turned into a saloon, its balconies were -full of people, electric lights hung across it from house to house, all -the cafés and shops were illuminated, heads filled every window, and -crowds of people sat on the rows of chairs placed against the walls, on -which they stood up whenever a roll of drums or the blast of trumpets -announced the coming of any paso. - -That night no one in the town slept, even old ladies of regular habits -waited now till dawn to watch the innumerable processions. - -Although it was now three in the morning, nothing indicated the lateness -of the hour. People were feasting in the cafés and taverns, succulent -odours escaped through the doors of the fried fish shops; in the centre -of the street itinerant sellers of drinks and sweets had established -themselves, and many families, who only came out on great holidays, had -been there since two o'clock on the previous afternoon, waiting to watch -the endless passing of Virgins of bewildering magnificence, whose velvet -mantles several yards long drew forth cries of admiration, of Redeemers -with golden crowns and tunics of brocade: a whole world of absurd images -in theatrical splendour, about which there was nothing religious beyond -their cadaverous and bloody faces. - -The Sevillians in front of the cafés pointed out the pasos by name to -the foreigners who had come to see this strange Christian ceremony, as -lively as a pagan holiday. - -They enumerated the paso of the Holy Decree, of the Holy Christ of -Silence, of Our Lady of Bitterness, of Jesus with the Cross on His -shoulder, of Our Lady of the Valley, of Our Father Jesus of the Three -Falls, of Our Lady of Tears, of the Lord of a Holy Death, of Our Lady -of the Three Necessities, and all these images were accompanied by their -special Nazarenes, black or white, red, green, blue or violet, all -masked, and preserving their mysterious personality beneath their -pointed hoods. - -The heavy pasos advanced slowly and laboriously through the narrow -streets, but when they emerged into the Plaza de San Francisco, opposite -the boxes raised in front of the Palace of the Ayuntamiento, the pasos -gave a half turn, so that the images might face the seats, and by a -genuflexion performed by their porters salute the illustrious strangers -or Royal personages who had come to see the fiesta. - -Alongside of the pasos walked lads carrying jars of water. As soon as -the platform halted, a corner of the velvet hangings was raised, and -twenty or thirty men appeared, perspiring, half naked, purple with -fatigue, with kerchiefs tied round their heads and the look of exhausted -savages. These were the Gallicians,[101] the strong porters, for any of -that calling were merged in that nationality; they drank the water -greedily, and if there were a tavern at hand mutinied against the -conductor of the paso to obtain wine or food. - -The crowd surged restlessly with eager curiosity in the Calle de las -Sierpes as the pasos of the Macarenos ramp along in a compact procession -accompanied by bands of music. The drums redoubled their beating, the -trumpets roared furiously, all the tumultuous crew from the suburb -shouted and yelled, and every one got up on the chairs in order to see -better this slow but noisy cortége. - -At the door of a café, El Nacional with all his family stood watching -the passing of the brotherhood--"Retrograde superstition!"... But all -the same, he came every year to watch this noisy invasion of the Calle -de las Sierpes by the Macarenos. - -He immediately recognized Gallardo from his magnificent stature, and the -elegance with which he wore the inquisitorial garments. - -"Juanillo," cried he, "make the paso stop. Here are some foreign ladies -who would like to see it close." - -The holy platform stood still, the band broke out into a spirited march, -one of those which delighted the public at the bull-fights, and -immediately the hidden porters of the paso began to lift first one foot -then the other, executing a dance which made the platform sway with -violent oscillations, throwing the surrounding people against the walls. -The Virgin, with all her load of jewels, flowers, lanthorns, and even -the heavy canopy danced up and down to the sound of the music. This was -a spectacle which required immense practise, and of which the Macarenos -were extremely proud. The strong young men of the suburb, holding on to -each side of the paso supported it, following its violent swaying, -while, fired by this display of strength and dexterity, they shouted -"All Seville should see this!... This is splendid! Only the Macarenos -can do this!" - -The brotherhood continued their triumphal march, leaving deserters in -every tavern and fallen all along the streets. When the sun rose it -found them at the extreme opposite end of Seville from their own parish, -and the image and its remaining supporters looked like a dissolute band -returning from an orgy. - -Close to the market place the two pasos stood deserted, while all the -procession took their morning draft in the adjacent taverns, -substituting large glasses of Cazalla aguardiente for country wine. - -Of the brilliant Jewish army nothing remained but miserable relics, as -if they were straggling home after a defeat. The Captain walked with a -sad stagger, his feathery plumes hanging down limp over his livid face, -and his sole idea seemed to be to preserve his magnificent costume from -dirty handling. Respect the uniform! - -Gallardo left the procession soon after sunrise. He thought he had done -quite enough in accompanying the Virgin throughout the night, and -assuredly she would lay it to his account. Besides, this last part of -the fiesta was by far the most trying, till the Macarena returned to her -church about mid-day. The people who got up fresh after a good night's -sleep laughed at the hooded brothers, who looked ridiculous by daylight, -and who moreover bore traces of the drunkenness and dirt of the night. -It would not be prudent for a torero to be seen with this band of -tipplers waiting for them at tavern doors. - -Señora Angustias was waiting for her son in the patio to assist the -Nazarene in removing his garments. He must rest now he had accomplished -his duties towards the Virgin. On Easter Sunday there was a corrida, the -first since his accident. Cursed profession! In which ease of mind was -impossible. And the poor women, after a period of tranquillity, saw all -their anguish and terrors revive. - -Saturday and the morning of Sunday the torero spent in receiving visits -of enthusiastic amateurs who had come to Seville for the Holy Week and -the fair. They all smiled, confident in his future exploits. - -"We shall see how you fight! The 'aficion' has its eyes on you! How are -you with regard to strength?" - -Gallardo did not distrust his vigour. Those winter months in the country -had made him quite robust. He was now quite as strong as before his -"cogida." The only thing that reminded him of his accident when he was -shooting at the farm was a slight weakness in the broken leg. But this -was only noticeable after long walks. - -"I will do my best," murmured Gallardo, with feigned modesty. "I hope I -shall not come out of it badly." - -The manager intervened with the blindness of his faith. - -"You will fight like an angel!... You will put all the bulls in your -pocket!" - -Gallardo's admirers, forgetting the corrida for a moment, spoke about a -piece of news flying round the town. - -On a mountain in the province of Cordoba the civil guards had found a -decomposed body, with the head almost blown to pieces, apparently by a -point blank shot. It was impossible to recognize it, but its clothes, -the carbine, everything in short, made them think it must be Plumitas. - -Gallardo listened silently. He had not seen the bandit since his -accident, but he kept a kindly remembrance of him. His farm people had -told him that twice while he was in danger, Plumitas had called at the -farm to enquire about him. Afterwards, while he was staying there -himself, on several occasions his shepherds and workmen had spoken -mysteriously of Plumitas, who, knowing he was at la Rinconada, had asked -for news of Señor Juan when he met them on the road. - -Poor fellow! Gallardo pitied him as he remembered his predictions. The -civil guards had not killed him. He had been murdered during his sleep; -probably he had been shot by one of his own class, some amateur who -wished to follow in his footsteps. - -His departure for the corrida on Sunday was even more painful than on -former occasions. Carmen did her best to be calm and help Garabato to -dress his master, and Señora Angustias hovered outside the room longing -to see Juanillo once more as if she were going to lose him. - -When Gallardo came out into the patio with his montera on his head, and -his beautiful cape thrown over one shoulder, his mother threw her arms -round his neck and dissolved in tears. She did not utter a word, but her -noisy sighs revealed her thoughts. He was going to fight for the first -time since his accident, and in the same Plaza where it had happened! -The superstitions of this woman of the people rose up against such -imprudence!... Ay! when would he retire from this cursed profession? Had -they not yet money enough? - -But his brother-in-law interfered in his capacity of family adviser. - -Now then, little mother, it was not such a great thing after all, it was -only a corrida like any other. The best they could do was to leave Juan -in peace, and not upset his calmness by this snivelling just as he was -going to the Plaza. - -Carmen was braver, she did not cry, and accompanied her husband to the -door, wishing to encourage him. Now that, in consequence of his -accident, love had revived, and they lived quietly together, she could -not believe that any accident would occur to disturb them. That accident -was God's work, who often brings good out of evil. Juan would fight as -on other occasions and would return home safe and sound. - -"Good luck to you!" - -She watched the departure of the carriage with loving eyes as it drove -away, followed by a crowd of little ragamuffins, delighted at the sight -of the torero's golden clothes. But when the poor woman was alone she -went up to her room, and lighted the tapers before an image of the -Virgin of Hope. - -El Nacional rode in the coach, frowning and gloomy. That Sunday was the -day of the elections, and none of his companions of the cuadrilla had -taken any notice of it. They would do nothing but talk of the death of -Plumitas and the approaching bull-fight. It was too bad to have his -functions as a good citizen, interrupted by this corrida, preventing him -carrying off several friends to the voting urn, who would not go unless -he took them. Don Joselito had been imprisoned, with other friends, on -account of his eloquence on the tribunes, and El Nacional, who wished to -share his martyrdom, had been obliged to put on his gala costume instead -and go off with his master. Was this assault on the liberty of citizens -to remain unnoticed? Would not the people rise?... - -As the coach drove along through la Campana, the toreros saw a large -crowd of people, apparently shouting seditiously and waving their -sticks. The police agents were charging them sword in hand, and a free -fight seemed in progress. - -El Nacional rose from his seat trying to throw himself out of the -carriage. Ah! At last! The moment has come!... The revolution! Now the -populace is rising! - -But his master half laughing, half angry, seized him and pushed him back -in his seat. - -"Don't be an idiot, Sebastian! You only see revolutions and hobgoblins -everywhere!" - -The rest of the cuadrilla laughed as they guessed the truth. The noble -people, being unable to obtain tickets for the corrida at the office in -la Campana were trying to take it by storm, and set fire to it, being -prevented by the police. El Nacional bent his head sorrowfully. - -"Reaction and ignorance! All the want of knowing how to read and write!" - -A noisy ovation awaited them as they arrived at the Plaza, and frantic -rounds of clapping greeted the procession of the cuadrilla. All the -applause was for Gallardo. The public welcomed his reappearance in the -arena, after that tremendous "cogida" which had been talked of all over -the Peninsula. - -When the time came for Gallardo to kill his first bull, the explosions -of enthusiasm recommenced. Women in white mantillas followed him with -their opera-glasses. He was applauded and acclaimed on the sunny side, -just as much as on the shady side. Even his enemies seemed influenced by -this current of sympathy. Poor fellow! He had suffered so much!... The -whole Plaza was his. Never had Gallardo seen an audience so completely -his own. - -He took off his montera before the presidential chair to give the -"brindis." "Olé! Olé!" Nobody heard a word, but they all yelled -enthusiastically. The applause followed him as he went towards the bull, -ceasing in a silence of expectation as he approached it. - -He unfolded his muleta, standing in front of the animal, but at some -distance, not as in former days, when he fired the people by spreading -the red rag almost on its muzzle. In the silence of the Plaza there was -a movement of surprise, but no one uttered a word. Several times -Gallardo stamped on the ground to excite the beast, who at last attacked -feebly, passing under the muleta, but the torero drew himself on one -side with visible haste. Many on the benches looked at each other. What -did that mean? - -The espada saw El Nacional by his side and a few steps further back -another peon, but he did not shout as formerly, "Every one out of the -way!" - -From the benches arose the sound of sharp discussions. Even the torero's -friends thought some explanation necessary. - -"He still feels his wounds. He ought not to fight. That leg! don't you -see it?" - -The capes of the two peons helped the espada in his passes; the beast -was restless, bewildered by the red cloths, and as soon as it charged -the muleta, some other cape attracted it away from the torero. - -Gallardo, as if he wished to get out of this disagreeable situation, -squared himself with his rapier high, and threw himself on the bull. - -A murmur of absolute stupefaction greeted the stroke. The blade entering -only a third of its length trembled, ready to fly out. Gallardo had -slipped out from between the horns, without driving the blade in up to -the hilt as in former days. - -"The stroke was well placed all the same!" shouted the enthusiasts, -clapping as hard as they could, so that their noise should supply the -place of numbers. - -But the connoisseurs smiled with pity. That lad was going to lose the -only merit he possessed, his nerve and daring. They had seen him -instinctively shorten his arm at the moment of striking the bull with -the rapier, and they had seen him turn his face aside, with that -shrinking of fear which prevents a man looking danger full in the face. - -The rapier rolled on the ground, and Gallardo, taking another, turned -again towards the bull accompanied by his peons. El Nacional's cape was -constantly spread close to him to distract the beast, and the -banderillero's bellowing bewildered it, and made it turn, whenever it -approached Gallardo too closely. - -The second estocade was scarcely more fortunate than the first, as more -than half the blade remained uncovered. - -"He does not lean on it!" They began to shout from the benches. "The -horns frighten him." - -Gallardo opened his arms like a cross in front of the bull, to show the -public behind him, that the bull had had enough and might fall at any -moment. But the animal still remained on foot, moving its head about -uneasily from side to side. - -El Nacional, exciting him with the rag, made him run, taking advantage -of every opportunity to hit him heavily on the neck with his cape with -all the strength of his arm. The populace, guessing his intention, began -to abuse him. He was making the brute run in order that the sword should -fix itself in firmer, and his heavy blows with the cape were to drive it -in deeper. They called him a thief, abusing his mother and other -relations, threatening sticks were flourished on the sunny side, and a -shower of bottles, oranges and any missiles to hand showered down on the -arena, with the intention of striking him, but the good fellow bore all -the insults as if he were blind and deaf, and he continued following up -the bull, happy in fulfilling his duties and saving a friend. - -Suddenly a stream of blood gushed from the brute's mouth, and he quietly -bent his knees, remaining motionless, but still with his head high as if -he intended to rise again and attack. The puntillero came up anxious to -finish him as quickly as possible and get the espada out of the -difficulty. El Nacional helped him by leaning furtively on the sword and -driving it in up to the hilt. - -Unluckily the populace on the sunny side saw this manoeuvre and rose to -their feet transported with rage, howling: - -"Thief! Assassin!" - -They were furious in the name of the poor bull, as if he had not to die -in any case, and they shook their fists threateningly at El Nacional, as -if he had committed some crime under their very eyes, and the -banderillero, ashamed, ended by taking refuge behind the barriers. - -Gallardo in the meanwhile walked towards the president's chair to -salute, while his unreasoning partizans accompanied him with applause as -noisy as it was ill supported. - -"He had no luck," said they, proof against all disillusions. "The -estocades were well placed! No one can deny that." - -The espada stood for a few moments opposite the benches where his most -fervent partizans were seated, and leaning on the barrier he explained, -"It was a very bad bull. There had been no means of making a good job of -it." - -The partizans, with Don José at their head, assented. It was just what -they had thought themselves. - -Gallardo remained the greater part of the corrida by the step of the -barrier, plunged in gloomy thought. It was all very well making these -explanations to his friends, but he felt a cruel doubt in his own mind, -a distrust of his own powers that he had never felt before. - -The bulls seemed to him bigger, and endowed with a "double life," which -made them refuse to die, whereas formerly they had fallen under his -rapier with miraculous facility. Indubitably they had loosed the worst -of the herd for him, to do him an evil turn. Some intrigue of his -enemies most probably. - -Other suspicions, too, rose confusedly from the depths of his mind, but -he scarcely dared to drag them out of their darkness and verify them. -His arm seemed shorter at the moment when he presented the rapier in -front of him; formerly it had reached the brute's neck with the -quickness of lightning, now there seemed a fearful and interminable -space that he knew not how to cover. His legs too seemed different. They -seemed to be free and independent of the rest of his body. In vain his -will ordered them to remain calm and firm as in former days, but they -did not obey. They seemed to have eyes which saw the danger, and leapt -aside with exceeding lightness as soon as they felt the brute charging. - -Gallardo turned against the public the rage he felt at his failure, and -his sudden weakness. What did those people want? Was he to let himself -be killed for their pleasure?... Did he not carry marks enough of his -mad daring on his body? He had no need to prove his courage. That he was -still alive was a miracle and owing to celestial intervention, because -God is good, and had listened to the prayers of his mother and his poor -wife. He had seen the fleshless face of Death closer than most people, -and he now knew better than any one the value of living. - -"If you think you are going to have my skin!" he said to himself as he -looked at the crowd. - -In future he would fight much as his companions did. Some days he would -do well, some days ill. After all bull-fighting was only a profession, -and once one had got into the front rank the most important thing was to -live, carrying out one's engagements as best one could. - -When the time came for him to kill his second bull his cogitations had -brought him into a calmer frame of mind. There was no animal that could -kill him! All the same, he would do what he could not to get within -reach of the horns. - -As he went towards the bull, he carried himself with the same proud -bearing as on his best afternoons. - -"Out of the way, everybody!" - -The audience rustled with a murmur of satisfaction. He had said ... "Out -of the way, everybody!" He was going to repeat one of his old strokes. - -But what the public hoped for did not happen, neither did El Nacional -cease to follow him with his cape on his arm, guessing with the -knowledge of an old peon, accustomed to the bombast of matadors, the -theatrical hollowness of that order. - -Gallardo spread his cape at some distance from the bull, and began the -passes with visible apprehension, always helped by Sebastian's cape. - -Once when the muleta remained low for an instant, the bull moved as if -intending to charge; he did not, but the espada, over and above alert, -deceived by this movement, took a few steps back, which were real -bounds, flying from an animal which did not intend to attack him. - -This unnecessary retreat placed him in a very ridiculous position, and -the crowd laughed with surprise, and many whistles were heard. - -"Hey! he's catching you!" ... yelled an ironical voice. - -"Poor dear!" cried another in comically feminine tones. - -Gallardo crimsoned with anger. This to him! And in the Plaza of Seville! -He felt the proud heart-throb of his early days, a mad desire to fall -wildly on the bull, and let what God would happen. But his limbs refused -to obey. His arms seemed to think, his legs to see the danger. - -But with a sudden reaction at these insults, the audience themselves -came to his assistance and imposed silence. What a shame to treat a man -like this, who was only just convalescent from his serious wounds! It -was unworthy of the Plaza of Seville! At least let them observe decency! - -Gallardo took advantage of this expression of sympathy to get out of the -difficulty. Approaching the bull sideways he gave him a treacherous and -crossways stroke. The animal fell like a beast at the shambles, a -torrent of blood rushing from his mouth. Some applauded, others -whistled, but the great mass remained gloomily silent. - -"They have loosed you treacherous curs!" cried his manager from his -seat, in spite of the corrida being supplied from the Marquis' herds. -"These are not bulls! We shall see a difference when they are noble -'bichos,' bulls 'of truth.'" - -As he left the Plaza, Gallardo could gauge the discontent of the people -by their silence. Many groups passed him, but not a salutation, not an -acclamation, such as he had always received on his lucky days. - -The espada tasted for the first time the bitterness of failure. Even his -banderilleros were frowning and silent like defeated soldiers. But when -he got home and felt his mother's arms round his neck, and the caresses -of Carmen and the little nephews, his sadness vanished. Curse it all!... -The really important thing was to live that the family should be quiet -and happy, and to earn the public's money without any foolhardiness, -which must lead to death. - -On the following days he recognized the necessity of showing himself, -and of talking with his friends in the people's cafés and in the clubs -of the Calle de las Sierpes. He thought that his presence would impose a -courteous silence on evil speakers, and cut short commentaries on his -fiasco. He spent whole afternoons amid the poorer aficionados whom he -had neglected for so long, while he cultivated the friendship of the -richer class. Afterwards he went to the "Forty-five," where his manager -was enforcing his opinions by shouts and thumps, maintaining as ever the -superiority of Gallardo. - -Excellent Don José! His enthusiasm was immutable, bomb proof. It never -could occur to him that his matador could possibly cease to be as he had -always been. He did not offer a single criticism on his fiasco; on the -contrary, he himself endeavoured to find excuses, mingling with them the -comfort of his good advice. - -"You still feel your 'cogida.' What I say is: 'You will all see him, -when he is quite cured, and then you will give me news of him.' Do as -you did formerly. Go straight to the bull with that courage which God -has given you, and Zas! plunge the blade in up to the cross ... and you -put him in your pocket." - -Gallardo assented with an enigmatic smile.... Put the bulls in his -pocket! He wished for nothing better. But ay! lately they had become so -big and so intractable! They had grown so enormously since he last trod -the arena! - -Gambling was Gallardo's consolation, making him forget his anxieties for -the moment; and with fresh energy he returned to the green table to lose -his money, surrounded by his former friends, who did not care in the -least about his failures as long as he was an "elegant" torero. - -One night they all went to supper at the inn at Eritana, a festivity -given in honour of some foreign ladies of gay life, with whom some of -the young men had become acquainted in Paris. They had come to Seville -in order to see the festival of the Holy Week and the fair, and were -anxious to see all that was most picturesque in the place. - -Consequently they wished to become acquainted with the celebrated -torero, the most elegant of all the espadas, that Gallardo whose -portrait they had so often admired in popular prints and on the tops of -match-boxes. - -The gathering was held in the large dining-room of Eritana, a pavilion -in the gardens, decorated in extremely bad taste with vulgar imitations -of the Moorish splendours of the Alhambra. - -Gallardo was greeted as a demigod by these three women, who, ignoring -their other friends, quarrelled for the honour of sitting beside him. In -a way they reminded him of the absent one, with their golden hair and -elegant dresses, and their all-pervading perfumes produced a kind of -bewilderment. - -The presence of his friends helped to make the remembrance still more -vivid. All were friends of Doña Sol, many even belonged to her family, -and he had come to look on these as relations. - -They all ate and drank with that almost savage voracity usual at -nocturnal feasts, where every one goes with the fullest intention of -exceeding in everything, a gipsy band stationed at the further end of -the room intoning their somewhat melancholy songs, varied by sprightly -dance music, added to the general hilarity. - -By midnight all were more or less tipsy, but Gallardo in his cups was -sad and gloomy. Ay! for that other one ... for the real gold of her -hair! The golden hair of these women was artificial, their skin was -thick and coarse, hardened by cosmetics, and through all their perfumes -his imagination detected an atmosphere of innate vulgarity. Ay! for that -other one ... that other one. - -Gallardo drank deeper and deeper, and the women who had quarrelled for a -place by his side, finding him dull and unresponsive, now turned their -backs with insulting taunts on his gloom. The guitarists scarcely played -any longer, but, overcome with wine, bent drowsily over their -instruments. - -The torero was also nearly falling asleep on a bench, when one of his -friends offered to give him a lift home in his carriage; he was obliged -to leave early so as to be home before the old Countess, his mother, -arose to hear Mass, as she did daily, at dawn. - -The night wind did not disperse the torero's drunkenness. When his -friend dropped him at the corner of his own street, Gallardo turned with -unsteady steps towards his house. Close to the door he stopped, leaning -against the wall with both hands, resting his head on his arms as though -he could no longer endure the weight of his thoughts. - -He had completely forgotten his friends, the supper at Eritana, and the -painted strangers, who had begun by quarrelling for him and who had -ended by insulting him. Some memory of the other one still floated -through his mind, that always! ... but vaguely, and at last that, too, -faded. Now his thoughts, by one of the capricious turns of drunkenness, -were entirely filled by memories of the bull-ring. - -He was the first Matador in the world. Olé! so his manager and his -friends declared, and it was the truth. His enemies would see a fine -sight when he returned to the Plaza. What had happened the other day was -only an accident, a trick that bad luck had played him. - -Proud of the overpowering strength that the excitement of wine had -momentarily given him, he imagined all the Andalusian and Castillian -bulls to be like feeble goats that he could overthrow with a single blow -from his hand. - -What had happened the other day was really nothing. Rubbish!... As El -Nacional said, "From the best singer there sometimes escapes a -cock-crow." - -And this proverb, heard from the lips of many venerable patriarchs of -his profession on days of disaster, inspired him with an irresistible -desire to sing, to fill the silence of the street with his voice. - -With his head still leaning on his arms, he began to croon a verse of -his own composition, one of overweening praise of his own merit. - -"I am Juaniyo Gallardo.... - -Who has more c ... c ... courage than God," and being unable to -improvise more in his own honour, he repeated the same words again and -again in a hoarse and monotonous voice, which disturbed the silence, and -made an invisible dog at the end of the street bark. - -It was the paternal inheritance springing up afresh in him; that singing -mania which had always accompanied Señor Juan in his weekly outbreaks. - -The door of the house opened, and Garabato pushed out his sleepy head, -to have a look at the toper whose voice he thought he recognised. - -"Ah! is that you?" said the espada, "wait a bit while I sing the last." - -And he repeated several times the incomplete ditty in honour of his own -bravery, till at last he made up his mind to go into the house. - -He felt no desire to go to bed. Guessing his condition he put off the -time when he would have to go up to his own room, where Carmen would -probably be awake and waiting for him. - -"Go to sleep, Garabato; I have a great many things to do." - -He did not know what they were, but he was attracted by the look of his -office, with its decoration of life-like portraits, frontals won from -bulls, and placards proclaiming his fame. - -When the electric light was turned on and the servant moved away, -Gallardo stood swaying unsteadily on his legs in the middle of the room, -casting admiring glances over the walls, as though he were contemplating -for the first time this museum of his triumphs. - -"Very good. Very good, indeed!" he murmured. "That handsome fellow is -me, and that other one too, all of them! And yet some people say of -me.... Curse it all! I am the first man in the world. Don José says so, -and he speaks the truth." - -He threw his sombrero on to a divan, as if he were divesting himself of -a glorious crown which oppressed his brow, and went staggering to lean -with both hands on the writing bureau, fixing his eyes on the enormous -bull's head which decorated the further end of the office. - -"Hola! Good night, my fine fellow!... What are you doing here?... Muu! -Muu!" - -He saluted the head with bellowings, imitating childishly the lowing of -the bulls on their pastures and in the Plaza. He did not recognize it; -he could not remember why the shaggy head with its threatening horns -should be there. But by degrees the memory came back to him. - -"I know, you rascal.... I remember how you made me rage that afternoon. -The crowd whistled at me and pelted me with bottles ... they even -insulted my poor mother, and you! ... you were so pleased!... How you -did enjoy it! Eh, shameless one?"... - -His drunken glance thought he saw the brightly varnished muzzle twitch, -and the glass eyes flash with peals of concentrated laughter; he even -thought that the horned head was nodding an acknowledgment to his -question. - -The drunken man up to now smiling and good humoured, suddenly felt his -anger rise at the remembrance of that afternoon's disgrace. And was that -evil beast still laughing at it?... Those bulls with perverse minds, so -cunning and reflective, were the evil causes of a worthy man being -insulted and turned into ridicule. Ay! how Gallardo hated them! What a -glance of hatred was his as he fixed it on the glassy eyes of the horned -head. - -"Are you still laughing, you son of a dog? Curse you, rascal! Cursed be -the dam that bore you, and the thief your master who grazed you on the -pastures! Would to God he were in jail.... Are you still laughing? Still -making grimaces at me?" - -Impelled by his ungovernable rage, he leant over the desk, and -stretching out his arm opened a drawer. Then he drew himself up erect, -and raised one hand towards the head. - -Pum! Pum ... two revolver shots. - -In the twinkling of an eye one of the electric globes was smashed to -fragments, and in the bull's forehead a round black hole appeared -surrounded by singed hair. - - N.B.--This anecdote is related as true of Frascuelo. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[96] Large platforms with life-size figures carved in wood and -magnificently dressed, representing scenes from the life of Jesus--or -the Virgin Mary, or the Apostles. Each parish sends two. The figures are -ancient and often by eminent artists. - -[97] Lit.--an arrow, a song of three verses sometimes improvised. - -[98] Dark one. - -[99] Ancient armour, from the waist to the knees. - -[100] The Calle de las Sierpes is a broad paved street through which -there is no vehicular traffic; it leads out of la Campana, which is the -upper end of the long straggling Plaza de San Francisco. - -[101] A class like the French-Auvergnat water-carriers. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -In the middle of spring the temperature suddenly fell, with the violent -extremes of the uncertain and fickle Madrid climate. - -It was very cold. A grey sky poured down torrents of rain, mingled with -flakes of snow, and people who were already dressed in their light -clothes, opened boxes and cupboards in search of cloaks and wraps. - -For two weeks there had been no function in the Plaza de Toros. The -Sunday corrida had been fixed for the first weekday on which it should -be fine. The manager, the employés of the Plaza and the innumerable -amateurs whom this enforced inaction put out of temper, watched the sky -with the anxiety of peasants who are fearing for their harvest. A slight -rent in the sky or the appearance of a few stars as they left their -cafés at midnight raised their spirits. - -"The weather is lifting.... We shall have a corrida the day after -to-morrow." - -But the clouds rolled together again, and the leaden sky continued to -pour down its torrents. The aficionados were furious with the weather, -which seemed to have set itself against the national sport. Horrid -climate! which made even corridas impossible. - -Gallardo had, therefore, a fortnight of enforced rest. His cuadrilla -complained bitterly of the inaction. In any other town in Spain the men -would have resigned themselves to the detention, because the espada paid -all their hotel expenses in every place but Madrid. It was a bad custom -initiated by former maestros living near the capital. It was supposed -that the proper domicile of every real torero was in la Corte,[102] and -the poor peons and picadors, who lodged in a boarding-house kept by the -widow of a banderillero, eked out their existence by all sorts of petty -economies, smoking but little, and standing outside the café doors. They -thought of their families with the avarice of men who only receive a few -coins in exchange for their blood. By the time these two corridas had -come off they would already have devoured their earnings in -anticipation. - -The espada was equally ill-humoured in the solitude of his hotel, not on -account of the weather, but on account of his ill luck. - -He had fought his first corrida in Madrid with deplorable results, and -the public were quite different to him. He still had many partizans of -unquenchable faith, who rose in arms for his defence, but even those -enthusiasts, so noisy and aggressive the previous year, now showed a -certain reserve, and when they found occasion to applaud him they did so -timidly. On the other hand, his enemies and the great mass of the -populace always anxious for danger and death, how unjust they were in -their judgments!... How ready to insult him!... What was tolerated in -other matadors seemed vetoed for him. - -They had seen him full of courage, throwing himself blindly into danger, -and so they wished him to be always, till death should cut short his -career. He had played almost suicidally with fate, when he was anxious -to make a name for himself, and now people could not reconcile -themselves to his prudence. Insults were always hurled at any attempt at -self preservation. As certainly as he spread the muleta at a certain -distance from the bull, so certainly the protests broke forth. He did -not throw himself on the bull! He was afraid! And it was sufficient for -him to throw himself one step back for the people to greet this -precaution with filthy insults. - -The news of what had happened in Seville at the Easter corrida seemed to -have circulated throughout Spain. His enemies were taking their revenge -for long years of envy and jealousy. His professional companions whom he -had often forced into danger from a feeling of emulation now babbled -with hypocritical expressions of pity about Gallardo's decadence. His -courage had given out! His last cogida had made him over prudent. And -the audience, influenced by these rumours, now fixed their eyes on the -torero as soon as he entered the Plaza, predisposed to find anything he -did bad, just as previously they had applauded even his faults. - -The fickleness so characteristic of mobs had much to say to this change -of opinion. The people were tired of watching Gallardo's courage, and -now they enjoyed watching his fear--or his prudence--as if it made -themselves the braver. - -The public never thought he was close enough to his bull. He must throw -himself better on it! And when he, overcoming by sheer strength of will -that nervousness which longed to fly from danger, had succeeded in -killing a bull as in former days, the ovation was neither so prolonged -nor so vehement. He seemed to have broken the current of enthusiasm -which had formerly existed between himself and the populace. His scanty -triumphs only served to make the people worry him with lectures and -advice. That was the way to kill! You ought always to kill like that! -Great cheat! - -His faithful partizans recognized his failures, but they excused them, -speaking of the former exploits performed by the espada on his lucky -afternoons. - -"He is somewhat over careful," they said. "He seems tired. But when he -wishes!"... - -Ay! but Gallardo always wished. Why could he not do well and gain the -applause of the populace? But his successes, that the aficionados -thought a caprice of his will, were really the work of chance or of a -happy conjunction of circumstances, of that heart-throb of the olden -days which now he so very seldom felt. - -In many of the provincial Plazas he had been whistled, the people on the -sunny side insulted him by the tooting of horns and the ringing of cow -bells whenever he delayed in killing a bull, by giving it half-hearted -estocades which did not make it bend its knees. - -In Madrid the people waited for him "with their claws," as he said. As -soon as the spectators of the first corrida saw him pass the bull with -the muleta, and enter to kill, the row broke out. That lad from Seville -had been changed! That was not Gallardo; it was some one else. He -shortened his arm, he turned away his face; he ran with the quickness of -a squirrel, putting himself out of reach of the bull's horns, without -the calmness to stand quietly and wait for him. They noted a deplorable -loss of courage and strength. - -That corrida was a fiasco for Gallardo, and in the evening assemblies of -the aficionados the affair was much canvassed. The old people who -thought everything in the present day was bad spoke of the cowardice of -modern toreros. They presented themselves with mad daring, but as soon -as they felt the touch of a horn on their flesh ... they were done for! - -Gallardo, obliged to rest in consequence of the bad weather, waited -impatiently for the second corrida, with the fullest intention of -performing great exploits. He was much pained at the wound inflicted on -his amour-propre by the ridicule of his enemies; if he returned to the -provinces with the bad reputation of a fiasco in Madrid he was a lost -man. He would master his nervousness, vanquish that dread which made him -shrink and fancy the bulls larger and more formidable. He considered his -strength quite equal to accomplish the same deeds as before. It was true -there still remained a slight weakness in his arm and in his leg, but -that would soon pass off. - -His manager suggested his accepting a very advantageous contract for -certain Plazas in America, but he refused. No, he could not cross the -seas at present. He must first show Spain that he was the same espada as -heretofore. Afterwards he would consider the propriety of undertaking -that journey. - -With the anxiety of a popular man who feels his prestige broken, -Gallardo frequented the places where all the aficionados assembled. He -went often to the Café Ingles, which the partisans of the Andalusian -toreros frequented, thinking his presence would silence all unpleasant -remarks. He himself, modest and smiling, began the conversation, with a -humility that disarmed even the most irreconcilable. - -"It is quite certain I did not do well, I quite recognize it. But you -will see at the next corrida, when the weather clears.... I will do what -I can." - -He did not dare to enter certain cafés in the Puerta del Sol, where -aficionados of a lower class assembled. They were thorough-going -Madrileños, inimical to Andalusian bull-fighting, and resentful that all -the matadors came from Seville and Cordoba, while the capital seemed -unable to produce a glorious representative. The remembrance of -Frascuelo, whom they considered a son of Madrid, lived everlastingly in -those assemblies. Many of them had not been to the Plaza for years, not -in fact since the retirement of "El Negro." Why should they? They were -quite content to read the reports in the papers, being convinced that -since Frascuelo's death there were neither bulls nor toreros, Andalusian -lads and nothing more, dancers who made grimaces with their capes and -their bodies, but did not know how to stand and "receive" a bull with -dignity. - -Now and again a slight breath of hope revived them. Madrid was soon -going to have its own great matador. They had discovered in the suburbs -a "novillero," who had already done good work in the Plazas of Vallecas -and Tetuan, and had fought in the Madrid Plaza at the cheap Sunday -afternoon corridas. - -His name was becoming popular. In all the barbers' shops the greatest -triumphs were predicted for him, but somehow or other those prophecies -were never fulfilled, either the aspirant fell a victim to a mortal -"cogida" or dropped into being one of the loafers in the Plaza del Sol, -who aired their pigtails while they waited for imaginary contracts, and -the aficionados were free to turn their attention to other rising stars. - -Gallardo did not dare to approach the tauromachic demagogy, whom he knew -had always hated him and were rejoicing at his decadence. Most of them -would not go to see him in the circus, nor admire any torero of the -present day. Their expected Messiah must arrive before they returned to -the Plaza. - -In order to distract his mind Gallardo would wander in the evenings -through the Puerta del Sol, and allow himself to be accosted by those -bull-fighting vagabonds who assembled there, boasting of their exploits; -they were all smart, well dressed, with a marvellous display of -imitation jewellery. They all saluted him respectfully as "Maestro" or -"Seño Juan"; some were honest fellows enough, who hoped to make a name -for themselves, and maintain their families by something more than -workmen's wages, others were less scrupulous, but all ended by borrowing -a few pesetas from him. - -In addition to the amusement offered by those would-be toreros, he was -much diverted by the importunity of an admirer who pestered him with his -projects. This man was a tavern-keeper at Las Ventas, a rough Galician -of powerful build, short-necked and high-coloured, who had made a little -fortune in his shop where soldiers and servants went to dance on -Sundays. - -He had only one son, small of stature, and feeble in constitution, whom -his father destined to be one of the great lights of tauromachia. The -tavern-keeper, a great admirer of Gallardo and of all celebrated -espadas, had quite made up his mind to this. - -"The lad is worth something," he said. "You know, Señor Juan, that I -understand something about these matters, and I am quite willing to -spend a bit of money to give him a profession ... but he wants a -'padrino'[103] if he is to be pushed, and there could be no one better -than yourself. If you would only arrange a novillada in which the -youngster could kill! Crowds of people would go, and I would bear all -the expenses." - -This readiness to "bear all the expenses" to help the lad on in his -career had already caused the tavern-keeper heavy losses. But he still -persisted, being supported by that commercial spirit which made him -overlook the failures, in the hope of the enormous gains his son would -make when he was a full-fledged matador. - -The poor boy, who in his early years had shown a passion for -bull-fighting, like most boys of his class, now found himself a prisoner -to his father's tyrannical will. The latter had thoroughly believed in -his vocation, thinking the boy's want of dash, laziness; and his fear, -want of enterprise. A cloud of parasites, low class amateurs, obscure -toreros whose only remembrances of the past were their pigtails, who -drank gratuitously at the tavern-keeper's expense, and begged small -loans in return for their advice, formed a kind of deliberative -assembly, whose object was to make known to the world this bull-fighting -star, now lying hidden in Las Ventas. - -The tavern-keeper, without consulting his son, had organized corridas in -Tetuan and Vallecas, always "bearing all the expenses." These outlying -Plazas were open to all those who wished to be gored or trampled by -bulls, under the eyes of a few hundred spectators. But those amusements -were not to be had for nothing. To enjoy the pleasure of being rolled -over in the sand, to have his breeches torn to rags, and his body -covered with blood and dirt, it was necessary to pay for all the seats -in the Plaza, the diestro or his representative undertaking to -distribute the tickets. - -The enthusiastic father filled all the places with his friends, -distributing the entrances amongst comrades of the guild, or poor -amateurs of the sport. Moreover, he paid those who formed his son's -cuadrilla lavishly, all vagabonds, peons and banderilleros, recruited -from among the loafers in the Puerta del Sol, who fought in their -everyday clothes, whereas the youngster was resplendent in his gala -costume. Anything for the lad's career! - -"He has a new gala dress made by the best tailor, who dresses Gallardo -and the other matadors. Seven thousand reals it cost me. I think he -ought to be fine in that!... But I would spend my last peseta to get him -on. Ah! if others had a father like me!..." - -The tavern-keeper stood between the barriers during the corrida, -encouraging the espada by his presence, and by the flourishing of a big -stick. Whenever the youngster came to rest by the wall the fat red face -of his father and the big knob of that terrible stick would appear like -terrifying phantoms. - -"Do you think I am spending my money for this? Why are you here giving -yourself airs and graces like a young lady? Have some dash and -enterprise, rascal. Go out into the middle and distinguish yourself. Ay! -if I were only your age and not so stout...." - -When the poor lad stood opposite the novillo, the muleta and rapier in -his hands, with pale face and trembling legs, his father followed all -his evolutions from behind the barrier. He was always before the boy's -eyes like a threatening master, ready to chastise the slightest fault in -the lesson. - -What the poor diestro, dressed in his suit of gold and red silk, most -feared, was his return home on the evenings when his father was frowning -and dissatisfied. - -He would enter the tavern wrapping himself in his rich and glittering -cape, to hide the rags of shirt protruding through rents in his -breeches, all his bones aching with tosses the young bulls had given -him. His mother, a rough, coarse-faced woman, upset by her afternoon's -anxious wait, would run to meet him open armed. - -"Here's this coward!" roared the tavern-keeper. "He is worse than a -'maleta.' And it is for this that I have spent money!" - -The terrible stick was raised furiously, and the golden suited lad, who -just before had murdered two poor little bulls, endeavoured to run away, -shielding his face with his arm, while his mother interposed between the -two. - -"Don't you see he is wounded?" - -"Wounded!" exclaimed the father bitterly, regretting it was not the -case. "That is for 'true' toreros. Put a few stitches in his rags, and -see they are washed.... Just see how they have served the cheat!" - -But in a few days the tavern-keeper had recovered his equanimity. -Anybody might have a bad day. He had seen famous matadors in just as bad -case before the public as his boy. And he forthwith arranged fresh -corridas in Toledo and Guadalajara, he, as before, "paying all the -expenses." - -His novillada in the Madrid Plaza was, according to the tavern-keeper, -one of the most splendid on record. The espada, by a lucky accident, had -killed two young bulls moderately well, and the public, who for the most -part had entered free, applauded the tavern-keeper's son. - -As he came out of the Plaza his father appeared at the head of a noisy -troup of loafers, whom he had collected from all round the -neighbourhood. The tavern-keeper was an honest man in his dealings, and -he had promised to pay them fifty centimes a head if they would shout -"Vive El Manitas"! till they were hoarse, and carry the glorious -novillero on their shoulders as soon as he came out of the circus. - -"El Manitas," still trembling from his recent perils, found himself -surrounded, seized and lifted on to the shoulders of the noisy loafers, -and carried in triumph from the Plaza to Las Ventas, through the Calle -de Alcala, followed by the inquisitive looks of the people on the -tramways, which remorselessly cut through the glorious manifestation. -The father walked along with his stick under his arm, pretending to have -nothing to do with it, but whenever the shouting slackened he forgot -himself and ran to the head of the crowd, like a man who does not think -he is getting his money's worth, himself giving the signal, "Viva -Manitas," when the ovation would recommence with tremendous shouting. - -Many months had passed, and the tavern-keeper was still excited as he -remembered the affair. - -"They brought him back to the house on their shoulders, Señor Juan, just -the same as they have often carried you; forgive me the comparison. You -will see if the youngster is not worth something.... He only wants a -push, for you to give him a helping hand."... - -So Gallardo, to free himself, answered, promising vaguely; possibly he -might manage to direct the novillada, but they could settle that later -on, there was still plenty of time before winter. - -One evening at dusk, as the torero was entering the Calle de Alcala -through the Puerta del Sol he gave a start of surprise. A fair-haired -lady was getting out of a carriage at the door of the Hotel de Paris.... -Doña Sol! A man who looked like a foreigner gave her his hand to -descend, and after speaking a few words walked away, while she entered -the hotel. - -It was Doña Sol. The torero could have no doubt on that point; neither -could he have any doubt as to the relations subsisting between her and -the stranger. So she had looked at him, so she had smiled on him in -those happy days when they rode together over the lonely country in the -crimson light of the setting sun. Curse him! - -He spent an uncomfortable evening with some friends, and afterwards -slept badly; his dreams reproducing many scenes of the past. When he -awoke the dull grey light was coming in through the window, rain mingled -with snow was pouring down in torrents, everything looked black, the -sky, the opposite walls, the muddy pavement, the umbrellas, even the -smart carriages rattling along. - -Eleven o'clock. Suppose he went to see Doña Sol? Why not! The night -before he had angrily rejected this thought. It would be lowering -himself. She had gone away without any explanation, and afterwards, -knowing him to be in danger of death, she had scarcely enquired after -him. Only a telegram just at first, not even a short letter, not even a -line. She who was so fond of writing to her friends. No, he would not go -to see her. - -But his strength of will seemed to have evaporated during the night. Why -not? he asked himself once again. He must see her again. Among all the -women he had known she stood first, attracting him with a strength quite -different from anything he felt for the others. Ay! how much he had felt -that sudden separation! - -His cruel "cogida" in the Plaza of Seville had cut short his amorous -pique. Afterwards his illness, and his tender approximation to Carmen -during his convalescence, had resigned him to his misfortune; but to -forget her ... that--never. He had done his best to forget the past, but -any slight circumstance, a lady on horseback galloping past--a -fair-haired Englishwoman in the street, the constant intercourse with -all those young men who were her relations, everything recalled the -image of Doña Sol! Ay! that woman!... Never should he meet her like -again. Losing her, Gallardo seemed to have gone back in his life, he was -no longer the same. He even attributed to her desertion his fiascos in -his art. When he had her he was braver, but when the fair-haired gachi -left him his ill luck began. He firmly believed that if she returned his -glorious days would also come back. His superstitious heart believed -this most firmly. - -Possibly his longing to see her was a happy inspiration, like those -heart-throbs which had so often carried him on to glory in the circus. -Again, why not? Possibly Doña Sol seeing him again after a long absence -... who could tell!... The first time they had seen each other alone -together it had been so. - -And so Gallardo, trusting in his lucky star, took his way towards the -Hotel de Paris, situated at a short distance from his own. - -He had to wait nearly half an hour on a divan in the hall, under the -curious eyes of the hotel employés and guests, who turned to look at him -as they heard his name. - -Finally a servant showed him into the lift, and took him up to a small -sitting-room on the first floor, from whose windows he could see all the -restless life of the Puerta del Sol. - -At last a little door opened and Doña Sol appeared amid a rustling of -silks, and the delicate perfume which seemed to belong to her fresh pink -skin; radiant in the beautiful summer time of her life. - -Gallardo devoured her with his eyes, looking her up and down as one who -had not forgotten the smallest detail. She was just the same as in -Seville!... No, even more beautiful in his eyes, with the added -temptation of her long absence. - -She was dressed in much the same elegant negligé, with the same strange -jewels as on the night when he had first seen her, with gold embroidered -papouches on her pretty feet. She stretched out her hand with cold -amiability. - -"How are you, Gallardo?... I knew you were in Madrid, for I had seen -you." - -She no longer used the familiar "tu," to which he had responded with the -respectful address of a lover of inferior class. That "usted," which -seemed to make them equals, drove the torero to despair. He had wished -to be as a servant raised by love to the arms of the great lady, and now -he found himself treated with the cold but courteous consideration of an -ordinary friend. - -She explained that she had seen Gallardo, having been at the only -corrida given in Madrid. She had been there with a foreign gentleman, -who wished to know Spanish things: a friend who was accompanying her on -her journey, but who was living at another hotel. - -Gallardo replied by a nod. He knew that foreigner--he had seen him with -her. - -There was a long silence between the two, neither knowing what to say. -Doña Sol was the first to break it. - -She thought the torero looking very well: she remembered vaguely having -heard something about an accident, indeed she was almost sure that she -had sent a telegram to enquire. But, really, with the life she led, with -constant changes of country and new friendships, her memory was in such -a state of confusion!... She thought he looked just the same as ever, -and at the corrida he had seemed proud and strong, although rather -unfortunate. But she did not understand much about bulls. - -"That 'cogida' was not really much?" - -Gallardo felt irritated at the indifferent tone in which that woman made -the enquiry. And he! all the time he was hovering between life and death -he had thought only of her!... With a roughness born of indignation he -told her about his "cogida" and his long convalescence, which had lasted -the whole winter. - -She listened with feigned interest, while her eyes betrayed utter -indifference. What did the misfortune of that bull-fighter signify to -her.... They were accidents of his profession, and as such could be -interesting to himself only. - -As Gallardo spoke of his convalescence at the Grange, his memory -recalled the image of the man who had seen Doña Sol and himself there -together. - -"And Plumitas? Do you remember the poor fellow? They killed him. I do -not know if you heard of it." - -Doña Sol also remembered this vaguely. She had probably read about it in -one of the Parisian papers, which spoke of the bandit as a most -interesting type of picturesque Spain. - -"A poor man," said Doña Sol indifferently. "I scarcely remember him -except as a rough uninteresting peasant. From a distance one judges -things at their true value. What I do remember is the day on which he -breakfasted with us at the farm." - -Gallardo also remembered that day. Poor Plumitas! With what emotion he -took a flower offered by Doña Sol ... because she had given the bandit a -flower as she took leave of him. Did she not remember?... - -Doña Sol's eyes expressed absolute wonder. - -"Are you quite sure?" she asked. "Is that really so? I swear to you I -remember nothing about it.... Ay! that sunny land! Ay! the intoxication -of the picturesque! Ay! the follies they make one commit!..." - -Her exclamations betrayed a kind of repentance, but she burst out -laughing. - -"Very possibly that poor peasant kept that flower till his last moment. -Don't you think so, Gallardo? Don't say 'No.' Probably no one had ever -given him a flower in all his life.... It is quite possible that that -withered flower may have been found on his body, a mysterious -remembrance that no one could explain.... Did you know nothing of this, -Gallardo? Did the papers say nothing?... Be silent, don't say 'No'; do -not dispel my illusions. So it ought to be--I wish it to be so. Poor -Plumitas! How interesting! And I who had forgotten all about the -flower!... I must tell that to my friend, who is thinking of writing a -book about Spanish things." - -The remembrance of that friend, who for the second time in a few moments -came up in the conversation, saddened the torero. - -He looked fixedly for some time at the beautiful woman, with his -melancholy Moorish eyes, which seemed to beg for pity. - -"Doña Sol!... Doña Sol!" murmured he in despairing accents, as if -wishing to reproach her with her cruelty. - -"What is the matter, my friend?" she asked smiling, "what is happening -to you?" - -Gallardo sat with his head bent, half intimidated by the ironical flash -in those clear eyes, shimmering like gold dust. - -Suddenly he sat up like one who has taken a resolution. - -"Where have you been all this time, Doña Sol?" - -"All over the world," she answered simply. "I am a bird of passage. In -numberless towns of which you would not even know the names." - -"And that foreigner who accompanies you is ... is?"... - -"Is a friend," she answered coldly. "A friend who has been kind enough -to accompany me, taking advantage of the opportunity to know Spain; a -clever man who bears an illustrious name. From here we shall go to -Andalusia, when he has done seeing the museums. What more do you wish to -know?" - -This question, so haughtily asked, showed her imperious will to keep the -torero at a distance, and to re-establish social distinctions between -them. Gallardo felt disconcerted. - -"Doña Sol," he moaned ingenuously. "What you have done to me is -unpardonable. You have acted very badly towards me, very badly -indeed.... Why did you fly without saying a single word?" - -"Don't vex yourself like that, Gallardo. What I did was a very good -thing for you. Do you not even yet know me well enough? Could one not -get tired of that time?... If I were a man I would fly from women of my -character. It is suicidal for a man to fall in love with me." - -"But why did you leave?" persisted Gallardo. - -"Because I was bored.... Do I speak clearly?... And when a person is -bored, I think they have every right to escape in search of fresh -distraction. But I am bored to death everywhere; pity me." - -"But I love you with all my heart!" exclaimed the torero with a dramatic -earnestness which in another man would have made him laugh. - -"I love you with all my heart!" repeated Doña Sol, mimicking his voice -and gesture. "And what then? Ay! these egotistical men that are -applauded by every one, and who think that everything was created for -them!... 'I love you with all my heart,' and that is sufficient reason -for you to love me in return.... But no, Señor. I do not love you, -Gallardo. You are a friend and nothing more. All the rest, all that down -in Seville, was a dream, a mad caprice, which I hardly remember, and -which you ought to forget." - -The torero got up, going towards her with outstretched arms. In his -ignorance he knew not what to say, guessing that his halting words would -be quite inefficacious in convincing such a woman. He trusted in action, -with the impulsive vehemence of his hopes and his desires, he intended -to seize that woman, to draw her to him, and dispel with his warm -embrace the coldness which separated them. - -But she, with a simple turn of her right hand, pushed away the torero's -arms. A flash of pride and anger shone in her eyes, and she drew herself -up aggressively, as if she had been insulted. - -"Be quiet, Gallardo!... If you go on like this you will no longer be my -friend, and I shall have you turned out of the house." - -The torero stood humiliated and ashamed; some time passed in silence, -until at last Doña Sol seemed to pity him. - -"Do not be a child," she said. "What is the use of remembering what is -no longer possible. Why think of me? You have your wife, who I am told -is both pretty and good, a kind companion. If not her, then others. -There are plenty of girls down in Seville who would think it happiness -to be loved by Gallardo. My love is ended. As a famous man accustomed to -success your pride is hurt; but it is so; mine is ended. You are a -friend and nothing more. I am quite different. I am bored, and I never -retrace my steps. Illusions only last with me a short time, and pass, -leaving no trace. I am to be pitied, believe me." - -She looked at the torero with commiserating eyes, as if she suddenly saw -all his defects and roughness. - -"I think things that you could not understand," she went on. "You seem -to me different. The Gallardo in Seville was not the same as the one -here. Are you the same?... I cannot doubt it, but to me you are -different.... How can this be explained?..." - -She looked through the window at the dull rainy sky, at the wet Plaza, -at the flakes of snow, and then she turned her eyes on the espada, -looking with astonishment at the long lock of hair plastered on his -head, at his clothes, his hat, at all the details which betrayed his -profession, which contrasted so strongly with his smart and modern -dress. - -To Doña Sol the torero seemed out of his element. Down in Seville -Gallardo was a hero, the spontaneous product of a cattle-breeding -country; here he seemed like an actor. How had she been able for many -months to feel love for that rough, coarse man. Ay! the surrounding -atmosphere! To what follies it drove one! - -She remembered the danger in which she found herself, so nearly -perishing beneath the bull's horns; she thought of that breakfast with -the bandit, to whom she had listened stupefied with admiration, ending -by giving him a flower. What follies! And how far off it all now seemed! - -Of that past nothing remained but that man, standing motionless before -her, with his imploring eyes, and his childish desire to revive those -days.... Poor man! As if follies could be repeated when one's thoughts -were cold and the illusion wanting. The blind enchantment of life! - -"It is all over," said the lady. "We must forget the past, for when we -see it a second time it does not present itself in the same colours. -What would I give to have my former eyes?... When I returned to Spain it -seemed to me changed. You also are different from what I knew you. It -even seemed to me, seeing you in the Plaza, that you were less daring -... that the people were less enthusiastic." - -She said this quite simply, without a trace of malice, but Gallardo -thought there was mocking in her voice, and bent his head, while his -cheeks coloured. - -Curse it! All his professional anxieties arose again in his mind. All -the evil which was happening to him was because he did not now throw -himself on the bulls. That is what she so clearly said, she saw him "as -if he were another." If he could only be the Gallardo of former days, -perhaps she would receive him better. Women only love brave man. - -But he was mistaken, taking what was a caprice dead for ever, to be a -momentary straying, that he could recall by strength and prowess. - -Doña Sol got up. The visit had been a long one, and the torero showed no -disposition to leave, content with being near her, and trusting to some -lucky chance to bring them together again. - -Gallardo was obliged to imitate her. She excused herself under pretext -of going out, she was expecting her friend, and they were going -together to the Museum of the Prado. - -Then she invited him to breakfast another day, an unceremonious -breakfast in her rooms. Her friend would come. No doubt he would be -delighted to meet a torero; he scarcely spoke any Spanish, but all the -same he would be pleased to know Gallardo. - -The espada pressed her hand, murmuring some incoherent words, and left -the room. Anger dimmed his sight, and his ears were buzzing. - -So she dismissed him--coldly, like an importunate friend! Could that -woman be the same as the one in Seville!... And she invited him to -breakfast with her friend, so that the man could amuse himself by -examining him closely like a rare insect!... - -Curse her!... He would prove himself a man.... It was over. He would -never see her again. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[102] Madrid is called--la Corte--the Court. - -[103] Godfather; patron. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -About this time Gallardo received several letters from Don José and from -Carmen. - -The manager evidently wished to encourage his matador, advising him as -usual to go straight at his bull.... "Zas! a thrust, and you put him in -your pocket!" But through his warm-hearted enthusiasm could be traced a -slight discouragement, as if his perfect faith was a little staggered, -and he had begun to doubt if Gallardo were still "the first man in the -world." - -He had received accounts of the discontent and hostility with which the -public received him, and the last corrida in Madrid had fairly -disheartened poor Don José. No, Gallardo was not like other espadas, who -could go straight on through all the whistling of the audience, -satisfied as long as they earned their money. His matador had genius and -professional pride and could show himself off in a circus only if he -were received with great applause. A mediocre result was equivalent to a -defeat. The people were accustomed to admire him for his reckless, -audacious courage, and anything that did not come up to that meant a -fiasco. - -Don José pretended to know what was wrong with his espada. Want of -courage?... Never. He would die sooner than admit that fault in his -hero. It was that he felt wearied, that he had not yet entirely -recovered from the tremendous shock of his "cogida." "And for this -reason," he advised in all his letters, "it would be better for you to -retire and rest for a season. Afterwards you can come back and fight, -and be the same as ever." And he offered himself to make all necessary -arrangements. A medical certificate would be sufficient to explain his -momentary inaction, and he would come to some agreement as to all -pending contracts with the managers of the different Plazas, by which -Gallardo would supply a rising torero to fill his place at a moderate -salary. So by this means he would still be making money. - -Carmen was the most earnest in her persuasions, using none of the -manager's circumlocutions. He ought to retire at once, he ought to "cut -off his pigtail," as they said in his profession, and spend his life -quietly at La Rinconada or in his house in Seville with his family, she -could bear it no longer. Her heart told her with that feminine instinct -which seldom erred that something serious would occur. She could -scarcely sleep, and she dreaded the night hours peopled with bloody -visions. - -Then she wrote furiously against the public, an ungrateful crowd, who -had already forgotten what the torero had done when he was in his full -strength. Bad hearted people, who wished to see him die for their own -amusement, as if he had neither wife nor mother. "Juan, the little -mother and I both beg of you to retire. Why go on bull-fighting? We have -enough to live on, and it pains me to hear these people insulting you -who are not worthy of you. Suppose another accident happened to you? -Jesus! I think I should go mad." - -Gallardo was very thoughtful for some time after reading these letters. -To retire!... What nonsense! Women's worries! Affection might easily -dictate this, but it was impossible to carry it out. Cut off his pigtail -before he was thirty! How his enemies would laugh! He had no right to -retire as long as his limbs were sound and he was able to fight. Such an -absurdity had never been heard of. Money was not everything. How about -his fame? And his professional pride? What would his thousands and -thousands of admiring partisans say? What could they reply to his -enemies if those latter threw it in their teeth that Gallardo had -retired through fear? - -Besides, the matador paused to consider if his fortune would admit of -this solution. He was rich, and yet he was not. His social position was -not yet consolidated. What he possessed was the result of his first few -years of married life, when one of his greatest pleasures had been to -surprise his mother and Carmen with fresh acquisitions. After that he -had made money in even larger quantities, but it had run away and -vanished in a hundred channels, opened out by his new life. He had -played high, had led an expensive and ostentatious life. Many farms, -added to the extensive estate of La Rinconada, to round it off, had been -bought by loans furnished by Don José or other friends. He was rich, but -if he retired and lost the splendid income from the corridas, often two -or three hundred thousand pesetas a year, he would have to curtail his -expenses, pay his debts, and live like a country gentleman on the income -from La Rinconada, looking after things himself, for at present the -estate, managed by hirelings, produced very little. - -Formerly he would have been contented with a very small portion of what -he possessed now, but if he retired he would have to curtail those -Havanna cigars which he now distributed so lavishly, and those -Andalusian wines of fine vintage. He would have to restrain his lordly -generosity, and no longer cry "I pay for everything," as he entered a -café or a tavern. - -So he had lived, and so he must go on living. He was a torero of the -old-fashioned style, lavish, arrogant, astonishing every one with -scandalous extravagances, but always ready to help misfortune with -princely generosity. He did not in the least regret his ostentatious -life, and yet they wished him to give it up. - -Furthermore, he thought of the expenses of his own household. All of -them were accustomed to the easy, careless life of families with little -regard for money, as they saw it constantly flowing in, in streams. -Besides his mother and his wife he provided for his sister, his -loquacious brother-in-law, and the tribe of children now growing up and -becoming daily more expensive. He would have to bring into ways of order -and economy all these people who had hitherto lived at his expense with -happy carelessness and open-handedness. Every one, even poor Garabato, -would have to go to the Grange, and work like niggers under the burning -sun. His mother, too, would no longer be able to make her last days -happy by her kindly generosity to the poor in the suburb. And Carmen -also, who although she was economical and tried to limit expenses, would -be the first to deprive herself of many little frivolities which -beautified life. - -Curse it all!... All this represented degradation to the family, and -Gallardo felt ashamed that such a thing could possibly happen. It would -be a crime to deprive them of what they enjoyed, now they had become -accustomed to ease and comfort. And what ought he to do to prevent -this?... Simply to throw himself on the bulls, fight as he had fought in -former days ... and he would throw himself!... - -He replied to his manager's and to Carmen's letters by short and -laboriously written epistles, expressing to both his firm intention not -to retire--most certainly not. - -He was determined to be what he had always been, that he swore to Don -José. He would follow his advice. "Zas! a sword thrust, and the bull in -his pocket." He felt his courage rising, and with it the capacity of -facing all bulls, however big they might be. - -He wrote gaily to his wife, though his amour-propre was rather wounded -by her doubting his strength. She would soon have news of the next -corrida. He intended to astonish the public so that they might be -ashamed of their injustice. If the bulls were good ones, he would -surpass even Roger de Flor himself!... - -Good bulls! This was one of Gallardo's anxieties. Formerly one of his -vanities had been never to concern himself with the brutes, never to go -and see them at the Plaza before the corrida. - -"I kill anything that is sent to me," he said arrogantly. - -And he saw his bulls for the first time when they were turned into the -circus. - -Now he wished to examine them closely, to choose them, to prepare for -his success by a careful study of their dispositions. - -The weather had cleared at last, and the sun was shining. Consequently -the second corrida would take place on the following day. - -That evening Gallardo went alone to the Plaza. The huge red brick -circus, with its Moorish windows, stood out against a background of low -green hillocks. On the furthest slope of this wide but monotonous -landscape something lay white in the distance which might be a herd of -cattle. It was the cemetery. - -As the matador came near the building a troup of squalid beggars, -vagabonds who were allowed to sleep in the stables from charity, -wretches who lived on the alms of the aficionados or the scraps from -neighbouring taverns, gathered round him cap in hand. Many had come from -Andalusia with a consignment of bulls, and had remained hanging about -the precincts of the Plaza. - -Gallardo distributed a few coins among these beggars, and then entered -the circus through the Puerta de Caballerizas. - -In the courtyard he saw a group of aficionados watching the picadors -trying their horses. Potaje, armed with his spear and huge cowherd's -spurs, was just going to mount. The stable boys accompanied the -contractor who furnished the horses, a stout man, slow of speech, -wearing a large Andalusian felt sombrero, who answered with -imperturbable calm the aggressive and insulting loquacity of the -picadors. - -The "monos sabios," with their sleeves rolled up, brought out the -miserable crocks for the riders to try. For several days they had been -riding and training those wretched mounts, who still bore on their -flanks crimson spur marks. They took them out to trot on the open ground -round the Plaza, giving them a fictitious energy beneath their iron -heels, and teaching them to turn quickly so as to become used to their -work in the arena. They returned to the Plaza with their sides stained -with blood, and before entering the stables were refreshed with three or -four pails-full of water. Close to the drinking-trough the water running -in between the cobble-stones was dyed red, like poured out wine. - -These unfortunate animals destined for to-morrow's corrida were almost -dragged out of the stables to be examined by the picadors. - -As they came out of the stables, depressed remnants of equine misery, -they betrayed in their trembling legs, their heaving flanks, their -starved and miserable appearance, sad signs of human ingratitude, of the -forgetfulness of past services. There were hacks of frightful thinness, -real skeletons, whose sharp and pointed bones seemed ready to pierce the -covering of long and tangled hair. Others holding themselves proudly, -with raised heads and bright eyes, pawing restlessly, with sounder legs -and shining coats, animals of good stamp, who seemed out of place among -their wretched companions, looking as though they had only just been -unharnessed from sumptuous carriages, were in reality more dangerous to -ride, as they were probably afflicted with vertigo or staggers, and -might fall to the ground at any moment, pitching their riders over their -heads; and among these sad examples of misery and decrepitude were also -invalided workers from mills and factories, agricultural horses, cab -horses, all weary with long years of hard work dragging ploughs and -carts, unhappy outcasts who were to be sweated up to the last moment of -their lives, diverting the spectators by their kicks and bounds of agony -when they felt the bull's horns pierce their belly. - -It was an interminable defile of bleared and yellow eyes, of galled -necks on which were battening bright green flies gorged with blood, of -bony heads whose skin was swarming with vermin, of narrow chests and -feeble legs, covered down to the hoofs with hair so long and shaggy it -looked almost as though they were wearing trousers. To mount these -decrepit brutes, shaking with fright and almost ready to drop with -weakness, required almost as much courage as to face the bull. - -Potaje was very high and mighty in his discussions with the horse -contractor, speaking in his own name and that of his comrades as well, -making even the "monos sabios" laugh with his gipsy oaths. The other -picadors had far better leave him to manage the horse-dealers. No one -knew better than he did how to bring those sort of people to terms. - -A groom came out leading a horse with hanging head, tangled coat, and -staring ribs. - -"What are you bringing me out there?" shouted Potaje, facing the -contractor. "A crock that no one would dream of mounting." - -The phlegmatic contractor replied with calm gravity. "If Potaje did not -dare to mount it, it was because picadors now-a-days seemed afraid of -everything. With a horse like this, so good and docile, Señor Calderon, -or El Trigo, or any fine rider of the good old times would have been -able to fight for two successive afternoons without getting a fall, and -without the animal receiving a scratch. But now-a-days!... There seemed -to him to be plenty of fear and very little dash." - -The contractor and the picador abused one another in a friendly fashion, -as if the grossest insults had ceased to have the slightest meaning. - -"You are an old cheat," roared Potaje, "a bigger rascal than José Maria -el Tempraniyo. Get out! Hoist your grandmother up on the old brute; a -far better mount for her than the broomstick she rides every Saturday at -midnight." - -Every one present roared with laughter, while the contractor shrugged -his shoulders. - -"What's the matter with the horse?" he asked quietly. "Look him over -well, old grumbler. He is far better than those that have glanders, or -staggers, who have before now pitched you over their heads and planted -you up to your ears in the sand, before you could face the bull. He is -as sound as an apple. For the five and twenty years he has been in an -ærated water factory, doing his work conscientiously, no one has ever -found fault with him, and now you come along shouting and abusing him, -taking away his character as if he were a bad Christian." - -"I won't have him, that's all!... If he is so good keep him yourself!" - -As he spoke the contractor came slowly towards Potaje, and with the -sang-froid of a man accustomed to such transactions, whispered something -in his ear. The picador, pretending to be very angry, finally went up -to the horse. He did not wish to be thought an intractable man who -wanted to do a bad turn to a comrade. - -So putting one foot in the stirrup he let the whole weight of his heavy -body fall on the poor brute. Then, steadying his garrocha under his arm, -he pushed the point against a large post built into the wall, striking -it several times with all his strength, as if a large and heavy bull -were at the lance's point. The poor horse shook all over and doubled up -its legs after each concussion. - -"He does not behave so badly," ... said Potaje in a conciliatory -voice.... "The beast is better than I thought. He has a tender mouth and -good legs.... You are quite right. Put him on one side." - -And the picador dismounted, disposed to accept anything the contractor -offered after his mysterious whisper. - -Gallardo left the group of aficionados who were watching this scene with -amusement. A porter belonging to the Plaza took him to the yard in which -the bulls were enclosed. - -The espada went through a little wicket giving access to the enclosure, -which was surrounded on three sides by a wall of masonry, up to the -height of a man's shoulders. This wall was strengthened at intervals by -strong posts which supported a balcony above. Here and there opened -little passages, so narrow that a man could only slip through them -sideways. In this courtyard were eight bulls, some quietly lying down, -others turning over the piles of grass lying in front of them. - -Gallardo walked along in the passage behind the wall examining the -animals. Now and then he slipped into the yard, through one of the -narrow passages. He waved his arms, giving savage yells which roused the -bulls from their quiescence. Some leapt up nervously, rushing with -lowered heads at the man who ventured to disturb the peace of their -enclosure, others stood firmly on their feet, with raised heads and -savage look, waiting to see if the intruder would dare to approach them. - -Gallardo slipped away quickly behind the wall, considering the looks and -disposition of the fierce creatures, without coming to a decision as to -which he should choose. - -The head shepherd of the Plaza accompanied him, a big athletic man in -leather gaiters and huge spurs, dressed in a thick cloth suit, his wide -sombrero fastened under his chin by a strap. He was nicknamed -Lobato,[104] and was a roughrider who spent the greater part of the year -in the open country, behaving when he came into Madrid like a savage, -having no wish to see the streets, and in fact never leaving the -purlieus of the Plaza. - -For him the capital of Spain was nothing more than a Plaza in a -clearing, with desert lands surrounding it, while in the distance lay an -agglomeration of houses which he had never had the curiosity to explore. -The most important establishment in Madrid, from his point of view, was -Gallina's tavern, situated close to the Plaza, a place of delight, an -enchanted palace where he supped and dined at the expense of the -management before returning to his pastures mounted on his horse, his -dark blanket on the saddle bow, his saddle-bags on the crupper and his -lance over his shoulder. He delighted in terrorising the servants as he -entered the tavern by his friendly greetings, terrible hand grips which -crushed their bones and drew forth screams of pain; he smiled, delighted -with his strength and being called a brute, and then sat down to his -pittance, which was served him in a dish as deep as a basin, accompanied -by more than one jar of wine. - -He herded the bulls bought by the management, sometimes in the pastures -of Munoza, at others during the excessive heat on the grazing uplands of -the Sierra de Guadarrama. He brought them in to the enclosure two days -before the corrida at midnight, driving them across the Abronigal stream -and through the outskirts of Madrid, accompanied by amateur rough-riders -and cowherds. He was rampant when bad weather prevented a corrida taking -place, which kept the herd in the Plaza, and prevented his immediate -return to the peaceful solitudes where the other bulls were still -grazing. - -Slow of speech, dull of thought, this centaur, who smelt of leather and -manure, could still speak eloquently, even poetically of his pastoral -life herding the wild bulls. The sky of Madrid seemed to him lower and -with fewer stars. He could describe with picturesque laconicism the -nights on the pastures, with his bulls sleeping beneath the soft light -of the stars, the dense silence only broken by the mysterious noises of -the forest. In this silence the mountain vipers sang with strange song, -yes, Señor, certainly they sang. It was a thing that could not be -discussed with Lobato: he had heard them a thousand times, and to doubt -it was to call him a cheat and a liar, and to expose oneself to the -weight of his fists. As the reptiles sang, so also did the bulls speak, -only he had not yet succeeded in mastering all the mysteries of their -idiom. They were really just like Christians, except that they went on -four legs and had horns. You should see them wake when the sun rose, -bounding about as happy as children, pretending in fun to cross their -horns and fight each other, chasing each other with noisy enjoyment, as -if they were saluting the coming of the sun, which is the glory of God. -Then he spoke of his toilsome excursions through the Sierra de -Guadarrama, following the course of the crystal-clear rivulets, which -brought the melted snow from the mountains to feed the rivers; of the -meadows, with their verdure enamelled by flowers; of the birds who came -fluttering to settle between the horns of the sleeping bulls; of the -wolves who howled afar off in the night, always far off, for they feared -the long procession of wild bulls following the bells of the cabestros, -come to dispute with them their terrible solitudes. Don't let any one -speak to him of Madrid, where one suffocated! The only good thing in -that forest of houses was Gallina's good wine and his savoury stews. - -Lobato assisted the espada with his advice in choosing his two bulls. -The overseer showed neither respect nor astonishment at these celebrated -men, so admired by the populace. The shepherd of the bulls almost -despised the toreros. To kill such noble animals, with every sort of -trickery and deceit! He was the really brave man, who lived among them, -passing daily between their horns in the solitudes, with no other -defence than his own arm, and no thought of applause. - -As Gallardo left the enclosure another man joined them, who saluted the -maestro with great respect. It was the old man charged with the cleaning -of the Plaza. He had been a great many years in this employment, and had -known all the most celebrated toreros of his day. He was very poorly -dressed, but he often wore beautiful rings, and to blow his nose would -draw from the depths of his blouse a small cambric handkerchief trimmed -with fine lace and having a large monogram, still exhaling a delicate -scent. - -He undertook by himself during the week the sweeping of the immense -Plaza, its rows of seats and boxes, without ever complaining of the -overwhelming work. If the manager was displeased with him and wished to -punish him he would open the doors to all the riffraff wandering round -the Plaza. The poor man would be in despair, promising amendment, in -order that this swarm of people should not take over his work. - -Now and then he allowed half a dozen lads to help him; these were -generally toreros' apprentices, and were faithful to him in exchange for -his allowing them to watch the corrida from the "dogs box," that is, a -door with an iron grating situated near the bulls' boxes, which was used -for taking out wounded men. These helpers, holding on to the iron bars, -fought like monkeys in a cage to obtain first place. - -The old man distributed their weekly cleansing work cleverly enough. All -these boys worked on the seats of the sunny side,[105] those occupied by -a poor and dirty crowd, who left as evidence of their presence a rubbish -heap of orange peel, scraps of paper, and cigar ends. - -"Look out for the tobacco," he would order his troup. "Whoever filches a -single cigar end will not see the corrida on Sunday." - -He himself worked patiently on the shady side, crouching down in the -shadow of the boxes to slip any finds into his pockets--such as ladies' -fans, rings, pocket-handkerchiefs, coins, feminine ornaments, anything -that an invasion of fourteen thousand people might have left behind -them. He collected the scraps of cigar ends, chopping them up after -exposing them to the sun, and selling them as fine tobacco. The more -valuable finds passed into the hands of a dealer, willing to buy these -spoils of a public, either forgetful, or oblivious from excitement. - -Gallardo responded to the old man's obsequious bows by giving him a -cigar, and then took leave of Lobato. He had agreed with the overseer -which two bulls should be specially boxed for him. The other toreros -would not object. They were good natured young fellows, full of -youthful ardour, who would kill anything that was put before them. - -As he came out again into the courtyard, where the selection of horses -was still in progress, Gallardo saw a tall spare man, with olive -complexion, dressed as a torero, leave the group and come towards him. -Tufts of iron-grey hair appeared from beneath his black felt hat, and -his mouth was surrounded by many wrinkles. - -"Pescadero! How are you?" said Gallardo, clasping his hand with sincere -warmth. - -He was an old espada, who had had his youthful days of triumph, but very -few now even remembered his name. Other matadors coming after him had -eclipsed this fleeting reputation, so Pescadero, after fighting in -America, and sustaining several cogidas, had retired with a little -capital of savings. Gallardo knew that he owned a small tavern in the -neighbourhood of the circus, but too far off for him to have many -customers among the aficionados and toreros. - -"I cannot often come to the corridas," said Pescadero, sadly. "Still, -you see, the sport draws me, and I drop in as a neighbour to see these -things. Now-a-days I am nothing but a tavern-keeper." - -Gallardo looked at his shabby appearance, and remembered the brilliant -Pescadero he had known in his childhood, one of his most admired heroes, -gallant and proud, favoured by women, among the smartest in La Campana -whenever he came to Seville, dressed in his velvet hat, his wine -coloured jacket and brightly coloured sash, leaning on an ivory stick -with gold handle. And so would he also be; shabby and forgotten if he -retired from bull-fighting! - -They talked a long time about things appertaining to the art. El -Pescadero, like all elderly men embittered by bad luck, was pessimistic. -There were very few good toreros, there were no longer men of -"corazon."[106] Only Gallardo and one or two others killed bulls -"truly," even the animals seemed less powerful than formerly. As he had -met the matador he insisted on his going with him to his house, indeed -as an old friend he could do no less. So Gallardo turned with him into -one of the small streets surrounding the Plaza, and entered the tavern, -which was much like any other, its façade painted red, windows with -curtains of the same colour, a larger show window, in which were -displayed, on dusty plates, cooked cutlets, fried birds, bottles of -pickles, and inside, a zinc counter, barrels and bottles, round tables -with wooden stools by them, and several coloured prints representing -celebrated toreros or remarkable episodes in corridas. - -"We will have a glass of Montilla," said El Pescadero to a young man -standing behind the counter, who smiled as he saw Gallardo. - -The latter looked at his face, and then at his right sleeve, which was -empty and pinned to his breast. - -"It seems to me I know you," said the matador. - -"I should think you did know him!" cried Pescadero. "It is Pipi." - -The nickname made Gallardo remember his history at once. A plucky -youngster who stuck in his banderillas in most masterly fashion, he also -had been named by the aficionados as "the torero of the future." -Unluckily one day in the Plaza in Madrid his right arm had been so badly -gored as to make amputation necessary, and he had been rendered useless -for further bull-fighting. - -"I took him in, Juan," continued El Pescadero. "I have no family and my -wife died, so I look upon him as a son. Do not think that Pipi and I -live in plenty. We live as we can, but whatever I have is for him. We -get on, thanks to old friends who come sometimes to breakfast or to -play a game of cards, and above all thanks to the school." - -Gallardo smiled. He had heard something about the school of Tauromachia -established by El Pescadero close to his tavern. - -"What can I do now?" said the latter, excusing himself. "One must help -oneself on, and the school consumes more than all the customers in the -tavern. A great many people come, young gentlemen who wish to -distinguish themselves at the 'becerras,'[107] foreigners who become -bewitched by the corridas, and who wish to become toreros in their old -age. I have got one now who comes every afternoon. You shall see him." - -They crossed the street towards a plot of ground surrounded by a wall. -Across the joined planks which served as a door was a large placard on -which was written in tar "School of Tauromachia." - -They went in. The first thing that attracted Gallardo's attention was -the bull--an animal made of wood and bamboos, mounted on wheels, with a -tail of tow, a head of plaited straw, and pieces of cork for a neck, to -which were attached a pair of real and enormous horns which struck -terror into the pupils' hearts. - -A bare-breasted lad, in a cap with two curls of hair above his ears, was -the creature who communicated its intelligence to the beast, pushing it -forward when the pupils stood opposite to it with their capes in their -hands. - -In the middle of the plot stood a gentleman, elderly, round shouldered, -and stout, red faced, with large stiff grey moustache, in his shirt -sleeves, with a banderilla in either hand. Close to the wall seated on a -chair, and leaning on another, was a lady of about the same age, and not -less stout and rubicund, in a hat covered with flowers. Each time her -husband executed some good stroke the piles of flowers and false curls -shook and waved wildly as she threw herself back in her chair laughing -and applauding loudly. - -El Pescadero explained to Gallardo that most probably those people were -French or possibly from some other country, he was not certain, and it -mattered nothing to him. The couple seemed to have travelled all over -the world and to have lived everywhere; to judge from his stories, he -had been a miner in America, colonist in some distant island, hunter of -wild horses with a lasso in America, and now he wished to earn some -money as torero, and came every afternoon to the school like an -obstinate child, but he paid generously for his lessons. - -"Just imagine! a torero with that figure!... And at fifty years of age -well struck!"... - -As he saw the two men enter, the pupil dropped his arms holding the -banderillas, and the lady arranged her skirts and her flowery hat. "Ah! -dear master!..." - -"Good evening, mosiu!" "Your servant, madame," said the master raising -his hand to his hat.... "Let me see, mosiu, how this lesson is getting -on. You remember what I told you. Stand quiet on your ground. Invite the -'bicho,' let him come, and when he is by your side just bend your hips -and stick the darts in his neck. You need not be anxious to do anything, -the bull will do everything for you. Attention.... Are you ready?" - -And the professor standing a little aside made a sign to the terrible -bull, or more properly to the urchin, who with his hands on the hind -quarters was pushing him to the attack. - -"Eeeeh!... Enter, Morito!" - -Pescadero gave a fearful bellow to induce the bull to "enter," exciting -by those shouts and furious stamping on the ground this terrible beast -with inside of air and reeds and head of straw. Monto attacked like a -furious wild beast with a tremulous rattle of wheels, staggering and -butting on account of the inequalities of the ground. How could any bull -from the most famous herd compare in intelligence with this Morito, -immortal beast; who had been pierced with banderillas and rapier thrusts -a thousand times, only suffering insignificant wounds that the carpenter -had been able to cure. He seemed cleverer than any man! As he came near -to the pupil, he slightly changed his course in order not to touch him -with his horns, going off with a pair of darts well stuck into his cork -neck. - -A perfect ovation greeted this exploit, the banderillero remaining firm -in his place, arranging his braces and his shirt cuffs. His wife, wildly -delighted, threw herself back in her chair laughing and clapping. - -"Quite masterly, mosiu," shouted El Pescadero. "A stroke of the first -quality!" - -The foreigner, delighted by the professor's applause, replied modestly, -beating his breast: - -"I have what is most important--courage, a great deal of courage." - -Then, in order to celebrate the stroke, he called on Morito's sprite, -who was already creeping out, anticipating the order, to fetch them a -bottle of wine. When they knew that the man who accompanied the -professor was the celebrated Gallardo, whose portraits they had so often -admired on cigarette boxes, their delight knew no bounds, and they -clinked glasses of wine to the success of the torero, even Morito taking -part in the festival. - -"Before two months are over, mosiu," said El Pescadero, with Andalusian -gravity, "you will be fixing banderillas in the Plaza in Madrid, and -carrying off all the palms, and the money, and the women ... saving your -lady's presence." - -El Pescadero walked with Gallardo as far as the end of the street. - -"Adios, Juan," he said gravely, "we may see each other in the Plaza -to-morrow.... You see how low I have come, that I have to live on these -humbugs and idiots." - -Gallardo walked away thoughtful. Ay! That man, whom he had seen in his -good days throw away money with princely generosity, so sure was he of -his future!... - -He had lost his money in bad speculations, and a torero's life was not -one to teach the management of a fortune. And yet they were proposing to -him to retire from his profession. Never. He must throw himself on the -bulls. - -The next day he felt full of courage and went to the Plaza, undisturbed -by his usual superstitious fears. He felt the certainty of triumph, the -high heart-throb of his most glorious days. - -From the very first the corrida was full of events. The first bull -showed himself very "tenacious,"[108] attacking furiously all the men on -horseback. In an instant he had overthrown three picadors who were -waiting for him with their lance in rest, two of the horses lay dying, -streams of dark blood gushing out of their torn chests. The other one -mad with pain and terror rushed from one end of the Plaza to the other, -his belly ripped open and the saddle hanging loose, showing between the -stirrups the blue and red entrails. Dragging its bowels along the ground -and trampling them itself with its hind legs, they divided themselves -like a knotted skein which becomes gradually disentangled. - -The bull, attracted by its wild rush, followed it up close, driving his -powerful head under the belly, lifting the horse on his horns, throwing -it on the ground, and then furiously attacking the miserable, torn and -pierced carcass. When the bull left it, kicking and dying, a "mono -sabio" came up to finish it, by driving the steel of his dagger through -the top of the skull. The miserable brute in the extremity of its agony -bit the man, who screamed, lifting his bloody right hand, and striking -home the dagger till the animal ceased to struggle and the limbs -remained rigid. Then other employés of the circus ran up with large -baskets of sand which they threw in heaps over the pools of blood and -the bodies of the horses. - -By this time the whole audience were on their feet, shouting and -gesticulating wildly. They were delighted at the bull's fierceness and -protested loudly at there being not a single picador left in the arena, -yelling with one voice: "Horses! More horses!" - -They all knew well enough that more would come out immediately, but they -seemed furious that another instant should go by without fresh -butcheries. The bull remained alone in the centre of the arena, superb -and bellowing, his bloody horns held high, and the ribbon with the badge -of his herd floating on his neck, which was covered with red and blue -gashes. - -Fresh riders came out, and again the horrible spectacle was repeated. As -soon as a picador with his lance in rest approached the bull, bringing -up his horse sideways with one eye bandaged, so that it should not see -the bull, the shock and the fall were instantaneous. The lances broke -with the splintering of dry wood, the horse was tossed in the air by the -powerful horns, sprinkling the arena with its blood and bowels, and the -picador rolled on the arena like a yellow legged doll, covered -immediately by his companions' capes. - -The public hailed the noisy falls of the riders with laughter and -exclamations of delight. The arena rang with the shock of the fall of -the heavy bodies with their iron-clad legs. One fell like a full sack, -his head striking the wall of the barrier with a dull echo. - -"That one won't get up," yelled the crowd. "His melon must be cracked." - -But nevertheless he got up, stretching his arms, rubbing his head, and -picking up the stout beaver which had rolled on the sand, again mounted -the same horse, which the "monos sabios," by dint of kicks and blows, -had got on to its feet, and bestriding this dying mount, with its -entrails dragging on the sand, he went once more to encounter the -furious beast. - -"This is for you!" he shouted, throwing the beaver into a group of -friends. - -But no sooner had he again placed himself opposite the bull, driving his -pike into its neck, than man and horse were once more tossed in the air, -parting company from the violence of the shock, each one rolling to a -different side of the arena. Several times before the bull attacked, the -"monos sabios" and also some of the public had advised the rider to -dismount. "Get down, get down." But before his stiffly encased legs -could do so, the horse would fall dead, and the picador would be sent -flying over his ears, his head arriving with a heavy blow on the sand. - -The bull had not succeeded in goring any of the riders, but some of the -picadors lay insensible on the ground, and the circus servants were -obliged to carry them out to the infirmary, to be treated for broken -bones, or to be revived from the shock which seemed like death. - -Gallardo, most anxious to gain the sympathies of his public, was here, -there and everywhere, earning immense applause by seizing the bull's -tail and pulling, till it turned away from the picador lying on the -ground in danger of being gored. - -While the banderilleros were engaged, Gallardo, leaning on the barrier, -passed the boxes in review. Doña Sol was sure to be there. At last he -caught sight of her, but without the white mantilla. There was nothing -about her to remind one of the lady in Seville who was so like one of -Goya's pictures. With her golden hair and her large and elegant hat, she -might have been a foreigner seeing a bull-fight for the first time. By -her side sat that man of whom she spoke so admiringly, and to whom she -was showing the sights of the country. Ay! Doña Sol! Soon she would see -what the fine fellow she had deserted really was! She would have to -applaud him even in the presence of the hated stranger; she would become -enthusiastic, even against her will, carried away by the contagion of -the masses. - -When the time came for Gallardo to kill his bull, which was the second, -the masses received him cordially, as if they had forgotten their -annoyance at the previous corrida. The people seemed inclined to be -tolerant after the spell of wet weather, as if they wished to find -everything good in the long expected bull-fight. Besides, the courage of -the first bull and the great mortality among the horses had put the -crowd in a splendid humour. - -Gallardo walked towards the bull with his head uncovered after the -"brindis," with the muleta in one hand, and in the other the rapier -waving like a cane. He was followed, though at a prudent distance, by El -Nacional and another torero. Several voices from the sunny side -protested. How many more acolytes!... He looked like a parish priest -going to a funeral! - -"Go out everybody!" shouted Gallardo. - -The two peons stopped, because it was said in a voice which left no room -for doubt. - -He went forward till he came close to the beast, and then unfolded the -muleta, giving some passes quite in his old style, even placing the rag -on the slavering muzzle. "A pass, olé!" and a murmur of satisfaction ran -over the benches. The lad from Seville was again worthy of his name, he -had regained his professional pride. He was going to perform some of his -old strokes as in his best days. His muleta passes were greeted with -noisy exclamations of delight, and on the benches his partisans revived, -rebuking his enemies. - -That afternoon was one of his best. When they saw the bull standing -motionless, the public themselves encouraged him with their advice. "Now -then! Strike!" - -Gallardo threw himself on the bull with his rapier in front, slipping -quickly away from the menace of the horns. - -The applause rang out, but it was short, and followed by a threatening -murmur, mingled with strident whistling. The enthusiasts ceased to look -at the bull, to turn their indignation on the public. What injustice! -What want of knowledge! He had entered to kill splendidly.... - -But thousands of inimical fingers pointed to the bull without ceasing -their protests, and the whole Plaza joined them in a deafening storm of -whistling. - -The rapier had penetrated slant ways, crossing the bull, its point -appearing between his ribs just behind the foreleg. - -Every one gesticulated, waving their arms in a paroxysm of fury. "What a -scandal! A bad novillero could not have done worse!" - -The animal, with the hilt of the sword in his neck and the point -appearing from the wrench of the espada's arm began to hobble, its -enormous bulk swaying with its unsteady gait. This seemed to move every -one to a generous indignation. "Poor bull! Such a good one, so -noble...." Many threw themselves forward, roaring with fury, as if they -intended throwing themselves bodily into the arena. "Thief! Son of -a...!" "To torture a "bicho" like that who is better than he is!..." All -shouted, seized with a vehement tenderness for the brute's suffering, -just as though they had not paid to see its death. - -Gallardo, stupefied at his deed, bent his head beneath the whirlwind of -insults and threats. Cursed bad luck! He had entered to kill splendidly, -just as in his best days, overcoming the nervous shrinking which made -him turn his face away as though he could not endure the sight of the -brute coming down on him. But the desire to avoid danger, to get out -from between the horns as quickly as possible, had made him ruin his -luck by that disgraceful and unskilful stroke. - -The bull, after limping about for some time with painful staggering, -stood still. - -Gallardo took another sword and again placed himself in front of the -beast. - -The public guessed his intention. He was proceeding to the "descabello," -the only thing he could do after such a criminal stroke. - -He leant the point of the rapier between the two horns, while with the -other hand he waved the muleta so that the beast, attracted by the -fluttering cloth, should lower its head to the ground. The espada struck -with his rapier, but the bull, feeling himself wounded, tossed his head -wildly, and ejected the weapon. - -"One!" roared the crowd with almost laughable unanimity. - -The matador again repeated his stroke, and once again drove in the -rapier, the only result being to make the brute shiver. - -"Two!" sang out from the gods in derision. - -A fresh attempt only succeeded like the others in drawing a low bellow -from the tortured animal. - -"Three!"... But to this ironical chorus the masses now joined whistles -and cries of protest. When would that matador finish it? - -On the fourth attempt he succeeded in severing the spinal cord, and the -bull fell instantaneously, lying on his side with his legs rigid. - -The espada wiped the perspiration from his face and walked slowly round, -almost gasping for breath, to salute the president. At last he was free -from that animal. He thought he never would have finished it. On his way -the mob either greeted him sarcastically or with contemptuous silence. -No one applauded. He saluted the president amid the general -indifference, and then took refuge behind the barrier, like a school boy -ashamed of his misdeeds. While Garabato offered him a glass of water his -eyes ran round the boxes, meeting those of Doña Sol, which had followed -him to his refuge. What would that woman think of him? How she would -laugh with her travelling companion, seeing him ridiculed by the public! -What an unlucky idea of hers to come to that corrida! - -He remained between the barriers, trying to avoid further fatigue, till -the last bull he had to kill should come out. His broken leg pained him -greatly from having run so much. He was no longer the same--he was -obliged to recognize it. All his confidence, all his resolutions of -throwing himself on the bull were useless. His legs were neither as -light nor as steady as formerly, neither had his right arm that daring -which made it throw itself out without fear, anxious to reach the neck -of the bull as soon as possible. Now it drew itself in against his will, -with the cautious instinct of certain animals who think if they hide -their faces they can in this way avoid danger. - -His old superstitious terrors suddenly reappeared, crushing, -overwhelming. - -"I am in bad luck," thought Gallardo. "My heart tells me the fifth bull -will catch me. He will catch me, nothing can be done!" - -All the same, when the fifth bull came out into the Plaza the first cape -to meet him was Gallardo's. What an animal! He looked quite different -from the one he had chosen in the yard the evening before. Fear went on -singing in the torero's ears. "Bad luck!... He will catch me; to-day I -shall leave the circus feet foremost." - -In spite of this, he continued playing with the bull and drawing it away -from the endangered picadors. At first his endeavours were received in -silence, but later the people softened a little and applauded him -feebly. - -When the supreme moment arrived for the death of the bull, all present -seemed to guess the confusion of his mind. His play was disordered, it -was sufficient for the bull to shake his head for him to take it as a -sign of charging, throwing his feet backwards, and receding by long -bounds, while the public greeted those attempts at flight with a chorus -of mockery. - -"Juy! Juy! He is catching you!" - -Suddenly, as if he wished to finish it as soon as possible in any way, -he threw himself on the beast with his rapier, obliquely, to get out of -the danger as quickly as he could. There was an explosion of whistling -and shouting. The rapier had only gone in an inch or two and after -vibrating in the brute's neck, was ejected by him to some distance. - -Gallardo turned to pick tip the rapier and again approached the bull. He -was squaring himself to go in to kill, when the bull charged him at the -same moment. He wished to fly, but his legs had no longer the agility of -former days. He was caught and rolled over by the impetus of the rush. -While everyone ran to his help Gallardo picked himself up, covered with -sand, with a rent in the back of his breeches, through which his shirt -tail appeared, minus a shoe, and without the "mona" which adorned his -pigtail. - -That gallant and dashing young fellow, who had been the admiration of -the populace for his elegance, now looked pitiful and ridiculous, with -his shirt tail sticking out, his hair disarranged and his pigtail fallen -down and unfastened, looking like a wretched tail. - -Many capes were pityingly spread round him to help and protect him, -while the other espadas with generous comradeship worked the bull and -prepared him so that Gallardo might finish him without difficulty. But -Gallardo seemed blind and deaf; the sight alone of the animal was enough -to make him throw himself back at the slightest sign of attack; it -seemed as though his recent overturn had driven him mad with fright. He -did not seem to understand what his comrades said to him, and with -frowning brows and face intensely pale, he stammered out, scarcely -knowing what he said: - -"Go out, every one! Leave me alone!" - -While terror was singing in his heart: "To-day you will die! This is -your last cogida!" - -The public guessed the espada's thoughts by the wildness of his -movements. - -"He is terrified of the bull! Panic has seized him!" - -Even his most fervent partisans were ashamed and silent, unable to -explain a thing such as they had never seen before. - -The people seemed to enjoy his terror with the valour of those in a safe -place. Others, thinking themselves defrauded of their money, shouted -themselves hoarse. - -Gallardo, protected by his companions' capes, took advantage of any -opportunity of wounding the beast with his sword, deaf to the sarcastic -jests of the populace; but they were thrusts the animal scarcely seemed -to feel. His terror at being caught lengthened his arm, making him stand -far off, only wounding the beast with the point of the sword. - -Some of the rapiers shook themselves loose, being scarcely fixed in the -flesh, others remained stuck in a bone, but the greater part of the -length uncovered, bending with the brute's movements. The bull was -following the circuit of the barrier bellowing with his head low, as if -complaining of this useless torture. The espada followed him, muleta in -hand, anxious to finish him, yet dreading to expose himself, and behind -him came a whole troup of peons, spreading their capes, as though by -this fluttering of stuffs they were trying to persuade the bull to -double up his legs and to lie down on the sand. The bull's progress -close to the barrier, with his neck bristling with rapiers, provoked -storms of sarcasms and insults. - -"It's like la Dolorosa!"[109] they shouted. - -Others compared the animal to a pincushion full of pins. - -"Thief! Bad torero!" - -Others insulted the torero by changing his name to the feminine. - -"Juanita! Don't run into danger." - -Much time was being lost, and part of the audience becoming furious -turned towards the presidential box. - -"Señor Presidente! How long is this scandal to go on?" - -The President made a gesture which silenced the storm, and then made a -sign. Soon an alguacil in his feathered hat and fluttering cape was seen -running round the barrier to the spot where the bull was standing, then, -directing his gesture towards Gallardo he raised one closed fist with -the forefinger outstretched. The mob applauded. It was the first -warning. If before the third the matador had not killed his bull, it -would be taken back to the yard, and the matador would remain under the -stigma of the deepest dishonour. - -Gallardo, as if awakening suddenly from his somnambulism, crushed by -this threat, placed his rapier horizontally and threw himself on the -bull. It was only one estocade the more which scarcely penetrated into -the bull's body. - -The espada let his arms fall, utterly disheartened. Was that brute -immortal! The rapier thrusts seemed to do him no harm. It seemed as -though he would never die. - -The futility of the last stroke infuriated the people. They all rose to -their feet, the storm of whistling became absolutely deafening, obliging -the women to stop their ears. Oranges, scraps of bread, cushions, any -projectile ready to hand, was hurled into the arena at the matador. From -the sunny side came stentorian voices, roars like a siren, which it -seemed impossible should come from human throats, a horrible din of -cow-bells rang out suddenly like a tocsin, while from the benches close -to the bulls' box a chorus began to chant the "gori-gori"[110] of the -dead. - -Many turned towards the President. When would the second warning be -given? Gallardo wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief, -looking all around him, as if astounded at the injustice of the -populace. He turned his eyes towards Doña Sol, but she had turned her -back to the circus. Did she feel any pity? Or was she ashamed of her -condescensions in the past? - -Again he threw himself on the bull to kill, but very few could see what -was happening, for the spread capes fluttering incessantly round him -concealed everything.... At last the bull fell, a stream of blood -rushing from its mouth. - -At last!... The public quieted down a little, ceasing to thump, but -still continuing shouting and whistling. The animal was finished by the -puntilero, he was fastened by his poll to the team of mules, and dragged -out of the arena, leaving behind him a broad belt of smoothed sand -covered with blood-stains, which the servants obliterated with rakes and -baskets of sand. - -Gallardo hid himself between the barriers, shrinking from the storm of -insults his presence raised. There he remained, weary and panting, his -leg paining him greatly; but, in the midst of his discouragement, -feeling an intense comfort at being out of danger. He had not died by -the bull's horns ... but he owed it to his prudence. Ah! that public!... -After all they were only a crowd of murderers anxious for a man's death, -as if they alone loved life! - -The exit from the Plaza was heart-rending, through the crowd of people -massed outside, carriages, automobiles, and long rows of tramways. - -Gallardo's coach was obliged to go slowly to avoid running over the -crowds coming out of the Plaza; these opened out to let the mules pass, -but on recognizing the espada they seemed to repent of their courtesy. - -Gallardo guessed by the movement of their lips that they were insulting -him: carriages full of pretty women in white mantillas passed close to -him, but they turned their heads away, while others looked at him with -pitying eyes. - -The espada drew back as if he wished to pass unnoticed, hiding himself -behind the bulk of El Nacional, who sat silent and frowning. - -A group of urchins following the carriage began to whistle, while many -walking on the pavements followed their example. The news of Gallardo's -fiasco had spread rapidly, and they were glad of an opportunity to -insult a man whom they imagined had gained such immense wealth. - -"Curse them! Why are they whistling? Have they by any chance been to the -corrida?... Has it cost them any money?"... - -A stone struck the wheel, and the ragamuffins were shouting close to the -step, when two mounted policemen rode up and dispersed the hostile -manifestation, afterwards escorting the whole length of the Calle de -Alcala, the famous matador Juan Gallardo ... "the first man in the -world." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[104] Wolf cub. - -[105] The sunny side corresponds to the "gallery gods" or the pit with -us. - -[106] Heart--courage. - -[107] Trials of yearling calves. - -[108] When a bull stands by the object of his attack--attacking it again -and again. - -[109] The Virgin of Seven Sorrows whose heart is pierced with swords. - -[110] The "de profundis." - - - - -CHAPTER X - - -The following Sunday, as the cuadrilla had just entered the circus, some -one knocked loudly at the Puerta de Caballerizas. - -An employé of the Plaza shouted ill-humouredly from inside that there -was no entrance that way, they must go round to the other door, but as -the voice outside continued to insist he finally opened the door. - -A man and a woman entered, he wearing a white Cordoban felt hat, she -dressed in black with a mantilla. - -The man shook the employé's hand, leaving something in it, which -evidently softened his asperity. - -"You know me, do you not?" ... said the new comer. "Really, don't you -know me? I am Gallardo's brother-in-law, and this lady is his wife." - -Carmen looked all around at the deserted courtyard. Through the brick -walls she could hear the sound of music and the humming of the crowd, -varied by cries of enthusiasm, or murmurs of curiosity. - -"Where is he?" enquired Carmen anxiously. - -"Where should he be, woman?" replied her brother-in-law roughly. "In the -Plaza, fulfilling his duties.... It is folly to have come here. What a -flighty woman you are!" - -Carmen looked round her undecidedly, perhaps half repenting having come; -after all, what was she going to do there? - -The employé, whose hand-shake with Antonio had made a marvellous -difference, suggested that if the lady wished to wait till the end of -the corrida she could rest in the gate-keeper's room, but if she wished -to see the corrida he could find her a very good seat even if she had no -ticket. - -Carmen was terrified at this proposal. See the corrida? No! She had -never seen her husband fight; she would wait there as long as she -possibly could. - -"God's will be done!" said the saddler resignedly. "We will stay here, -though what we shall see opposite this doorway I don't know." - -About mid-day on the Saturday, Carmen had called Antonio into the -matador's study, and told him of her intention to go at once to Madrid. -She could not stay in Seville, she had had a week of restless nights, -which her imagination had peopled with horrible scenes, and her feminine -instinct made her fear some great disaster. She felt she must be by -Juan's side, she did not know why, nor what would happen on the journey, -all she wanted was to be near Gallardo. - -Life was not worth living like this. She had seen in the papers Juan's -great fiasco on the previous Sunday. She knew his professional pride, -and knew he could not bear this misfortune patiently. The last letter -she had received from him had plainly showed her this. - -"No, and again no," she said energetically to her brother-in-law's -objection. "I start for Madrid this afternoon; if you like to come, well -and good, if not, I shall go alone. Above all, not a word to Don José; -he would try to prevent my journey!"... - -The saddler finally agreed. After all a free journey to Madrid was not a -thing to be refused, even though it were in such dismal company. During -the journey, Carmen made up her mind; she would speak earnestly to her -husband. Why go on bull-fighting? Had they not enough to live on? He -must retire at once if he did not wish to kill her. This corrida must -be the last one ... and even this was one too many. She hoped to arrive -in Madrid in time to prevent her husband fighting, feeling that by her -presence she might prevent some catastrophe. - -"What rubbish! Just like a woman! If they get a thing into their heads -it must be so. Do you think there are no authorities, or laws, or rules -in a Plaza? that it is enough for a woman to be frightened and want to -run and kiss her husband for the corrida to be stopped and the public -disappointed? You may say whatever you like to Juan afterwards, but by -now he will be at the corrida. There is no trifling with the -authorities; we should all be sent to jail." - -When they arrived in Madrid, he had to exert all his powers of -persuasion to prevent his companion rushing to her husband's hotel. What -would be the result? She would disturb him by her presence, send him to -the Plaza in a bad humour, upset his calmness, and then if anything -happened all the fault would be hers. - -This reflection steadied Carmen, making her give in to her -brother-in-law's wishes and go to an hotel of his choosing, where she -spent the morning lying on a sofa crying as if she considered misfortune -imminent. The saddler, delighted to find himself in Madrid and -comfortably lodged, was furious with this despair, which seemed to him -ridiculous. - -The hotel was near the Puerta del Sol, and the noise of the carriages -and people going to the corrida reached her. She could not stay in the -house, she must see him. She had not courage enough to go to the -spectacle, but she wished to feel near him, and she wished to go to the -Plaza. Where was the Plaza? She had never seen it. Even if she could not -go in, she could wander round it, feeling that her near presence might -influence Gallardo's luck. - -The saddler expostulated. By the life of.... He certainly intended to -go to the corrida, he had gone out to buy his ticket, and now Carmen -prevented his enjoying the fiesta, by wanting to go to the Plaza -herself. - -"What can you do when you get there? What good can your presence do? -Just think, if Juaniyo caught sight of you!" - -But to all his arguments Carmen replied with the same obstinacy. - -"If you do not care to come with me, I will go alone." - -Antonio ended by giving in, and they drove to the Plaza together, -entering by the Puerta de Caballerizas. The saddler remembered the Plaza -well, as he had accompanied Gallardo on one of his journeys to Madrid -during the spring. - -He and the employé both felt out of humour with that woman with the red -eyes and streaming cheeks who stood in the court-yard not knowing what -to do.... The two men heard the noise of the people and the music in the -Plaza. Were they going to stay there all night without seeing the -corrida? - -At last the employé had a happy inspiration. - -"Perhaps the lady would like to go into the chapel!"... - -The procession of the cuadrillas was ended, and through the doorway -several horsemen came trotting back from the circus; these were the -picadors who were not on duty, and who withdrew from the arena, ready to -replace their comrades when required. Tied to rings on the wall were a -row of saddled horses, the first who would have to go into the circus in -place of any killed. Behind these the picadors were employing their wait -by making their horses pirouette and turn, and a stable-boy was -galloping a restless horse to quiet it before giving it over to the -picadors. All the horses were kicking, plagued by flies, and dragging -at their halters as if they scented the danger close at hand. - -Carmen and her brother-in-law were obliged to take refuge beneath the -arcades, and finally the torero's wife accepted the man's invitation to -go into the chapel. It was a safe and quiet spot, and possibly in there -she might do something to help her husband. - -When she found herself in the holy place, close and hot from the crowd -of people who had watched the torero's prayers, she fixed her eyes in -astonishment on the poverty of the altar. Four lights only were burning -before the Virgin of the Dove, which seemed to her a wretched tribute. - -She opened her purse to give a duro to the employé. Could he not bring -some more tapers?... The man scratched his head. Tapers? tapers? In the -purlieus of the Plaza such things were not to be found. But he suddenly -remembered that the sisters of a certain matador always brought some wax -tapers whenever he fought there, and the last supply was not all -consumed, they must be in some corner of the chapel. After a long search -they were found, but there were no candlesticks; however, the employé -was a man of resource, and fetching some empty bottles he stuck the -candles in their necks and placed them among the other lights. - -Carmen knelt down, and the two men took advantage of her absorbed -devotion to rush away to the Plaza, anxious to see the first events of -the corrida. - -She remained alone contemplating with curiosity the dusty painting -reddened by the lights. She did not know this Virgin, but surely she -must be gentle and kind, like the one in Seville, to whom she had prayed -so often. Besides, she was the toreros' Virgin, the one who heard their -last prayer, when coming danger gave those rough men a pious sincerity. -On that pavement also her husband had often knelt. - -Her lips moved, repeating the prayers with automatic speed, but her -thoughts were far away, attracted by the noise of the crowd which -reached her. - -Ay! the roaring of that intermittent volcano, the surging of those -distant waves, broken at times by a tragic silence.... Carmen fancied -she could unseen watch the corrida. She could guess by the different -intonations of the noises in the Plaza the course of the tragedy which -was being unfolded in the circus. Sometimes it was an explosion of -indignant cries accompanied by whistling, at others thousands and -thousands of voices seemed uttering unintelligible words. Suddenly there -was a scream of terror, long and strident, which seemed to rise even to -heaven, a terrified and gasping exclamation which made her see thousands -of outstretched heads, pale with emotion, following the rapid rush of a -bull on the tracks of a man ... but the cries suddenly ceased and calm -returned. The danger was past. - -Sometimes there were long spells of absolute silence, in which the -humming of the flies could be heard, a silence so profound it seemed as -if the immense circus must be empty, as if the fourteen thousand people -on its benches did not even breathe, and that Carmen herself was the -only living creature within its walls. - -Suddenly this silence was broken by an immense and noisy uproar, so loud -one would have thought that every brick in the building was knocking -against its neighbour, a wild volley of applause which made the whole -place shake. In the courtyard close by the chapel the sound of whacks on -the loins of the horses tied there was heard, then the sound of iron -hoofs on the pavement, lastly the sound of voices. "Who is hit?" And -fresh picadors were called into the arena. - -To these distant noises were now joined others nearer and more -terrifying. The sound of steps to the rooms near, doors hurriedly -opened, the panting breathing, and gasping voices of several men, as if -they were staggering under a great weight. - -"It is nothing ... only a bruise. You are not bleeding, before the -corrida is ended you will be on your horse again." - -A hoarse voice, weak with pain, moaned between sighs in an accent which -reminded Carmen of her own country. - -"Oh! Virgin of Solitude! I think something is broken; search well, -doctor.... Ay! my children!" - -Carmen trembled with fright. She raised her eyes, suffused with terror, -to the Virgin. She felt as if she might fall fainting on the floor; she -tried again to pray, not to listen to the noises from outside, -transmitted through the walls with such desperate clearness. But in -spite of her endeavour, the sound of splashing water fell on her ears, -and the sounds of men's voices, probably the doctors, encouraging the -patient. - -"Virgin of Solitude!... My children!... What will become of my poor -angels if their father cannot fight?"... - -Carmen rose. Ay! she could bear it no longer, she should faint if she -remained longer in that dark place terrified by those cries of pain. She -must have air, get out into the sun. She fancied she felt in her own -bones all the pain that unknown man was suffering. - -She went out into the courtyard. There was blood on every side! Blood on -the ground, and blood round some pails in which the water was coloured -red. - -The picadors were coming out of the circus, the banderilleros were -having their turn now, the riders came in on their horses stained with -blood, their flesh torn, their entrails hanging down. - -The riders dismounted, talking with animation of the events of the -corrida. Carmen watched Potaje's ponderous humanity get down stiffly and -heavily, swearing at the mono sabio, who did not help his descent with -sufficient alacrity. He seemed benumbed by his heavy iron leggings and -by the pain of various bruises; he raised one hand ruefully to rub his -shoulders, but all the same he smiled, showing all his yellow tusks. - -"Have you all seen how fine Juan has been?" he said to those surrounding -him. "To-day he has been quite splendid." - -As he noticed the only woman in the patio and recognized her, he showed -no sort of surprise. - -"You here, Señora Carmen! That's right!"... - -He spoke quietly, as if his habitual vinous somnolence and his natural -stupidity prevented anything surprising him. - -"Have you seen Juan?" he went on. "He lay down on the ground in front of -the bull, under its very nose. No one can do what that Gacho does.... -You should go and see him, for to-day he is splendid." - -Some one called him from the infirmary door; his companion, the other -picador, wished to speak to him before being taken away to the hospital. - -"Adio, Seña Carmen. I must go and see what the poor fellow wants. A bad -fracture, they say. He will not be able to work again this season." - -Carmen took refuge beneath the arcades; she tried to close her eyes, not -to see the horrible spectacle in the courtyard, while at the same time -she felt fascinated by the crimson pools of blood. - -The monos sabios led in the wounded horses, who were dragging their -entrails along the ground. As she saw them, the head man in charge of -the stables bustled about in a fever of activity. - -"Now, my lads, hurry up!" ... he shouted to the stable lads. "Gently!... -Gently, there!" - -A stable-boy went carefully up to the horse who was rearing with pain, -and took the saddle off; then he tied ropes round his four feet, drew -them together and threw him. - -"Now, my fine fellow!... Gently, gently with him!" he shouted to the -man, never ceasing to move his own hands and feet. - -The stable lads in their shirt sleeves, leant over the animal's -ripped-up belly, from which were gushing streams of blood and water, -endeavouring to put back by handfuls the slippery entrails hanging out -of it. - -Others held the animal's reins, putting a foot on its head to keep it on -the ground. Its muzzle twitched with pain, and its teeth rattled -together with the anguish of its torment, while its agonized squeals -were smothered by the pressure on its head. The bloody hands of the -workers endeavoured to replace the bowels in the empty cavity, but the -gasping breathing of the unfortunate animal constantly blew out again -the entrails the men were pushing in like bundles. At last they were all -pushed back into the stomach, and the lads with the quickness of long -habit sewed the sides of the wound together. - -After the animal was mended with this barbarous promptitude, a pail of -water was thrown over its head, its legs were freed from the ropes, and -a few kicks and blows with a stick made it scramble on to its feet. Some -only walked a few steps, falling down again, with torrents of blood -rushing from the re-opened wound. This meant instantaneous death. Others -stood up apparently stronger, from their immense resources of animal -vitality, and the lads after mending them up took them off to the -courtyard to be "varnished." There their stomach and legs were cleansed -by several pailsful of water thrown over them, which left their white or -chestnut coats bright and shining, while streams of bloody water ran -down their legs on to the ground. - -They mended the horses just like old shoes, prolonging their agony and -retarding their death, working their weakness up to the last possible -moment. Fragments of their entrails which had been cut off to facilitate -the repairing operation lay about the floor. Other fragments lay in the -circus, covered with sand, till the death of the bull should permit of -the attendants collecting the remains in their baskets. Very often these -rough-and-ready practitioners supplied the horrible absence of the lost -organs by handfuls of tow stuffed into the stomach. The chief thing was -to keep these miserable animals on foot a few moments longer till the -picadors should return to the arena, when the bull would soon take -charge and finish the work. - -Even here the noisy shouts of the invisible crowd reached Carmen. -Sometimes they were exclamations of anxiety; an "Ay! Ay!" from thousands -of voices that told of the flight of a banderillero closely pursued by -the bull. Then there would be absolute silence. The man had again turned -on the brute and the noisy applause broke out once more when he had -skilfully fixed two more darts. Then the trumpets sounded, announcing -that the time for the death stroke had come, and the applause rang out -afresh. - -Carmen wished to go away. Virgin of Hope! What was she doing there? She -was ignorant of the routine that the matadors followed in their work. -Possibly that blast indicated the moment when her husband had to face -the bull. And she was there, only a few steps away, and unable to see -him! If she could only get away and escape from this torment. - -Besides, the blood running over the courtyard sickened her, and the poor -brutes' sufferings. Her womanly sensitiveness rose up against such -tortures, and she put her handkerchief to her face, nauseated by the -smell of the butcheries. - -She had never been to a bull-fight. A great part of her life had been -spent in hearing about corridas, but in the accounts of the fiestas she -had never heard or seen anything beyond the outside, just what all the -world saw or heard of, the exploits in the arena under the brilliant -sun, the flash of silk and gold embroideries, all the sumptuous -procession, knowing nothing of the odious preparations taking place in -the secrecy of the outbuildings. And they lived from this fiesta, with -its repulsive torturing of weak animals! Their fortune had been made -from such spectacles! - -Tremendous applause broke out in the circus. In the courtyard an -imperious voice gave orders. The first bull had just been killed; the -gates at the end of the passage of the Puerta de Caballos giving access -to the circus were thrown open, and the roars of the crowd poured in -louder and louder still, with the echoes of the music. - -The mule teams had trotted into the Plaza, one to bring out the dead -horses, and the other to drag out the carcass of the bull. - -Carmen caught sight of her brother-in-law coming along under the -arcades, still trembling from excitement at what he had seen. - -"Juan ... is colossal! He has never been anything like this afternoon! -Have no fear! He seems to eat up the bulls alive!" - -Then he looked at her anxiously, afraid she might make him lose such an -interesting afternoon. What did she decide to do? Did she feel brave -enough to come into the Plaza? - -"Take me away!" she cried in agonized tones. "Get me out of here as -quickly as possible. I feel ill.... You can leave me in the nearest -church." - -The saddler pulled a face. By the life of Roger!... To leave such a -magnificent corrida!... And all the while he was taking Carmen towards -the door he was thinking how soon he could leave her and return to the -circus. - -When the second bull came out, Gallardo was still leaning on the -barrier, receiving the congratulations of his friends. What courage that -fellow had ... when he chose! The whole Plaza had applauded him with the -first bull, forgetting their anger at the previous corridas. When a -picador remained on the ground insensible from his fall, Gallardo had -rushed up with his cape, and by a series of magnificent "veronicas" had -drawn the bull to the centre of the arena, eventually leaving him -wearied out and motionless after his furious rushes at the deceiving red -cloth. The torero, taking advantage of the brute's bewilderment, stood -erect a few paces from his muzzle, presenting his body as though defying -him. He felt the strong heart-throb--the happy precursor of his greatest -deeds. He knew he must reconcile his public by some sudden dash of -audacity, and quietly he knelt down opposite the horns, albeit with a -certain precaution, ready to slip away at the slightest sign of a -charge. - -The bull remained quiet. Then he put forward one hand till he touched -its foam flecked snout--still the animal remained quiet. Then he dared -something which plunged the audience into palpitating silence. Slowly -he lay down on the sand, using the cape on his arm as a pillow, and so -he remained for some seconds, below the very nostrils of the brute, who -sniffed at this body placing itself so daringly beneath his horns, -evidently suspecting some hidden danger. - -When the bull, recovering his aggressive fierceness, lowered his horns, -the torero rolled towards his hoofs, putting himself in this way out of -his reach, and the animal passed over him, seeking in his blind ferocity -for the object to attack. - -Gallardo rose, dusting the sand from his clothes, and the audience, -always loving daring deeds, applauded him with all the enthusiasm of -former days. They quite understood that the torero's display of courage -was an attempt at reconciliation with themselves, an effort to regain -their affection. He had come to the corrida ready for any feat of daring -which would earn their plaudits. - -"He is often over careful," they said on the benches--"often he is weak, -but he has toreros' pride, and he is regaining his name." - -Their delighted excitement at Gallardo's exploit and the death of the -first bull turned to bad humour and expostulations as they saw the -second bull enter the arena. He was of enormous size and fine -appearance, but he began to trot all round the arena, looking with -astonishment at the howling masses of people crowded on the seats, -frightened by the cries and whistling with which they endeavoured to -excite him, and running away from his own shadow, imagining all sorts of -snares. The peons ran towards him spreading their capes. He attacked the -red cloth for an instant, then suddenly giving a snort of surprise he -turned tail and ran away in the opposite direction with leaps and -bounds. His agility for flight made the people furious. - -"He is not a bull! ... he is a monkey!" - -The maestros' capes finally attracted him towards the barrier, where -the picadors waited for him motionless on their horses, their garrochas -under their arms. He came up to a rider with lowered head and fierce -snorts, as though intending to attack, but before the iron could be -driven into his neck he gave a bound and fled, passing between the -peons' outstretched capes. In his flight he ran against another picador, -repeating the bound, the snort, and the flight. Then he ran against a -third picador, who caught him fairly on the neck with his garrocha, -increasing in this way both his fear and his velocity. - -The audience had risen to their feet _en masse_ gesticulating and -shouting. A craven bull! What an abomination!... They all turned towards -the presidential box, shouting their protests: "Señor Presidente! This -cannot be allowed." - -From several of the rows came a chorus of voices repeating the same word -with monotonous iteration. - -"Fire ... fire!" - -The President seemed doubtful. The bull was rushing all about the ring, -followed by the toreros, with their capes on their arms. When some of -them succeeded in getting in front of him and stopping him, he would -sniff the cloths with his usual snort and run off in another direction, -kicking and bounding. - -These flights increased the noisy expostulations: "Señor Presidente," -was his Worship blind? Then bottles, oranges, and seat cushions began to -shower into the arena round the fugitive beast. The masses loathed him -for a coward. Some of them stretched over into the arena, as if they -intended tearing the animal to pieces with their own hands. What a -scandal! To see in the Madrid Plaza oxen only fit for meat! Fire! fire! - -At last the President waved a red handkerchief, and a salvo of applause -greeted the gesture. - -The fire banderillas were a quite extraordinary spectacle, something -entirely unexpected, which greatly increased the interest of the -corrida. Many who had shouted themselves hoarse were privately delighted -at the incident. They would see the bull burning alive, rushing about -mad with terror at the lightnings fastened into his neck. - -El Nacional came forward carrying two large banderillas seemingly -wrapped in black paper, hanging points downward. He went towards the -bull without any great precautions, as though his cowardice did not -deserve any high art, and stuck in the infernal darts amid the -vindictive acclamations of the populace. - -Immediately there was an explosion, and two puffs of smoke ran along the -animal's neck. In the sunlight the fire could not be seen, but the hair -disappeared, singed, and a black mark began to spread over the neck. - -The bull, surprised at the attack, accelerated his flight, as if this -could free him from the torture, till suddenly short sharp detonations -like gun shots were heard proceeding from his neck, and showers of ash -paper flew about his eyes. The beast bounded with the agility of terror, -all four feet off the ground at once, twisting his head in the vain -endeavour to tear out with his teeth these demoniacal darts fixed in his -flesh. The mob laughed and applauded, thinking these bounds and -contortions extremely amusing. The animal, in spite of his size and -weight, seemed to be performing a dance like some trained animal. - -"How they sting him!" exclaimed the populace with ferocious laughter. -When the banderillas had ceased to explode the melted fat on the neck -formed little bubbles, and the bull no longer feeling the sting of the -fire stopped short, his head hanging, his eyes bloodshot, his muzzle -covered with foam, and his red dry tongue licking the sand in search of -moisture. - -Another banderillero came up and stuck in a second pair of darts. Once -more the puffs of smoke ran along the scorched flesh, and the -detonations recommenced. Wherever he rushed, twisting his massive body -in his struggles to get the darts out of his neck, the infernal -detonations went with him; but now his movements were less violent, it -seemed as though his vigorous animalism was being subdued by the -torture. - -A third pair of darts were fixed in, and from the burning flesh a -nauseous odour of melted fat, burnt hide, and singed hair spread -throughout the arena. - -The public still applauded with vindictive frenzy, as if the poor animal -were an opponent of their religious beliefs, and they were performing a -holy work by this burning. They laughed as they saw him unsteady on his -legs, bellowing with sharp screams of pain, seeking in vain for -something to cool his tongue. - -Gallardo awaited, leaning on the barrier near the presidential box, the -signal to kill, while Garabato held the rapier and muleta ready prepared -resting on the top of the barrier. - -Curse him! The corrida had begun so well, and now evil fate had reserved -this bull for him, a bull, moreover, of his own choosing on account of -his fine appearance, and who, now he was in the arena, turned out a cur! - -He excused himself beforehand to the connoisseurs who were leaning over -the barrier, for his probably indifferent work. - -"I will do what I can, but it probably won't be much," said he, -shrugging his shoulders. - -Then he glanced round the boxes, fixing his eyes on the one occupied by -Doña Sol. She had applauded him before when he executed his stupendous -exploit of lying down before the bull. Her gloved hands had clapped -enthusiastically when he had turned towards the barrier saluting the -audience. Now, when she realised that the torero was looking at her, she -saluted him with a kindly gesture, and even her companion, that odious -fellow, made a stiff bow, as if he were breaking in two at the waist. He -had surprised her several times with her opera-glasses fixed -persistently on him, or searching for him when he retired behind the -barriers. Ah! that gachi!... Possibly she felt once more attracted by -his courage. Gallardo thought he would go and see her the following day, -possibly the wind might have changed. - -The trumpets gave the signal to kill, and the espada, after making a -short "brindis," walked towards the bull. - -All the enthusiasts shouted their advice. - -"Kill him quickly! He is an ox who deserves nothing!" - -The torero spread his muleta before the brute, who attacked, but slowly, -as if warned by his previous torture, but with the evident intention of -crushing and wounding, the suffering having awakened his fierceness. -That man was the first who had stood before him since his torment began. - -The crowd felt their vindictive anger towards the bull vanishing. After -all he was not turning out so badly. He was attacking well. Olé! And -they all welcomed the torero's passes with delight, confounding the -torero and the bull in the same noisy approval. - -The bull remained motionless, his head lowered, his tongue hanging out. -There fell on the crowd that silence always preceding the mortal -estocade, a silence even greater than absolute solitude, as it came from -thousands of hard-held breathings. The silence was so profound that the -slightest noise reached to the topmost benches. All heard the rattle of -the pieces of wood knocking against each other. It was Gallardo, who -with the point of his rapier was setting aside the burnt banderillas -which had fallen down between the horns. After this arrangement, which -would facilitate the mortal stroke, the crowd stretched their necks even -further forward, feeling the mysterious intercourse re-established -between their will and that of the matador. Now! they all said to -themselves, he would overthrow the bull with one masterly stroke. They -all felt the espada's determination. - -Gallardo threw himself on the bull, and all the populace breathed loudly -after their breathless expectation. But from the encounter the animal -emerged, rushing with furious bellowing, while the benches broke out -into whistling and protests. The same thing had happened once again. -Gallardo had turned away his face and shortened his arm at the moment of -killing. The animal carried off the rapier in his neck, loose and -bending, and after a few steps the steel blade flew out of the flesh, -rolling on the sand. - -Some of the people blamed Gallardo, and the spell which had united them -to the espada at the beginning of the fiesta was broken. Their distrust -of the torero reappeared and their irritating censures. All seemed to -have forgotten their late enthusiasm. - -Gallardo picked up his rapier, with bent head, and without the heart to -protest against the discontent of a crowd so tolerant to others, so -harsh and unjust towards himself, and turned again towards the bull. - -In his confusion he thought some other torero placed himself by his -side. It was El Nacional. - -"Steady, Juan! Don't get flurried." - -Curse it!... Was this same thing always going to happen to him? Could -he not put his arm between the horns as formerly and drive the rapier in -up to the hilt? Was he going to spend the rest of his life as a -laughing-stock for the public? An ox whom they had been obliged to -fire!... - -He placed himself opposite the animal, who seemed waiting for him, -steady on its legs. He thought it useless to make any more passes with -the muleta. So he placed himself "in profile" with the red cloth hanging -on the ground, and the rapier horizontal at the height of his eye. Now -to thrust in his arm! - -With a sudden impulse the audience rose to their feet, for a few seconds -the man and the bull formed one single mass, and so moved on some steps. -The connoisseurs were already waving their hands anxious to applaud. He -had thrown himself in to kill as in his best day. That was a "true" -estocade! - -But suddenly the man was thrown out from between the horns by a crushing -blow, and rolled on the sand. The bull lowered his head, picking up the -inert body, lifting it for an instant on his horns to let it fall again, -then rushing on his mad career with the rapier plunged up to the hilt in -his neck. - -Gallardo rose slowly, the whole Plaza burst out into uproarious, -deafening applause, anxious to repair their injustice. Olé for the man! -Well done the lad from Seville! He had been splendid! - -But the torero did not acknowledge these outbursts of enthusiasm. He -raised his hand to his stomach, crouching in a painful curve, and with -his head bent began to walk forward with uncertain step. Twice he raised -his head as if he were looking for the door of exit and fearing not to -be able to find it, finally staggering like a drunken man, and falling -flat on the sand. - -Four of the Plaza servants raised him slowly on their shoulders, El -Nacional joining the group, to support the espada's pale livid head, -with its glassy eyes just showing through the long lashes. - -The audience started with surprise, and their plaudits ceased suddenly. -They looked around at each other unable to make up their minds as to the -gravity of the accident.... Soon optimistic news circulated, but no one -knew from whence it came.... It was nothing, only a tremendous blow in -the stomach which had deprived him of consciousness, but no one had seen -any blood. - -The populace, suddenly tranquilized, sat down, turning their attention -from the wounded torero to the bull, who, though in the agonies of -death, still remained firm on his feet. - -El Nacional helped to place his master on a bed in the infirmary. He -fell on it like a sack, inanimate, his arms hanging over either side of -the bed. - -Sebastian, who had so often seen the espada bleeding and wounded, -without ever losing his calm, now felt the agony of fear, seeing him -lifeless, with his face of a greenish whiteness as if he were already -dead. - -"By the life of the blue dove!" he groaned. "Are there no doctors? Is -there no help anywhere?" - -The infirmary doctors, after attending to the injured picador, had run -back to their box in the Plaza. - -The banderillero was in despair, seconds seemed hours, as he shouted to -Garabato and Potaje to come and help him, not knowing quite what he said -to them. - -The doctors arrived, and, after closing the door to remain undisturbed, -they stood undecidedly before the espada's inanimate body. They must -undress him, and Garabato began to unpin, unsew and tear the torero's -clothes. - -El Nacional hardly saw the body. The doctors were surrounding the -wounded man, consulting each other by their looks. It must be a collapse -which had apparently deprived him of life. There was no blood to be -seen, and the rents in his clothes were no doubt the result of his toss -by the bull. - -Doctor Ruiz entered hurriedly, the other doctors making way for him, -acknowledging his superiority. He swore in his nervous hurry as he -helped Garabato to undo the torero's clothes. - -There was a start of wonder, of painful surprise round the bed. The -banderillero did not dare to enquire, he looked between the doctors' -heads at Gallardo's body. His shirt was drawn up, and he saw that the -stomach, which was uncovered, was torn by a jagged wound with bloody -lips, from between which the bluish viscera were protruding. - -Doctor Ruiz shook his head sadly. Besides the terrible and incurable -wound, the torero had received a tremendous shock from the bull's head. -He was no longer breathing. - -"Doctor! doctor!" moaned the banderillero, imploring to know the truth. - -And Doctor Ruiz, after a long silence, turned his head. - -"It is finished, Sebastian.... You must seek another matador." - -El Nacional raised his eyes to heaven. Was it possible that such a man -should die in this way, unable to clasp a friend's hand, unable to say a -word, suddenly, like a wretched rabbit whose neck you wring! - -Despair drove him from the infirmary. Ay! he could not stay and look at -_that_! He was not like Potaje, who stood motionless and frowning at the -foot of the bed, twisting his beaver in his hand, looking at the body as -if he saw it not. - -In the courtyard he had to stand aside to let some picadors pass who -were returning to the circus. - -The terrible news had begun to run through the Plaza. Gallardo was -dead!... Some doubted the truth of the news, others affirmed it, but no -one moved from their seats. They were going to loose the third bull. The -corrida was only in its first half, and they really could not give it -up. - -Through the great doorway came the noise of the crowd and the sound of -music. - -The banderillero felt a fierce hatred arise in his heart for everything -surrounding him; a disgust and aversion to his profession and to those -who maintained it. - -He thought of the bull who was now being dragged out of the arena, with -his neck burnt and bloody, his legs stiff and his glassy eyes gazing up -at the sky. - -Then he thought of the friend lying dead a few paces from him, only the -other side of a brick wall. His limbs also rigid, his stomach ripped -open, and a mysterious dull light shining through his half open eyelids. - -Poor bull! Poor espada!... And suddenly, as noisy cries of delight burst -out in the circus applauding the continuation of the spectacle, El -Nacional closed his eyes and clenched his fists. - -It was the roaring of the wild beast, the true and only one. - - - - -GLOSSARY - - -As certain Bull-fighting terms have no possible English equivalents, a -short explanatory glossary is appended, but the Spanish terms will be -used throughout the book. - - - _Alguacil._--Policeman. In this case a kind of steward of the ring - and master of the ceremonies. - - _La Alternativa._--Ceremony in the bull-ring by which a rising - torero is recognised by his superiors as a finished matador, and - henceforward he ranks with them as a master of his profession. - - _Aficion._--The sport, bull-fighting more especially. Ford and Sir - Richard Burton translate this as "the fancy," the "fraternity." - - _Aficionados._--Devotees of the sport--amateurs--patrons. - - _Banderilla._--Darts stuck into the bull's neck. - - _Banderillero._--Man who fixes the darts into the bull. - - _Cuadrilla._--The matador's troupe, composed of two banderilleros, - two picadors on horseback, three peons on foot, and one dagger man. - The discipline is most severe, implicit obedience being exacted. - - _Capea._--A bull run consisting merely of dexterous cape play, in - which no horses are employed, and the bull is not killed except at - the owner's wish. The capeas on the Saints' day festivals in - different villages are the practising grounds of young toreros. - - _Corrida._--Any sort of bull-fight, whether officially recognised, - as in the large bull-rings, or merely the baiting of young bulls - and calves at capeas. - - _Cogida._--Any sort of injury received during a - bull-fight--literally "a catching." - - _Diestro, Torero, Espada, Matador._--Synonymous terms for the - matador who kills the bulls with his rapier. - - _Fiesta._--Any popular holiday, whether of the Church or otherwise. - - _Olé._--Hurrah! Well done! - - _Novillo._--Young bull up to four years old. - - _Novillada._--Baiting of young bulls, as at the capeas. - - _Novillero._--The young toreros who bait the young bulls. - - _Picador._--A man on horseback who attacks the bull with a lance. - - - - -+-------------------------------------------------+ -|Transcriber's note: | -| | -|Obvious typographic errors have been corrected. | -| | -+-------------------------------------------------+ - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLOOD AND SAND*** - - -******* This file should be named 54222-8.txt or 54222-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/4/2/2/54222 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: Blood and Sand</p> -<p>Author: Vincente Blasco Ibáñez</p> -<p>Release Date: February 22, 2017 [eBook #54222]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLOOD AND SAND***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by<br /> - David Garcia, Larry B. Harrison, Martin Pettit,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org">https://archive.org</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/bloodsandnovel00blas"> - https://archive.org/details/bloodsandnovel00blas</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class="center"><a name="cover.jpg" id="cover.jpg"></a><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">BLOOD AND SAND</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p> - -<h1>BLOOD AND SAND</h1> - -<p class="bold">A Novel</p> - -<p class="bold">BY</p> - -<p class="bold2">VICENTE BLASCO IBÁÑEZ</p> - -<p class="bold">TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH</p> - -<p class="bold">BY</p> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Mrs.</span> W. A. GILLESPIE</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">GROSSET & DUNLAP<br /> -<span class="smcap">Publishers</span> <span class="s3"> </span> <span class="smcap">New York</span><br /> -By arrangement with E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span></p> - -<p class="center">Copyright, 1919, 1922,<br /> -By E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY<br />——<br /> -<i>All Rights Reserved</i><br />——</p> - -<p class="center space-above">Printed in the United States of America</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p> - -<h2>BLASCO IBÁÑEZ AND "SANGRE Y ARENA"</h2> - -<p>One of the secrets of the immense power exercised by the novels of -Vicente Blasco Ibáñez is that they are literary projections of his -dynamic personality. Not only the style, but the book, is here the man. -This is especially true of those of his works in which the thesis -element predominates, and in which the famous author of <i>The Four -Horsemen of the Apocalypse</i> appears as a novelist of ideas-in-action. It -is, of course, possible to divide his works into the "manners" or -"periods" so dear to the literary cataloguers, and it may thus be -indicated that there are such fairly distinct genres as the regional -novel, the sociological tale and the psychological study; a convenient -classification of this sort would place among the regional novels such -masterpieces as <i>La Barraca</i> and <i>Cañas y Barro</i>,—among the novels of -purpose such powerful writings as <i>La Catedral</i>, <i>La Bodega</i> and <i>Sangre -y Arena</i>,—among the psychological studies the introspective <i>La Maja -Desnuda</i>. The war novels, including <i>The Four Horsemen</i> and the epic -<i>Mare Nostrum</i>, would seem to form another group. Such non-literary -diversions as grouping and regrouping, however, had perhaps best be left -to those who relish the task. It is for the present more important to -note that the passionate flame of a deeply human purpose welds the man's -literary labors into a larger unity. His pen, as his person, has been -given over to humanity. He is as fearless in his denunciation of evil as -he is powerful in his description of it; he has lived his ideas as well -as fashioned them into enduring documents; he reveals not only a new -Spain, but a new world.</p> - -<p>While Blasco Ibáñez does not desire to be known as regional -novelist—nor does a complete view of his numerous works justify such a -narrow description—he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span> has nevertheless in his earlier books made such -effective and artistic use of regional backgrounds that some critics -have found this part of his production best. Speaking from the -standpoint of durable literary art, I am inclined to such a view. Yet is -there less humanitarian impulse in <i>The Four Horsemen</i> than in these -earlier masterpieces? Whether Blasco Ibáñez's background is a corner in -Valencia, a spot on the island of Majorca, a battlefield in France, or -Our Sea the Mediterranean,—the cradle of civilization,—his real stage -is the human heart and his real actor, man.</p> - -<p>Upon his election to the Cortes,—Spain's national parliamentary -assembly,—Blasco Ibáñez naturally turned, in his novels, to a -consideration of political and social themes. Beginning with <i>La -Catedral</i> (The Shadow of the Cathedral), one of the most powerful modern -documents of its kind, he took up in successive novels the treatment of -such vital subjects as the relation of Church to State, the degrading -and backward influence of drunkenness, the problem of the Jesuits, the -brutality and psychology of the bull-fight. In all of these works the -writer is characterized by fearlessness, passion and even vehemence; yet -his ardor is not so strong as to lead him into conscious unfairness. A -fiery advocate of the lowly, he yet can cast their shortcomings into -their teeth; they, in their ignorance, are accomplices in their own -degradation, partners in the crimes that oppress them. They slay the -leaders whom they misunderstand; they are slow to organize for the -purpose of bursting their shackles. This appears in <i>La Barraca</i> (one of -the so-called regional novels) no less than in <i>La Catedral</i>, <i>La -Bodega</i> and other books of the more purely sociological series. In -varying degree, applied to a nation rather than to a class, this -fearless attitude is evident in <i>Los Cuatros Jinetes del Apocalipsis</i> -and <i>Mare Nostrum</i>, in which is assailed the neutrality of Spain during -the late and unlamented conflict. This unflinching determination to see -the truth and state it is also discernible in a most personal manner; -the sad inability of such noble spirits<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span> as Gabriel Luna (<i>La Catedral</i>) -or Fernando Salvatierra (<i>La Bodega</i>) to solace themselves with a belief -in future life is perhaps an exteriorization of the author's own views, -even as these revolutionary spirits are, in part, embodiments of -himself.</p> - -<p>In the bulk of the noted Spaniard's books there is waged, on both a -large scale and a small, the ceaseless, implacable struggle of the new -against the old. This eternal battle early formed an appreciable part of -even the writer's short fiction. His old seamen look with scorn upon the -steam-vessels that replace their beloved barks; his vintners regret the -passing of the good old days when sherry sold high and had not yet been -ousted from the market by cheap, new-fangled concoctions; his toilers -begin to rebel against ecclesiastical authority; some of his heroes are -even capable of falling in love with Jewesses or with women below their -station (<i>Luna Benamor</i>, <i>Los Muertos Mandan</i>); everywhere is the -fermentation of transition. His protagonists,—red-blooded, vigorous, -determined,—usually fail at the end, but if there are victories that -spell failure, so are there failures that spell victory. It is the clash -of these ancient and modern forces that strikes the spark which ignites -the author's passion. He is with the new and of it, yet rises above -blind partisanship. His dominant figures, chiefly men, are -representative of the Spain of to-morrow; not that mañana which has so -long (and often unjustly) been a standing reproach to Iberian -procrastination, but a to-morrow of rebirth, of rededication to lofty -ideals and glowing realities.</p> - -<p>In <i>Sangre y Arena</i> (<i>Blood and Sand</i>, written in 1908) Blasco Ibáñez -attacks the Spanish national sport. With characteristic thoroughness, -approaching his subject from the psychological, the historical, the -national, the humane, the dramatic and narrative standpoint, he evolves -another of his notable documents, worthy of a place among the great -tracts of literary history.</p> - -<p>His process, like his plot, is simple; whether attacking the Church or -the evils of drink, or the bloodlust of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[Pg viii]</a></span> bull ring, his methods are -usually the same. He provides a protagonist who shall serve as the -vehicle or symbol of his ideas, surrounding him with minor personages -intended to serve as a foil or as a prop. He fills in the background -with all the wealth of descriptive and coloring powers at his -command—and these powers are as highly developed in Ibáñez, I believe, -as in any living writer. The beauty of Blasco Ibáñez's descriptions—a -beauty by no means confined to the pictures he summons to the mind—is -that, at their best, they rise to interpretation. He not only brings -before the eye a vivid image, but communicates to the spirit an -intellectual reaction. Here he is the master who penetrates beyond the -exterior into the inner significance; the reader is carried into the -swirl of the action itself, for the magic of the author's pen imparts a -sense of palpitant actuality; you are yourself a soldier at the Marne, -you fairly drown with Ulises in his beloved Mediterranean, you defend -the besieged city of Saguntum, you pant with the swordsman in the bloody -arena. This gift of imparting actuality to his scenes is but another -evidence of the Spaniard's dynamic personality; he lives his actions so -thoroughly that we live them with him; his gift of second sight gives us -to see beyond amphitheatres of blood and sand into national character, -beyond a village struggle into the vexed problem of land, labor and -property. Against this type of background develops the characteristic -Ibáñez plot, by no means lacking intimate interest, yet beginning -somewhat slowly and gathering the irresistible momentum of a powerful -body.</p> - -<p>Juan Gallardo, the hero of <i>Blood and Sand</i>, has from earliest childhood -exhibited a natural aptitude for the bull ring. He is aided in his -career by interested parties, and soon jumps to the forefront of his -idolized profession, without having to thread his way arduously up the -steep ascent of the bull fighters' hierarchy. Fame and fortune come to -him, and he is able to gratify the desires of his early days, as if the -mirage of hunger and desire had suddenly been converted into dazzling -reality. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[Pg ix]</a></span> lavishes largess upon his mother and his childless wife, -and there comes, too, a love out of wedlock.</p> - -<p>But neither his powers nor his fame can last forever. The life of even -Juan Gallardo is taken into his hands every time he steps into the ring -to face the wild bulls; at first comes a minor accident, then a loss of -prestige, and at last the fatal day upon which he is carried out of the -arena, dead. He dies a victim of his own glory, a sacrifice upon the -altar of national blood-lust. That Doña Sol who lures him from his wife -and home is, in her capricious, fascinating, baffling way, almost a -symbol of the fickle bull-fight audience, now hymning the praises of a -favorite, now sneering him off the scene of his former triumphs.</p> - -<p>The tale is more than a colorful, absorbing story of love and struggle. -It is a stinging indictment brought against the author's countrymen, -thrown in their faces with dauntless acrimony. He shows us the glory of -the arena,—the movement, the color, the mastery of the skilled -performers,—and he reveals, too, the sickening other side. In -successive pictures he mirrors the thousands that flock to the bull -fights, reaching a tremendous climax in the closing words of the tale. -The popular hero has just been gored to death, but the crowd, knowing -that the spectacle is less than half over, sets up yells for the -continuance of the performance. In the bellowing of the mob Blasco -Ibáñez divines the howl of the real and only animals. Not the -sacrificial bulls, but the howling, bloodthirsty assembly is the genuine -beast!</p> - -<p>The volume is rich in significant detail, both as regards the master's -peculiar powers and his views as expressed in other words. Once again we -meet the author's determination to be just to all concerned. Through Dr. -Ruiz, for example, a medical enthusiast over tauromachy, we receive what -amounts to a lecture upon the evolution of the brutal sport. He looks -upon bull-fighting as the historical substitute for the Inquisition, -which was in itself a great national festival. He is ready to admit, -too, that the bull fight is a barbarous institution, but calls<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[Pg x]</a></span> to your -attention that it is by no means the only one in the world. In the -turning of the people to violent, savage forms of amusement he beholds a -universal ailment. And when Dr. Ruiz expresses his disgust at seeing -foreigners turn eyes of contempt upon Spain because of the bull-fight, -he no doubt speaks for Blasco Ibáñez. The enthusiastic physician points -out that horse-racing is more cruel than bull-fighting, and kills many -more men; that the spectacle of fox-hunting with trained dogs is hardly -a sight for civilized onlookers; that there is more than one modern game -out of which the participants emerge with broken legs, fractured skulls, -flattened noses and what not; and how about the duel, often fought with -only an unhealthy desire for publicity as the genuine cause?</p> - -<p>Thus, through the Doctor, the Spaniard states the other side of the -case, saying, in effect, to the foreign reader, "Yes, I am upbraiding my -countrymen for the national vice that they are pleased to call a sport. -That is my right as a Spaniard who loves his country and as a human -being who loves his race. But do not forget that you have institutions -little less barbarous, and before you grow too excited in your desire to -remove the mote from our eye, see to it that you remove your own, for it -is there."</p> - -<p>Juan Gallardo is not one of the impossible heroes that crowd the pages -of fiction; to me he is a more successful portrait than, for example, -Gabriel Luna of <i>The Shadow of the Cathedral</i>. There is a certain -rigidity in Luna's make-up, due perhaps to his unbending certainty in -matters of belief,—or to be exact, matters of unbelief. This is felt -even in his moments of love, although that may be accounted for by the -vicissitudes of his wandering existence and the illness with which it -has left him. Gallardo is somehow more human; he is not a matinée hero; -he knows what it is to quake with fear before he enters the ring; he -comes to a realization of what his position has cost him; he impresses -us not only as a powerful type, but as a flesh and blood creature. And<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[Pg xi]</a></span> -his end, like that of so many of the author's protagonists, comes about -much in the nature of a retribution. He dies at the hands of the thing -he loves, on the stage of his triumphs. And while I am on the subject of -the hero's death, let me suggest that Blasco Ibáñez's numerous death -scenes often attain a rare height of artistry and poetry,—for, strange -as it may seem to some, there is a poet hidden in the noted Spaniard, a -poet of vast conception, of deep communion with the interplay of Nature -and her creatures, of vision that becomes symbolic. Recall the death of -the Centaur Madariaga in <i>The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse</i>, dashing -upon his beloved steed, like a Mazeppa of the South American plains, -straight into eternity; read the remarkable passages portraying the -deaths of Triton and Ulises in <i>Mare Nostrum</i>; consider the deeply -underlying connotation of Gabriel Luna's fate. These are not mere -dyings; they are apotheoses.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol belongs to the author's siren types; she is an early sister of -Freya, the German spy who leads to the undoing of Ulises in <i>Mare -Nostrum</i>. She is one of the many proofs that Blasco Ibáñez, in his -portrayals of the worldly woman, seizes upon typical rather than -individual traits; she puzzles the reader quite as much as she confuses -her passionate lover. And she is no more loyal to him than is the -worshipping crowd that at last, in her presence, dethrones its former idol.</p> - -<p>Among the secondary characters, as interesting as any, is the friend of -Juan who is nicknamed Nacional, because of his radical political -notions. Nacional does not drink wine; to him wine was responsible for -the failure of the laboring-class, a point of view which the author had -already enunciated three years earlier in <i>La Bodega</i>; similar to the -rôle played by drink is that of illiteracy, and here, too, Nacional -feels the terrible burdens imposed upon the common people by lack of -education. Indicative of the author's sympathies is also his strange -bandit Plumitas, a sort of Robin Hood who robs from the rich and succors -the poor. The humorous figure of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[Pg xii]</a></span>bull-fighter's brother-in-law -suggests the horde of sycophants that always manage to attach themselves -to a noted—and generous—public personage.</p> - -<p>The dominant impression that the book leaves upon me is one of -power,—crushing, implacable power. The author's paragraphs and chapters -often seem hewn out of rock and solidly massed one upon the other in the -rearing of an impregnable structure. And just as these chapters are -massed into a temple of passionate protest, so the entire works of -Blasco Ibáñez attain an architectural unity in which not the least of -the elements are a flaming nobility of purpose and a powerful directness -of aim.</p> - -<p>Once upon a time, and it was not so very long ago, it was the fashion in -certain quarters to regard Blasco Ibáñez as impossible and utopian. The -trend of world events has greatly modified the meanings of some of our -words and has given us a deeper insight into hitherto neglected aspects -of foreign and domestic life. Things have been happening lately in Spain -(as well as elsewhere, indeed!) that reveal our author in somewhat the -light of a prophet. Or is it merely that he is closer to the heart of -his nation and describes what he sees rather than draws a veil of words -before unpleasant situations? Ultimately these situations must be met. -The Spain of to-morrow will be found to have moved more in the direction -of Blasco Ibáñez than in that of his detractors.</p> - -<p>The renowned novelist is but fifty-two, energetic, prolific, voluminous; -besides more than a score of novels thus far to his credit he has -written several books of travel, a history of the world war, has -travelled in both hemispheres and made countless volumes of -translations. He has now a larger audience than has been vouchsafed any -of his fellow novelists, and his future works will be watched for by -readers the world over. That is a rare privilege and imposes a rare -obligation. Blasco Ibáñez has it in him to meet both.</p> - -<p class="right">ISAAC GOLDBERG.</p> - -<p>Roxbury, Mass.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">BLOOD AND SAND</p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><span>CONTENTS</span></h2> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER I</td> - <td><a href="#Page_3">3</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER II</td> - <td><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER III</td> - <td><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER IV</td> - <td><a href="#Page_148">148</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER V</td> - <td><a href="#Page_188">188</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER VI</td> - <td><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER VII</td> - <td><a href="#Page_247">247</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER VIII</td> - <td><a href="#Page_282">282</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER IX</td> - <td><a href="#Page_302">302</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">CHAPTER X</td> - <td><a href="#Page_333">333</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">BLOOD AND SAND</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER I</h2> - -<p>Juan Gallardo breakfasted early as was his custom on the days of a -bull-fight. A little roast meat was his only dish. Wine he did not -touch, and the bottle remained unopened before him. He had to keep -himself steady. He drank two cups of strong black coffee and then, -lighting an enormous cigar, sat with his elbows resting on the table and -his chin on his hands, watching with drowsy eyes the customers who, -little by little, began to fill the dining-room.</p> - -<p>For many years past, ever since he had been given "la alternativa"<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> in -the Bull-ring of Madrid, he had always lodged at that same hotel in the -Calle de Alcala, where the proprietors treated him as one of the family, -and waiters, porters, kitchen scullions, and old chambermaids all adored -him as the glory of the establishment.</p> - -<p>There also had he stayed many days, swathed in bandages, in a dense -atmosphere of iodoform and cigar smoke, as the result of two bad -gorings—but these evil memories had not made much impression. With his -Southern superstition and continual exposure to danger he had come to -believe that this hotel was a "Buena Sombra,"<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> and that whilst staying -there no harm would happen to him. The risks of his profession he had -to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> take, a tear in his clothes perhaps, or even a gash in his flesh, -but nothing to make him fall for ever, as so many of his comrades had -fallen. The recollection of these tragedies disturbed his happiest -hours.</p> - -<p>On these days, after his early breakfast, he enjoyed sitting in the -dining-room watching the movements of the travellers, foreigners or -people from distant provinces, who passed him by with uninterested faces -and without a glance, but who turned with curiosity on hearing from the -servants that the handsome young fellow with clean-shaven face and black -eyes, dressed like a gentleman, was Juan Gallardo, the famous -matador,<a name="FNanchor_a3_a3" id="FNanchor_a3_a3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> called familiarly by everybody "El Gallardo."</p> - -<p>In this atmosphere of curiosity he whiled away the wearisome wait until -it was time to go to the Plaza. How long the time seemed! Those hours of -uncertainty, in which vague fears rose from the depths of his soul, -making him doubtful of himself, were the most painful in his profession. -He did not care to go out into the street—he thought of the fatigues of -the Corrida and the necessity of keeping himself fresh and agile. Nor -could he amuse himself with the pleasures of the table, on account of -the necessity of eating little and early, so as to arrive in the Plaza -free from the heaviness of digestion.</p> - -<p>He remained at the head of the table, his face resting on his hands, and -a cloud of perfumed smoke before his eyes which he turned from time to -time with a self-satisfied air in the direction of some ladies who were -watching the famous torero<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> with marked interest.</p> - -<p>His vanity as an idol of the populace made him read praises and -flatteries in those glances. They evidently thought him spruce and -elegant, and he, forgetting his anxieties, with the instinct of a man -accustomed to adopt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> a proud bearing before the public, drew himself up, -dusted the ashes of his cigar from his coat sleeves with a flick, and -adjusted the ring which, set with an enormous brilliant, covered the -whole joint of one finger, and from which flashed a perfect rainbow of -colours as if its depths, clear as a drop of water, were burning with -magic fires.</p> - -<p>His eyes travelled complaisantly over his own person, admiring his -well-cut suit, the cap which he usually wore about the hotel now thrown -on a chair close by, the fine gold chain which crossed the upper part of -his waistcoat from pocket to pocket, the pearl in his cravat, which -seemed to light up the swarthy colour of his face with its milky light, -and his Russia leather shoes, which showed between the instep and the -turned-up trouser openwork embroidered silk socks, like the stockings of -a cocotte.</p> - -<p>An atmosphere of English scents, sweet and vague, but used in profusion, -emanated from his clothes, and from the black, glossy waves of hair -which he wore curled on his temples, and he assumed a swaggering air -before this feminine curiosity. For a torero he was not bad. He felt -satisfied with his appearance. Where would you find a man more -distinguished or more attractive to women?</p> - -<p>But suddenly his preoccupation reappeared, the fire of his eyes was -quenched, his chin again sank on his hand, and he puffed hard at his -cigar.</p> - -<p>His gaze lost itself in a cloud of smoke. He thought with impatience of -the twilight hours, longing for them to come as soon as possible,—of -his return from the bull-fight, hot and tired, but with the relief of -danger overcome, his appetites awakened, a wild desire for pleasure, and -the certainty of a few days of safety and rest. If God still protected -him as He had done so many times<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> before, he would dine with the -appetite of his former days of want, he would drink his fill too, and -would then go in search of a girl who was singing in a music-hall, whom -he had seen during one of his journeys, without, however, having been -able to follow up the acquaintance. In this life of perpetual movement, -rushing from one end of the Peninsula to the other, he never had time -for anything.</p> - -<p>Several enthusiastic friends who, before going to breakfast in their own -houses, wished to see the "diestro,"<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> had by this time entered the -dining-room. They were old amateurs of the bull-ring, anxious to form a -small coterie and to have an idol. They had made the young Gallardo -"their own matador," giving him sage advice, and recalling at every turn -their old adoration for "Lagartijo" or "Frascuelo."<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> They spoke to the -"espada" as "tu," with patronising familiarity and he, when he answered -them, placed the respectful "don" before their names, with that -traditional separation of classes which exists between even a torero -risen from a social substratum and his admirers.</p> - -<p>These people joined to their enthusiasm their memories of past times, in -order to impress the young diestro with the superiority of their years -and experience. They spoke of the "old Plaza" of Madrid, where only -"true" toreros and "true" bulls were known, and drawing nearer to the -present times, they trembled with excitement as they remembered the -"Negro."<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> That "Negro" was Frascuelo.</p> - -<p>If you could only have seen him!... But probably<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> you and those of your -day were still at the breast or were not yet born.</p> - -<p>Other enthusiasts kept coming into the dining-room, men of wretched -appearance and hungry faces, obscure reporters of papers only known to -the bull-fighters, whom they honoured with their praise or censure: -people of problematic profession who appeared as soon as the news of -Gallardo's arrival got about, besieging him with flatteries and requests -for tickets. The general enthusiasm permitted them to mix with the other -gentlemen, rich merchants and public functionaries, who discussed -bull-fighting affairs with them hotly without being troubled by their -beggarly appearance.</p> - -<p>All of them, on seeing the espada,<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> embraced him or clasped his hand, -to a running accompaniment of questions and exclamations:</p> - -<p>"Juanillo!... How is Carmen?"</p> - -<p>"Quite well, thank you."</p> - -<p>"And your mother? the Señora Angustias?"</p> - -<p>"Famous, thanks. She is at La Rincona."</p> - -<p>"And your sister and the little nephews?"</p> - -<p>"In good health, thanks."</p> - -<p>"And that ridiculous fellow, your brother-in-law?"</p> - -<p>"Well, also. As great a talker as ever."</p> - -<p>"And, a little family? Is there no hope?"</p> - -<p>"No—not that much——." And he bit his nails in expressive negation.</p> - -<p>He then turned his enquiries on the stranger, of whose life, beyond his -love for bull-fighting, he was completely ignorant.</p> - -<p>"And your own family? Are they also quite well?—Come along, I am glad -to meet you. Sit down and have something."</p> - -<p>Next he enquired about the looks of the bulls with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> which he was going -to fight in a few hours' time, because all these friends had just come -from the Plaza, after seeing the separation and boxing of the animals, -and with professional curiosity he asked for news from the Café -Ingles,<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> where many of the amateurs foregathered.</p> - -<p>It was the first "Corrida"<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> of the Spring season, and Gallardo's -enthusiastic admirers had great hopes of him as they called to mind all -the articles they had read in the papers, describing his recent triumphs -in other Plazas in Spain. He had more engagements than any other torero. -Since the Corrida of the Feast of the Resurrection,<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> the first -important event in the taurine year. Gallardo had gone from place to -place killing bulls. Later on, when August and September came round, he -would have to spend his nights in the train and his afternoons in the -ring, with scarcely breathing time between them. His agent in Seville -was nearly frantic—overwhelmed with letters and telegrams, and not -knowing how to fit so many requests for engagements into the exigencies -of time.</p> - -<p>The evening before this he had fought at Ciudad Real and, still in his -splendid dress, had thrown himself into the train in order to arrive in -Madrid in the morning. He had spent a wakeful night, only sleeping by -snatches, boxed up in the small sitting accommodation that the other -passengers managed, by squeezing themselves together, to leave for the -man who was to risk his life on the following day.</p> - -<p>The enthusiasts admired his physical endurance and the daring courage -with which he threw himself on the bull at the moment of killing it. -"Let us see what you can do this afternoon," they said with the fervour -of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> zealots, "the fraternity<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> expects great things from you. You will -lower the Mona<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> of many of our rivals. Let us see you as dashing here -as you were in Seville!"</p> - -<p>His admirers dispersed to their breakfasts at home in order to go early -to the Corrida. Gallardo, finding himself alone, was making his way up -to his room, impelled by the nervous restlessness which overpowered him, -when a man holding two children by the hand, pushed open the glass doors -of the dining-room, regardless of the servant's enquiries as to his -business. He smiled seraphically when he saw the torero and advanced, -with his eyes fixed on him, dragging the children along and scarcely -noticing where he placed his feet. Gallardo recognised him, "How are -you, Comparé?"</p> - -<p>Then began all the usual questions as to the welfare of the family, -after which the man turned to his children saying solemnly:</p> - -<p>"Here he is. You are always asking to see him. He's exactly like his -portraits, isn't he?"</p> - -<p>The two mites stared religiously at the hero whose portraits they had so -often seen on the prints which adorned the walls of their poor little -home, a supernatural being whose exploits and wealth had been their -chief admiration ever since they had begun to understand mundane -matters.</p> - -<p>"Juanillo, kiss your Godfather's hand," and the younger of the two -rubbed a red cheek against the torero's hand, a cheek newly polished by -his mother in view of this visit.</p> - -<p>Gallardo caressed his head abstractedly. This was one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> of the numerous -godchildren he had about Spain. Enthusiasts forced him to stand -godfather to their children, thinking in this way to secure their -future, and to have to appear at baptisms was one of the penalties of -his fame. This, particular godson reminded him of bad times at the -beginning of his career, and he felt grateful to the father for the -confidence he had placed in him at a time when others were still -doubtful of his merits.</p> - -<p>"And how about your business, Comparé?" enquired Gallardo, "Is it going -on better?"</p> - -<p>The aficionado<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> shrugged his shoulders. He was getting a livelihood, -thanks to his dealings in the barley market—just getting a livelihood, -nothing more.</p> - -<p>Gallardo looked compassionately at his threadbare Sunday-best clothes.</p> - -<p>"Would you like to see the Corrida, Comparé? Well go up to my room and -tell Garabato<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> to give you a ticket.—— Good-bye, my dear fellow. -Here's a trifle to buy yourselves some little thing," and while the -little godson again kissed his right hand, with his other hand the -matador gave each child a couple of duros.</p> - -<p>The father dragged away his offspring with many grateful excuses, though -he did not succeed in making clear, in his very confused thanks, whether -his delight was for the present to the children, or for the ticket for -the bull-fight which the diestro's servant would give him.</p> - -<p>Gallardo waited for some time so as not to meet his admirer and the -children in his room. Then he looked at his watch. Only one o'clock! -What a long time it still was till the bull-fight!</p> - -<p>As he came out of the dining-room and turned towards the stairs, a woman -wrapped in an old cloak came out<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> of the hall-porter's office, barring -his way with determined familiarity, quite regardless of the servants' -expostulations.</p> - -<p>"Juaniyo! Juan! Don't you know me? I am 'la Caracolá,<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> the Señora -Dolores, mother of poor Lechuguero."<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a></p> - -<p>Gallardo smiled at this little dark wizened woman, verbose and vehement, -with eyes burning like live coals,—the eyes of a witch. At the same -time, knowing what would be the outcome of her volubility, he raised his -hand to his waistcoat pocket.</p> - -<p>"Misery, my son! Poverty and affliction! When I heard you were -bull-fighting to-day I said 'I will go and see Juaniyo: He will remember -the mother of his poor comrade.' How smart you are, gipsy! All the women -are crazy after you, you rascal! I am very badly off, my son. I have not -even a shift, and nothing has entered my mouth to-day but a little -Cazaya.<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> They keep me, out of pity, in la Pepona's house, who is from -over there—from our own country,—a very decent five duro house. Come -round there, they would love to see you. I dress girls' hair and run -errands for the men. Ah! If only my poor son were alive! You remember -Pepiyo? Do you remember the afternoon on which he died?——"</p> - -<p>Gallardo put a duro into her dry hand and did his best to escape from -her volubility, which by this time was showing signs of imminent tears.</p> - -<p>Cursed witch! Why did she come and remind him, on the day of a Corrida, -of poor Lechuguero, the companion of his early years, whom he had seen -killed almost instantaneously, gored to the heart, in the Plaza<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> of -Lebrija, when the two were bull-fighting as Novilleros?<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> Foul hag of -evil omen!</p> - -<p>He thrust her aside, but she, flitting from sorrow to joy with the -inconsequence of a bird, broke out into enthusiastic praises of the -brave boys, the good toreros, who carried away the money of the public -and the hearts of the women.</p> - -<p>"You deserve to have the Queen, my beauty! The Señora Carmen will have -to keep her eyes wide open. Some fine day a 'gachi' will steal and keep -you. Can't you give me a ticket for this afternoon, Juaniyo? I am -bursting with longing to see you kill!"</p> - -<p>The old woman's shrill voice and noisy cajoleries diverted the amused -attention of the hotel servants and enabled a number of inquisitive -idlers and beggars who, attracted by the presence of the torero, had -collected outside the entrance, to break through the strict supervision -that was usually maintained at the doors.</p> - -<p>Heedless of the hotel servants, an irruption of loafers, ne'er-do-wells -and newspaper sellers burst into the hall.</p> - -<p>Ragamuffins, with bundles of papers under their arms, flourished their -caps and greeted Gallardo with boisterous familiarity.</p> - -<p>"El Gallardo," "Olé El Gallardo," "Long live the Brave."</p> - -<p>The more daring seized his hand, shaking it roughly and pulling it about -in their anxiety to keep touch of this national hero, whose portraits -they had all seen in every paper, as long as ever they could, and then, -to give their companions a chance of sharing their triumph, they shouted -"Shake his hand. He won't be offended! He's a real good sort." Their -devotion made them almost kneel before the matador.</p> - -<p>There were also other admirers, just as insistent, with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> unkempt beards -and clothes that had been fashionable in the days of their youth, who -shuffled round their idol in boots that had seen better days. They swept -their greasy sombreros towards him, spoke in a low voice and called him -"Don Juan," in order to emphasise the difference between themselves and -the rest of that irreverent, excited crowd. Some of them drew attention -to their poverty and asked for a small donation, others, with more -impertinence, asked, in the name of their love of the sport, for a -ticket for the Corrida,—fully intending to sell it immediately.</p> - -<p>Gallardo defended himself laughingly against this avalanche which -jostled and overwhelmed him, and from which the hotel servants, who were -bewildered at the excitement aroused by his popularity, were quite -unable to save him.</p> - -<p>He searched through all his pockets until he finally turned them out -empty, distributing silver coins broadcast among the greedy hands held -out to clutch them.</p> - -<p>"There is no more! The fuel is finished! Leave me alone, my friends!"</p> - -<p>Pretending to be annoyed by this popularity, which in fact flattered him -greatly, he suddenly opened a way through them with his muscular -athletic arms, and ran upstairs, bounding up the steps with the -lightness of a wrestler, while the servants, freed from the restraint of -his presence, pushed the crowd towards the door and swept them into the -street.</p> - -<p>Gallardo passed the room occupied by his servant Garabato, and saw him -through the half open door, busy amid trunks and boxes, preparing his -master's clothes for the Corrida.</p> - -<p>On finding himself alone in his own room, the happy excitement caused by -the avalanche of admirers vanished at once. The bad moments of the days -of a Corrida<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> returned, the anxiety of those last hours before going to -the Plaza. Bulls of Muira<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> and a Madrid audience. The danger, which -when facing him seemed to intoxicate him and increase his daring, was -anguish to him when alone,—something supernatural, fearful and -intimidating from its very uncertainty.</p> - -<p>He felt overwhelmed, as if the fatigues of his previous bad night had -suddenly overcome him. He longed to throw himself on one of the beds -which occupied the end of the room, but again the anxiety which -possessed him, with its mystery and uncertainty, banished the desire to -sleep.</p> - -<p>He walked restlessly up and down the room, lighting another Havanna from -the end of the one he had just smoked.</p> - -<p>What would be the result for him of the Madrid season just about to -commence? What would his enemies say? What would his professional rivals -do? He had killed many Muira bulls,—after all they were only like any -other bulls,—still, he thought of his comrades fallen in the -arena,—nearly all of them victims of animals from this herd. Cursed -Muiras! No wonder he and other espadas exacted a thousand pesetas<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> -more in their contracts each time they fought with bulls of this breed.</p> - -<p>He wandered vaguely about the room with nervous step. Now and then he -stopped to gaze vacantly at well known things amongst his luggage, and -finally he threw himself into an arm-chair, as if seized with a sudden -weakness. He looked often at his watch—not yet two o'clock. How slowly -the time passed!</p> - -<p>He longed, as a relief for his nervousness, for the time to come as soon -as possible for him to dress and go to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> the Plaza. The people, the -noise, the general curiosity, the desire to show himself calm and at -ease before an admiring public, and above all the near approach of -danger, real and personal, would instantly blot out this anguish of -solitude, in which the espada, with no external excitement to assist -him, felt himself face to face with something very like fear.</p> - -<p>The necessity for distracting his mind made him search the inside pocket -of his coat and take out of his pocket-book a letter which exhaled a -strong sweet scent.</p> - -<p>Standing by a window, through which entered the dull light of an -interior courtyard, he looked at the envelope which had been delivered -to him on his arrival at the hotel, admiring the elegance of the -handwriting in which the address was written,—so delicate and well -shaped.</p> - -<p>Then he drew out the letter, inhaling its indefinable perfume with -delight. Ah! These people of high birth who had travelled much! How they -revealed their inimitable breeding, even in the smallest details!</p> - -<p>Gallardo, as though he still carried about his person the pungent odour -of the poverty of his early years, perfumed himself abundantly. His -enemies laughed at this athletic young fellow who by his love of scent -belied the strength of his sex. Even his admirers smiled at his -weakness, though often they had to turn their heads aside, sickened by -the diestro's excess.</p> - -<p>A whole perfumer's shop accompanied him on his journeys, and the most -feminine scents anointed his body as he went down into the arena amongst -the scattered entrails of dead horses and their blood-stained dung.</p> - -<p>Certain enamoured cocottes whose acquaintance he had made during a -journey to the Plazas in the South of France had given him the secret of -combining and mixing rare perfumes,—but the scent of that letter! It<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> -was the scent of the person who had written it!—that mysterious scent -so delicate, indefinable, and inimitable, which seemed to emanate from -her aristocratic form, and which he called "the scent of the lady."</p> - -<p>He read and re-read the letter with a beatified smile of delight and -pride.</p> - -<p>It was not much, only half a dozen lines—"a greeting from Seville, -wishing him good luck in Madrid. Congratulations beforehand on his -expected triumph——." The letter might have been lost anywhere without -compromising the woman who signed it.</p> - -<p>"Friend Gallardo," it began, in a delicate handwriting which made the -torero's eyes brighten, and it ended "Your friend, Sol," all in a coldly -friendly style, writing to him as "Usté"<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> with an amiable tone of -superiority, as though the words were not between equals, but fell in -mercy from on high.</p> - -<p>As the torero looked at the letter, with the adoration of a man of the -people little versed in reading, he could not suppress a certain feeling -of annoyance, as though he felt himself despised.</p> - -<p>"That gachí!" he murmured, "What a woman! No one can discompose her! See -how she writes to me as 'Usté!' 'Usté'—to me!"</p> - -<p>But pleasant memories made him smile with self-satisfaction. That cold -style was for letters only,—the ways of a great lady,—the precautions -of a woman of the world. His annoyance soon turned to admiration.</p> - -<p>"How clever she is! A cautious minx!"</p> - -<p>He smiled a smile of professional satisfaction, the pride of a tamer who -enhances his own glory by exaggerating the strength of the wild beast he -has overcome.</p> - -<p>While Gallardo was admiring his letter, his servant<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> Garabato passed in -and out of the room, laden with clothes and boxes which he spread on a -bed.</p> - -<p>He was very quiet in his movements, very deft of hand, and seemed to -take no notice of the matador's presence.</p> - -<p>For many years past he had accompanied the diestro to all his -bull-fights as "Sword carrier."<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> He had begun bull-fighting at the -"Capeas"<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> at the same time as Gallardo, but all the bad luck had been -for him and all the advancement and fame for his companion.</p> - -<p>He was dark, swarthy, and of poor muscular development, and a jagged, -badly joined scar crossed his wrinkled, flabby, old-looking face like a -white scrawl. It was a goring he had received in the Plaza of some town -he had visited and which had nearly been his death, and besides this -terrible wound, there were others which disfigured parts of his body -which could not be seen.</p> - -<p>By a miracle he had emerged with his life from his passion for -bull-fighting, and the cruel part of it was that people used to laugh at -his misfortunes, and seemed to take a pleasure in seeing him trampled -and mangled by the bulls.</p> - -<p>Finally his pig-headed obstinacy yielded to misfortune and he decided to -become the attendant and confidential servant of his old friend. He was -Gallardo's most fervent admirer, though he sometimes took advantage of -this confidential intimacy to allow himself to criticise and advise. -"Had he stood in his master's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> skin he would have done better under -certain circumstances."</p> - -<p>Gallardo's friends found the wrecked ambitions of the sword carrier an -unfailing source of merriment, but he took no notice of their jokes. -Give up bulls? Never!! So that all memory of the past should not be -effaced, he combed his coarse hair in curls above his ears, and -preserved on his occiput the long, sacred lock, the pig-tail of his -younger days, the hall-mark of the profession which distinguished him -from other mortals.</p> - -<p>When Gallardo was angry with him, his noisy, impulsive rage always -threatened this capillary appendage. "You dare to wear a pig-tail, -shameless dolt? I'll cut off that rat's tail for you! Confounded idiot! -Maleta!!"<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></p> - -<p>Garabato received these threats resignedly, but he revenged himself by -retiring into the silence of a superior being, and only replying by a -shrug of his shoulders to the exultation of his master when, on -returning from a bull-fight, after a lucky afternoon, Gallardo exclaimed -with almost childish vanity, "What did you think of it? Really, wasn't I -splendid?"</p> - -<p>In consequence of their early comradeship he always retained the -privilege of addressing his master as "tu." He could not speak otherwise -to the "maestro,"<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> but the "tu" was accompanied by a grave face, and -an expression of genuine respect. His familiarity was something akin to -that of their squires towards the knights errant of olden days!</p> - -<p>From his neck to the top of his head he was a torero, but the rest of -his person seemed half tailor, half valet. Dressed in a suit of English -cloth,—a present from his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> master, he had the lapels of his coat -covered with pins and safety-pins, while several threaded needles were -fastened into one of his sleeves. His dark withered hands manipulated -and arranged things with the gentleness of a woman.</p> - -<p>When everything that was necessary for his master's toilet had been -placed upon the bed, he passed the numerous articles in review to ensure -that nothing was wanting anywhere.</p> - -<p>After a time he came and stood in the middle of the room, without -looking at Gallardo, and, as if he were speaking to himself, said in a -hoarse and rasping voice,</p> - -<p>"Two o'clock!"</p> - -<p>Gallardo raised his head nervously, as if up to now he had not noticed -his servant's presence. He put the letter into his pocket-book, and then -walked lazily to the end of the room, as though he wished to postpone -the dressing time.</p> - -<p>"Is everything there?"</p> - -<p>Suddenly his pale face became flushed and violently distorted and his -eyes opened unnaturally wide, as if he had just experienced some awful, -unexpected shock.</p> - -<p>"What clothes have you put out?"</p> - -<p>Garabato pointed to the bed, but before he could speak, his master's -wrath fell on him, loud and terrible.</p> - -<p>"Curse you! Don't you know anything about the profession? Have you just -come from the cornfields?—Corrida in Madrid,—bulls from Muira,—and -you put me out red clothes like those poor Manuel, El Espartero, wore! -You are so idiotic that one would think you were my enemy! It would seem -that you wished for my death, you villain!"</p> - -<p>The more he thought of the enormity of this carelessness, which was -equivalent to courting disaster, the more his anger increased—To fight -in Madrid in red clothes,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> after what had happened! His eyes sparkled -with rage, as if he had just received some treacherous attack, the -whites of his eyes became bloodshot and he seemed ready to fall on the -unfortunate Garabato with his big rough hands.</p> - -<p>A discreet knock at the door cut the scene short,—"Come in."</p> - -<p>A young man entered, dressed in a light suit with a red cravat, carrying -his Cordovan felt hat in a hand covered with large diamond rings. -Gallardo recognised him at once with the facility for remembering faces -acquired by those who live constantly rubbing shoulders with the crowd. -His anger was instantly transformed to a smiling amiability, as if the -visit was a pleasant surprise to him.</p> - -<p>It was a friend from Bilbao, an enthusiastic aficionado, a warm partisan -of his triumphs. That was all he could remember about him. His name? He -knew so many people! What <i>did</i> he call himself?—All he knew was that -most certainly he ought to call him "tu," as this was an old -acquaintanceship.</p> - -<p>"Sit down—This is a surprise! When did you arrive? Are you and yours -quite well?"</p> - -<p>His admirer sat down, with the contentment of a devotee who enters the -sanctuary of his idol, with no intention of moving from it till the very -last moment, delighted at being addressed as "tu" by the master, and -calling him "Juan" at every other word, so that the furniture, walls, or -anyone passing along the passage outside should be aware of his intimacy -with the great man. 'He had arrived that morning and was returning on -the following day. The journey was solely to see Gallardo. He had read -of his exploits. The season seemed opening well. This afternoon would be -a good one. He had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> been in the boxing enclosure<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> in the morning and -had noticed an almost black animal which assuredly would give great -sport in Gallardo's hands——'</p> - -<p>The master hurriedly cut short the habitué's prophesies.</p> - -<p>"Pardon me—Pray excuse me. I will return at once."</p> - -<p>Leaving the room, he went towards an unnumbered door at the end of the -passage.</p> - -<p>"What clothes shall I put out?" enquired Garabato, in a voice more -hoarse than usual, from his wish to appear submissive.</p> - -<p>"The green, the tobacco, the blue,—anything you please," and Gallardo -disappeared through the little door, while his servant, freed from his -presence, smiled with malicious revenge. He knew what that sudden rush -meant, just at dressing time,—"the relief of fear" they called it in -the profession, and his smile expressed satisfaction to see once more -that the greatest masters of the art and the bravest, suffered as the -result of their anxiety, just the same as he himself had done, when he -went down into the arena in different towns.</p> - -<p>When Gallardo returned to his room, some little time after, he found a -fresh visitor. This was Doctor Ruiz, a popular physician who had spent -thirty years signing the bulletins of the various Cogidas,<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> and -attending every torero who fell wounded in the Plaza of Madrid.</p> - -<p>Gallardo admired him immensely, regarding him as the greatest exponent -of universal science, but at the same time he allowed himself -affectionate chaff at the expense of the Doctor's good-natured character -and personal untidiness. His admiration was that of the populace,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>—only -recognising ability in a slovenly person if he possesses sufficient -eccentricity to distinguish him from the general run.</p> - -<p>He was of low stature and prominent abdomen, broad faced and flat-nosed, -with a Newgate frill of dirty whitish yellow which gave him at a -distance a certain resemblance to a bust of Socrates. As he stood up, -his protuberant and flabby stomach seemed to shake under his ample -waistcoat as he spoke. As he sat down this same part of his anatomy rose -up to his meagre chest. His clothes, stained and old after a few days' -use, seemed to float about his unharmonious body like garments belonging -to someone else,—so obese was he in the parts devoted to digestion, and -so lean in those of locomotion.</p> - -<p>"He is a simpleton," said Gallardo—"a learned man certainly, as good as -bread, but 'touched.' He will never have a peseta. Whatever he has he -gives away, and he takes what anyone chooses to pay him."</p> - -<p>Two great passions filled his life—the Revolution and Bulls. That vague -but tremendous revolution which would come, leaving in Europe nothing -that now existed, an anarchical republicanism that he did not trouble to -explain, and which was only clear in its exterminatory negations. The -toreros spoke to him as a father, he called them all "tu," and it was -sufficient for a telegram to come from the furthest end of the Peninsula -for the good doctor instantly to take the train and rush to heal a -goring received by one of his "lads" with no expectation of any -recompense, beyond simply what they chose to give him.</p> - -<p>He embraced Gallardo on seeing him after his long absence, pressing his -flaccid abdomen against that body which seemed made of bronze.</p> - -<p>"Oh! You fine fellow!" He thought the espada looked better than ever.</p> - -<p>"And how about that Republic, Doctor? When is it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> going to come?..." -asked Gallardo, with Andalusian laziness.... "El Nacional<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> says that -we are on the verge, and that it will come one of these days."</p> - -<p>"What does it matter to you, rascal? Leave poor Nacional in peace. He -had far better learn to be a better banderillero. As for you, what ought -to interest you is to go on killing bulls, like God himself!... We have -a fine little afternoon in prospect! I am told that the herd...."</p> - -<p>But when he got as far as this, the young man who had seen the selection -and wished to give news of it, interrupted the doctor to speak of the -dark bull "which had struck his eye," and from which the greatest -wonders might be expected. The two men who, after bowing to each other, -had sat together in the room for a long time in silence, now stood up -face to face, and Gallardo thought that an introduction was necessary, -but what was he to call the friend who was addressing him as "tu?" He -scratched his head, frowning reflectively, but his indecision was short.</p> - -<p>"Listen here. What is your name? Pardon me—you understand I see so many -people."</p> - -<p>The youth smothered beneath a smile his disenchantment at finding -himself forgotten by the Master and gave his name. When he heard it, -Gallardo felt all the past recur suddenly to his memory and repaired his -forgetfulness by adding after the name "a rich mine-owner in Bilbao," -and then presented "the famous Dr. Ruiz," and the two men, united by the -enthusiasm of a common passion, began to chat about the afternoon's -herd, just as if they had known each other all their lives.</p> - -<p>"Sit yourselves down," said Gallardo, pointing to a sofa at the further -end of the room, "You won't disturb<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> me there. Talk and pay no attention -to me. I am going to dress, as we are all men here," and he began to -take off his clothes, remaining only in his undergarments.</p> - -<p>Seated on a chair under the arch which divided the sitting-room from the -bedroom, he gave himself over into the hands of Garabato, who had opened -a Russia leather bag from which he had taken an almost feminine toilet -case, for trimming up his master.</p> - -<p>In spite of his being already carefully shaved, Garabato soaped his face -and passed the razor over his cheeks with the celerity born of daily -practice. After washing himself Gallardo resumed his seat. The servant -then sprinkled his hair with brilliantine and scent, combing it in curls -over his forehead and temples, and then began to dress the sign of the -profession, the sacred pig-tail.</p> - -<p>With infinite care he combed and plaited the long lock which adorned his -master's occiput; and then, interrupting the operation, fastened it on -the top of his head with two hairpins, leaving its final dressing for a -later stage. Next he must attend to the feet, and he drew off the -fighter's socks, leaving him only his vest and spun-silk drawers.</p> - -<p>Gallardo's powerful muscles stood out beneath these clothes in superb -swellings. A hollow in one thigh betrayed a place where the flesh had -disappeared owing to a gash from a horn. The swarthy skin of his arms -was marked with white wheals, the scars of ancient wounds. His dark -hairless chest was crossed by two irregular purple lines, record also of -bloody feats. On one of his heels the flesh was of a violet colour, with -a round depression which looked as if it had been the mould for a coin. -All this fighting machine exhaled an odour of clean and healthy flesh -blended with that of women's pungent scents.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p><p>Garabato, with an armful of cotton wool and white bandages, knelt at -his master's feet.</p> - -<p>"Just like the ancient gladiators!" said Dr. Ruiz, interrupting his -conversation with the Bilboan, "See! You have become a Roman, Juan."</p> - -<p>"Age, Doctor!" replied the matador, with a tinge of melancholy, "We are -all getting older. When I fought both bulls and hunger at the same time -I did not want all this. I had feet of iron in the Capeas."</p> - -<p>Garabato placed small tufts of cotton wool between his master's toes and -covered the soles and the upper part of his feet with a thin layer of -it; then, pulling out the bandages, he rolled them round in tight -spirals, like the wrappings of an ancient mummy. To fix them firmly he -drew one of the threaded needles from his sleeve and carefully and -neatly sewed up their ends.</p> - -<p>Gallardo stamped on the ground with his bandaged feet which seemed to -him firmer in their soft wrappings. In the bandages he felt them both -strong and agile. The servant then drew on the long stockings which came -halfway up the thigh, thick and flexible like gaiters. This was the only -protection for the legs under the silk of the fighting dress.</p> - -<p>"Be careful of wrinkles! See, Garabato, I don't want to wear sacks," and -standing before the looking-glass, endeavouring to see both back and -front, he bent down and passed his hands over his legs smoothing out the -wrinkles for himself.</p> - -<p>Over these white stockings Garabato drew others of pink silk which alone -remained visible when the torero was fully dressed, and then Gallardo -put his feet into the pumps which he chose from amongst several pairs -which Garabato had laid out on a box,—all quite new and with white -soles.</p> - -<p>Then began the real task of the dressing. Holding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> them by the upper -part, the servant handed him the fighting knee-breeches made of -tobacco-coloured silk, with heavy gold embroidery up the seams. Gallardo -slipped them on, and the thick cords, ending in gold tassels, which drew -in the lower ends, hung down over his feet. These cords which gather the -breeches below the knee, constricting the leg to give it artificial -strength, are called "los machos."</p> - -<p>Gallardo swelled out the muscles of his legs and ordered his servant to -tighten the cords without fear. This was one of the most important -operations as a matador's "machos" must be well tightened and Garabato, -with nimble dexterity soon had the cords wound round and tucked away out -of sight underneath the ends of the breeches, with the tassels hanging -down.</p> - -<p>The master then drew on the fine lawn shirt held out by his servant, the -front covered with zigzag crimpings, and as delicate and clear as a -woman's garment. After he had fastened it Garabato knotted the long -cravat that hung down dividing the chest with its red line till it lost -itself in the waistband of the drawers. Now remained the most -complicated article of clothing, the waist-sash—a long strip of silk -over four yards long which seemed to take up the whole room, and which -Garabato handled with the mastery of long experience.</p> - -<p>The espada went and stood near his friends at the other end of the room, -fastening one end of the sash to his waist.</p> - -<p>"Now then, pay attention," he said to his servant, "and do your little -best."</p> - -<p>Turning slowly on his heels he gradually approached his servant, while -the sash which he held up rolled itself round his waist in regular -curves, and gave it a more graceful shape. Garabato with quick movements -of his hand changed the position of the band of silk. In some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> turns the -sash was folded double, in others it was completely open, and always -adjusted to the matador's waist, smooth and seemingly like one piece -without wrinkles or unevenness. In the course of his rotatory journey, -Gallardo, scrupulous and very difficult to please in the adornment of -his person, several times stopped his forward movement, to step a few -paces back and rectify the arrangement.</p> - -<p>"That is not right," he said ill-humouredly. "Curse you! take more care, -Garabato!"</p> - -<p>After many halts on the journey, Gallardo came to the last turn, with -the whole length of silk wound round his waist. The clever valet had put -stitches, pins, and safety-pins all round his master's body, making his -clothing literally all one piece. To get out of them the Torero would -have to resort to the aid of scissors in other hands. He could not get -rid of any one of his garments till he returned to the hotel, unless -indeed a bull did it for him in the open Plaza, and they finished his -undressing in the Infirmary.</p> - -<p>Gallardo sat down again and Garabato, taking hold of the pig-tail, freed -it from the support of the pins, and fastened it to the 'Mona,' a bunch -of ribbons like a black cockade, which reminded one of the old -"redecilla"<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> of the earliest days of bull-fighting.</p> - -<p>The master stretched himself, as if he wished to put off getting finally -into the rest of his costume. He asked Garabato to hand him the cigar he -had left on the bedside table, enquired what the time was, and seemed to -think that all the clocks had gone fast.</p> - -<p>"It is still early. The lads have not yet come.... I do not like to go -early to the Plaza. Every tile in the roof seems to weigh on one when -one is waiting there."</p> - -<p>At this moment an hotel servant announced that the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> carriage with the -"cuadrilla"<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> was waiting for him downstairs.</p> - -<p>The time had come! There was no longer any pretext for delaying the -moment of his departure. He slipped the gold-embroidered waist-coat over -the silk sash, and above this the jacket, a piece of <i>dazzling</i> -embroidery in very high relief, as heavy as a piece of armour and -flashing with light like live coals. The tobacco-coloured silk was only -visible on the inside of the arms, and in two triangles on the back. -Almost the whole fabric was hidden beneath a mass of golden tufts and -gold-embroidered flowers with coloured precious stones in their petals. -The epaulettes were heavy masses of gold embroidery, from which hung -innumerable tassels of the same metal. The gold work reached the extreme -edge of the jacket where it ended in a thick fringe, which quivered at -every step. Between the gold-edged openings of the pockets appeared the -corners of two silk handkerchiefs which, like the cravat and sash, were -red.</p> - -<p>"Give me 'La Montera.'"<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a></p> - -<p>Out of an oval box Garabato took with great care the fighting montera -with black frizzed border and pompons which stood out on either side -like large ears. Gallardo put it on, being careful that his mona should -remain uncovered, hanging symmetrically down his back.</p> - -<p>"Now the cape."</p> - -<p>From the back of a chair Garabato took the cape called "La Capa de -Paseo,"<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> the gala cape, a princely mantle of silk, the same colour as -his clothes, and, like them, covered with gold embroidery. Gallardo -slung it over one shoulder and then looked at himself in the glass, well -satisfied with the effect.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p><p>"That's not so bad. Now to the Plaza."</p> - -<p>His two friends took their leave hurriedly in order to find a cab and -follow him. Garabato tucked under his arm a large bundle of red cloth, -from the ends of which projected the pommels and buttons of several -swords.</p> - -<p>As Gallardo descended to the vestibule of the hotel, he saw that the -street was filled with a noisy, excited crowd, as if some great event -had just happened, and he could hear the buzz of a multitude whom he -could not see through the door-way.</p> - -<p>The landlord and all his family ran up with outstretched hands as if -they were speeding him on a long journey.</p> - -<p>"Good luck! May all go well with you!"</p> - -<p>The servants, sinking all social distinctions, also shook his hand.</p> - -<p>"Good luck, Don Juan!"</p> - -<p>He turned round, smiling on every side, regardless of the anxious looks -of the women of the hotel.</p> - -<p>"Thanks, many thanks.... So long!"</p> - -<p>He was another man now. Now that he had slung his dazzling cape over his -shoulder, a careless smile lit up his face. He was pale with a moist -pallor like a sick man, but he laughed with the joy of life, and, going -to meet his public, he adopted his new attitude with the instinctive -facility of a man who has to put on a fine air before his audience.</p> - -<p>He swaggered arrogantly as he walked, puffing at the cigar in his left -hand, and swayed from his hips under his gorgeous cape, stepping out -firmly with the pride of a handsome man.</p> - -<p>"Now then, gentlemen! Make way, please! Many thanks.... Many thanks!"</p> - -<p>As he opened a way for himself he endeavoured to protect his clothes -from contact with the dirty crowd of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>ill-dressed but enthusiastic -roughs who crowded round the hotel door. They had no money to go to the -corrida, but they took advantage of this opportunity of shaking hands -with the famous Gallardo, or even of touching some part of his clothing.</p> - -<p>Close to the pavement was waiting a wagonette drawn by four mules, gaily -caparisoned with tassels and little bells. Garabato had already hoisted -himself on to the box seat with his bundle of cloth and swords. Behind -sat three toreros with their capes on their knees all wearing -bright-coloured clothes, embroidered as profusely as those of the -Master, only with silver instead of gold.</p> - -<p>Gallardo was obliged to defend himself with his elbows against the -outstretched hands, and, amid the jostling of the crowd, he managed at -last to reach the steps of the carriage. Amidst the general excitement -he was finally unceremoniously hoisted into his seat from behind.</p> - -<p>"Good afternoon, gentlemen," he said curtly to his cuadrilla.</p> - -<p>He took the seat nearest to the step so that all could see him, and he -smiled and nodded his acknowledgment of the cries and shouts of applause -of a variety of ragged women and newspaper boys.</p> - -<p>The carriage dashed forward with all the strength of the spirited mules -and filled the street with a merry tinkling. The crowd opened out to let -the team pass, but many hung on to the carriage, in imminent danger of -falling under its wheels. Sticks and hats were brandished in the air. A -wave of enthusiasm swept over the crowd. It was one of those contagious -outbursts which at times sway the masses, driving them mad, and making -them shout without knowing why.</p> - -<p>"Olé the brave fellows!... Viva España!"</p> - -<p>Gallardo, still pale but smiling, saluted and repeated "Many thanks." He -was moved by this outburst of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> popular enthusiasm, and proud of the fame -that made them couple his name with that of his country.</p> - -<p>A crowd of rough boys and dishevelled girls ran after the carriage as -fast as their legs could carry them, as if they expected to find -something extraordinary at the end of their mad career.</p> - -<p>For an hour previously the Calle de Alcala had been a stream of -carriages, between banks of crowded foot-passengers, all hurrying to the -outskirts of the town. Every sort of vehicle, ancient or modern, figured -in this transient but confused and noisy migration, from the -pre-historic char-a-banc, come to light like an anachronism, to the -modern motor car.</p> - -<p>The trams passed along crowded bunches of passengers overflowing on to -their steps. Omnibuses took up fares at the corner of the Calle de -Sevilla, while the conductors shouted "Plaza! Plaza!" Mules covered with -tassels, drawing carriages full of women in white mantillas and bright -flowers, trotted along gaily to the tinkling of their silvery bells. -Every moment could be heard exclamations of terror as some child, -threading its way from one pavement to the other, regardless of the -rushing stream of vehicles, emerged with the agility of a monkey from -under the carriage wheels. Motor sirens shrieked and coachmen shouted. -Newspaper sellers hawked leaflets giving a picture and history of the -bulls which were going to fight, or the portraits and biographies of the -famous toreros. Now and then a murmur of curiosity swelled the dull -humming of the crowd.</p> - -<p>Between the dark uniforms of the Municipal Guard rode showily dressed -horsemen on lean miserable crocks, wearing gold-embroidered jackets, -wide beaver sombreros with a pompon on one side like a cockade, and -yellow padding on their legs. These were the picadors,<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a> <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span>rough men of -wild appearance who carried, clinging to the crupper behind their high -Moorish saddles, a kind of devil dressed in red, the "Mono Sabio,"<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> -the servant who had taken the horse to their houses.</p> - -<p>The cuadrillas passed by in open carriages. The gold embroidery of the -toreros flashing in the afternoon sun seemed to dazzle the crowd and -excite all its enthusiasm. "There's Fuentes!" "That's El Bomba!" cried -the people, and pleased at having recognised them, they followed the -disappearing carriages with anxious eyes, just as if something were -going to happen and they feared they would be late.</p> - -<p>From the top of the Calle de Alcala, the whole length of the broad -straight street could be seen lying white under the sun with its rows of -trees beginning to turn green under the breath of spring. The balconies -were black with onlookers and the roadway was only visible here and -there amidst the swarming crowd which, on foot and in carriages, was -making its way towards La Cibeles.<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a></p> - -<p>From this point the ground rose between lines of trees and buildings and -the vista was closed by the Puerta de Alcala outlined like a triumphal -arch against the blue sky on which floated a few flecks of cloud like -wandering swans.</p> - -<p>Gallardo sat in silence, replying to the people only with his fixed -smile. Since his first greeting to the banderilleros he had not uttered -a word. They also were pale and silent with anxiety for the unknown. Now -that they were amongst toreros they had laid aside as useless the -swagger that was necessary in the presence of the public.</p> - -<p>A mysterious inspiration seemed to tell the people of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> the coming of the -last cuadrilla on its way to the Plaza. The group of ragamuffins who had -run after the carriage acclaiming Gallardo had lost their breath and had -scattered amongst the traffic, but all the same, people glanced behind -them as though they felt the proximity of the famous torero and -slackened their pace, lining the edge of the pavement so as to get a -better view of him.</p> - -<p>Women seated in the carriages rolling along turned their heads as they -heard the tinkling bells of the trotting mules. Dull roars came from -various groups standing on the pavement. These must have been -demonstrations of enthusiasm for many waved their sombreros whilst -others greeted him by flourishing their sticks.</p> - -<p>Gallardo replied to all these salutations with the smile of a barber's -block. With his thoughts far away, he took little notice of them. By his -side sat El Nacional, the banderillero in whom he placed most trust, a -big, hard man, older by ten years than himself, with a grave manner and -eyebrows that met between his eyes. He was well known in the profession -for his kindness of heart and sterling worth, and also for his political -opinions.</p> - -<p>"Juan, you will not have to complain of Madrid," said El Nacional, "you -have taken the public by storm."</p> - -<p>But Gallardo, as if he had not heard him but felt obliged to give vent -to the thoughts that were weighing on him, replied, "My heart tells me -that something will happen this afternoon."</p> - -<p>As they arrived at la Cibeles the carriage stopped. A great funeral was -passing through the Prado in the direction of Castellana and cut through -the avalanche of carriages coming from the Calle de Alcala.</p> - -<p>Gallardo turned still paler as he looked with terrified eyes at the -passing of the silver cross and the procession of priests who broke into -a mournful chant as they gazed,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> some with aversion others with envy, at -the stream of godless people who were rushing to amuse themselves.</p> - -<p>The espada hastened to take off his montero. His banderilleros did the -same, with the exception of El Nacional.</p> - -<p>"Curse you!" cried Gallardo, "Take off your cap, rascal."</p> - -<p>He glared at him as if about to strike him, fully convinced, by some -confused intuition, that this impiety would bring down on him the -greatest misfortunes.</p> - -<p>"All right, I'll take it off," said El Nacional, with the sulkiness of a -thwarted child, as he saw the cross moving off, "I'll take it off but it -is to the dead man!"</p> - -<p>They were obliged to stop for some time to let the funeral <i>cortège</i> -pass.</p> - -<p>"Bad luck!" murmured Gallardo, his voice trembling with rage, "Who can -have thought of bringing a funeral across the way to the Plaza? Curse -them! I said something would happen to-day!"</p> - -<p>El Nacional smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. "Superstition and -fanaticism! God or Nature don't trouble about these things!"</p> - -<p>These words which increased the irritation of Gallardo, seemed to dispel -the grave preoccupation of the other toreros, and they began to laugh at -their companion, as indeed they always did when he aired his favourite -phrase, "God or Nature."</p> - -<p>As soon as the way was clear the carriage resumed its former speed, -travelling as fast as the mules could trot and passing all the other -vehicles which were converging on the Plaza. On arriving there it turned -to the left, making for the door, named "de Caballerizas,"<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> which led -to the yards and stables, but compelled to pass slowly through the -compact crowd.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p><p>Gallardo received another ovation as, followed by his banderilleros, he -alighted from the carriage, pushing and elbowing his way in order to -save his clothes from the touch of dirty hands, smiling greetings -everywhere and hiding his right hand which everybody wished to shake.</p> - -<p>"Make way, please, gentlemen!" "Many thanks."</p> - -<p>The great courtyard between the main building of the Plaza and the -boundary wall of its outbuildings was full of people who, before taking -their seats, wished to get a near view of the bull-fighters, whilst on -horseback, mounted high above the crowd, could be seen the picadors and -the Alguaciles<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a> in their Seventeenth Century costumes.</p> - -<p>On one side of the courtyard stood a row of single-storey brick -buildings, with vines trellised over the doors and pots of flowers in -the windows. It was quite a small town of offices, workshops, stables -and houses in which lived stablemen, carpenters and other servants of -the bull-ring.</p> - -<p>The diestro made his way laboriously through the various groups, and his -name passed from lip to lip amidst exclamations of admiration.</p> - -<p>"Gallardo!" "Here is El Gallardo!" "Olé! Viva España!"</p> - -<p>And he, with no thought but that of the adoration of the public, -swaggered along, serene as a god and gay and self-satisfied, just as if -he were attending a fete given in his honour.</p> - -<p>Suddenly two arms were thrown round his neck and at the same time a -strong smell of wine assailed his nostrils.</p> - -<p>"A real man! My beauty! Three cheers for the heroes!"</p> - -<p>It was a man of good appearance, a tradesman who had breakfasted with -some friends, whose smiling vigilance he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> thought he had escaped but who -were watching him from a short distance. He leant his head on the -espada's shoulder and let it remain there, as though he intended to drop -off into a sleep of ecstasy in that position. Gallardo pushed and the -man's friends pulled and the espada was soon free of this intolerable -embrace, but the tippler, finding himself parted from his idol, broke -out into loud shouts of admiration.</p> - -<p>"Olé for such men! All nations of the earth should come and admire -toreros like this, and die of envy! They may have ships, they may have -money, but that's all rot! They have no bulls and no men like this! -Hurrah, my lads! Long live my country!"</p> - -<p>Gallardo crossed a large white-washed hall, quite bare of furniture, -where his professional companions were standing surrounded by admiring -groups. Making his way through the crowd around a door he entered a -small dark and narrow room, at one end of which lights were burning. It -was the chapel. An old picture called "The Virgin of the Dove," filled -the back of the Altar. On the table four tapers were burning, and -several bunches of dusty moth-eaten muslin flowers stood in common -pottery vases.</p> - -<p>The chapel was full of people. The aficionados of humble class assembled -in it so as to see the great men close at hand. In the darkness some -stood bareheaded in the front row, whilst others sat on benches and -chairs, the greater part of them turning their backs on the Virgin, -looking eagerly towards the door to call out a name as soon as the -glitter of a gala dress appeared.</p> - -<p>The banderilleros and picadors, poor devils who were going to risk their -lives the same as the "Maestros," scarcely caused a whisper by their -presence. Only the most fervent aficionados knew their nicknames.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p><p>Presently there was a prolonged murmur, a name repeated from mouth to -mouth.</p> - -<p>"Fuentes! It is el Fuentes!"</p> - -<p>The elegant torero, tall and graceful, his cape loose over his shoulder, -walked up to the Altar, bending his knee with theatrical affectation. -The lights were reflected in his gipsy eyes and fell across the fine -agile kneeling figure. After he had finished his prayer and crossed -himself he rose, walking backwards towards the door, never taking his -eyes off the image, like a tenor who retires bowing to his audience.</p> - -<p>Gallardo was more simple in his piety. He entered montero in hand, his -cape gathered round him, walking no less arrogantly, but when he came -opposite the image, he knelt with both knees on the ground, giving -himself over entirely to his prayers and taking no notice of the -hundreds of eyes fixed on him. His simple Christian soul trembled with -fear and remorse. He prayed for protection with the fervour of ignorant -men who live in continual danger and who believe in every sort of -adverse influence and supernatural protection. For the first time in the -whole of that day he thought of his wife and his mother. Poor Carmen -down in Seville waiting for his telegram! The Señora Angustias, tranquil -with her fowls at the farm of La Rinconada not knowing for certain where -her son was fighting!... And he, here, with that terrible presentiment -that something would happen that afternoon! Virgin of the Dove! Give a -little protection! He would be good, he would forget "the rest," he -would live as God commands.</p> - -<p>His superstitious spirit being comforted by this empty repentance, he -left the chapel still under its influence, with clouded eyes, that did -not see the people who obstructed his way.</p> - -<p>Outside in the room where the toreros were waiting he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> was saluted by a -clean-shaven gentleman, in black clothes in which he appeared ill at -ease.</p> - -<p>"Bad luck!" murmured the torero moving on. "As I said before, something -will happen to-day!"...</p> - -<p>It was the chaplain of the Plaza, an enthusiast in Tauromachia, who had -arrived with the Holy Oils concealed beneath his coat. He was priest of -the suburb of la Prosperidad and for years past had maintained a heated -controversy with another parish priest in the centre of Madrid who -claimed a better right to monopolise the religious service of the Plaza. -He came to the Plaza accompanied by a neighbour, who served him as -sacristan in return for a seat for the corrida.</p> - -<p>On these days he chose by turns from amongst his friends and protégés -the one whom he wished to favour with the seat reserved for the -sacristan. He hired a smart carriage, at the expense of the management, -and, carrying under his coat the sacred vessel, started for the Plaza, -where two front seats were kept for him close to the entrance for the -bulls.</p> - -<p>The priest entered the chapel with the air of a proprietor scandalised -by the behaviour of the public. All had their heads uncovered, but they -were talking loudly, and some even smoking.</p> - -<p>"Caballeros, this is not a café. You will do me the favour of going -outside. The corrida is about to begin."</p> - -<p>This news caused a general exodus, during which the priest took out the -hidden Oils and placed them in a painted wooden box. He, too, having -concealed his sacred deposit, hurried out in order to reach his seat in -the Plaza before the appearance of the cuadrillas.</p> - -<p>The crowd had vanished. Nobody was to be seen in the courtyard but men -dressed in silk and gold embroidery, horsemen in yellow with large -beavers, Alguaciles on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> horseback, and the servants on duty in their -liveries of blue and gold.</p> - -<p>In the doorway called "De Caballos," under the arch forming the entrance -to the Plaza, the toreros formed up for the procession with the -promptitude which comes of constant practice. In front the "Maestros," -some distance behind them the banderilleros, and beyond these again, in -the courtyard outside, the clattering rearguard, the stern, steel-clad -squadron of picadors, redolent of hot leather and manure, and mounted on -skeleton horses with a bandage over one eye. In the far distance, like -the baggage of this army, fidgeted the teams of mules destined to drag -out the carcases, strong, lively animals with shining skins, their -harness covered with tassels and bells, and their collars ornamented -with a small national flag.</p> - -<p>At the other end of the archway, above the wooden barricade which closed -the lower half, could be seen a shining patch of blue sky, the roof of -the Plaza, and a section of the seats with its compact, swarming mass of -occupants, amongst which fluttered fans and papers like gaily coloured -butterflies.</p> - -<p>Through this arcade there swept a strong breeze, like the breath of an -immense lung, and faint harmonious sounds floated on the waves of air, -betokening distant music, guessed at rather than heard.</p> - -<p>Along the sides of the archway could be seen a row of heads—those of -the spectators on the nearest benches, who peered over in their anxiety -to get the first possible glimpse of the heroes of the day.</p> - -<p>Gallardo took his place in line with the other espadas. They neither -spoke nor smiled, a grave inclination of the head being all the greeting -that they exchanged. Each seemed wrapped in his own preoccupation, -letting his thoughts wander far afield, or, perhaps, with the vacuity<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> -of deep emotion, thinking of nothing at all. Outwardly this -preoccupation was manifested in an apparently unending arrangement and -re-arrangement of their capes—spreading them over the shoulder, folding -the ends round the waist, or arranging them so that under this mantle of -bright colours their legs, cased in silk and gold, should be free and -without encumbrance. All their faces were pale, not with a dull pallor, -but with the bright, hectic, moist shine of excitement. Their minds were -in the arena, as yet invisible to them, and they felt the irresistible -fear of things that might be happening on the other side of a wall, the -terror of the unknown, the indefinite danger that is felt but not seen. -How would this afternoon end?</p> - -<p>From beyond the cuadrillas was heard the sound of the trotting of two -horses, coming along underneath the outer arcades of the Plaza. This was -the arrival of the alguaciles in their small black capeless mantles and -broad hats surmounted with red and yellow feathers. They had just -finished clearing the ring of all the intruding crowd and now came to -place themselves as advance-guard at the head of the cuadrillas.</p> - -<p>The doorways of the arch were thrown wide open, as also were those of -the barrier in front of them. The huge ring was revealed, the real -Plaza, an immense circular expanse of sand on which would be enacted the -afternoon's tragedy, one which would excite the feelings and rejoicings -of fourteen thousand spectators. The confused, harmonious sounds now -became louder, resolving themselves into lively reckless music, a noisy, -clanging triumphal march that made the audience hip and shoulder to its -martial air. Forward, fine fellows!</p> - -<p>The bull-fighters, blinking at the sudden change, stepped out from -darkness to light, from the silence of the quiet arcade to the roar of -the Ring, where the crowd<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> on the tiers of benches, throbbing with -excitement and curiosity, rose to its feet en masse, in order to obtain -a better view.</p> - -<p>The toreros advanced, dwarfed immediately they trod the arena, by the -immensity of their surroundings. They seemed like brilliant dolls on -whose embroideries the sunlight flashed in iridescent hues, and their -graceful movements fired the people with the delight that a child takes -in some marvellous toy. The mad impulse which agitates a crowd, sending -a shiver down its backbone and giving it goose-creeps for no particular -reason, affected the entire Plaza. Some applauded, others, more -enthusiastic or more nervous, shouted, the music clanged, and in the -midst of this universal tumult, the cuadrillas advanced solemnly and -slowly from the entrance door up to the presidential chair, making up -for the shortness of their step by the graceful swing of their arms and -the swaying of their bodies. Meanwhile on the circle of blue sky above -the Plaza fluttered several white pigeons, terrified by the roar which -arose from this crater of bricks.</p> - -<p>They felt themselves different men as they advanced over the sand. They -were risking their lives for something more than money. Their doubts and -terrors of the unknown had been left outside the barricades. Now they -trod the arena. They were face to face with their public. Reality had -come. The longing for glory in their barbarous, ignorant minds, the -desire to excel their comrades, the pride in their own strength and -dexterity, all blinded them, making them forget all fears, and inspiring -them with the daring of brute force.</p> - -<p>Gallardo was quite transfigured. He drew himself up as he walked, -wishing to appear the tallest. He moved with the arrogance of a -conqueror, looking all round him with an air of triumph, as though his -two companions did not exist. Everything was his, both the Plaza and -the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> public. He felt himself at that moment capable of killing every -bull alive on the broad pasture lands of Andalusia or Castille. All the -applause was meant for him, he was quite sure of that. The thousands of -feminine eyes, shaded by white mantillas, in the boxes or along the -barriers, were fixed on him only, of that there could be no manner of -doubt. The public adored him, and while he advanced smiling with pride, -as though the ovation were intended for himself alone, cast his eyes -along the rows of seats, noticing the places where the largest groups of -his partizans were massed, and ignoring those where his comrades' -friends had congregated.</p> - -<p>They saluted the president, montero in hand, and then the brilliant -parade broke up, peons<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a> and horsemen scattering in all directions. -Whilst an alguacil caught in his hat the key thrown to him by the -president, Gallardo walked towards the barrier behind which his most -enthusiastic supporters stood, and gave into their charge his beautiful -cape which was spread along the edge of the palisade, the sacred symbol -of a faction.</p> - -<p>His most enthusiastic partizans stood up, waving their hands and sticks, -to greet the matador, and loudly proclaiming their hopes. "Let us see -what the lad from Seville will do!"...</p> - -<p>And he smiled as he leant against the barrier, proud of his strength, -repeating to all:</p> - -<p>"Many thanks! He will do what he can."</p> - -<p>It was not only his partizans who showed their high hopes on seeing him; -everywhere he found adherents amongst the crowd, which anticipated deep -excitement. He was a torero who promised "hule"<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a>—according to the -expression of the aficionados, and such "hule" was likely to lead to a -bed in the Infirmary.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p><p>Everyone thought he was destined to die, gored to death in the Plaza, -and for this very reason they applauded him with homicidal enthusiasm, -with a barbarous interest, like that of the misanthrope, who followed a -tamer everywhere, awaiting the moment when he would be devoured by his -wild beasts.</p> - -<p>Gallardo laughed at the ancient aficionados, grave Doctors of -Tauromachia, who judged it impossible that an accident should happen if -a torero conformed to the rules of the art. Rules forsooth!... He -ignored them and took no trouble to learn them. Bravery and audacity -only were necessary to ensure victory. Almost blindly, with no other -rule than his own temerity, no other help than his own bodily faculties, -he had made a rapid career for himself, forcing outbursts of wonder from -the people and astonishing them with his mad courage.</p> - -<p>He had not, like other matadors, risen by regular steps, serving long -years as peon and banderillero at the "maestros'" side. The bulls' horns -caused him no fear. "Hunger gores worse," he said. The great thing was -to rise quickly, and the public had seen him commence at once as espada, -and in a few years enjoy an immense popularity.</p> - -<p>It admired him for the very reason which made a catastrophe so certain. -It was inflamed with a horrible enthusiasm by the blindness with which -this man defied death, and paid him the same care and attention as are -paid to a condemned man in the chapel. This torero was not one who held -anything back; he gave them everything, including his life. He was worth -the money he cost. And the crowd, with the brutality of those who watch -danger from a safe place, admired and hallooed on the hero. The more -prudent shrugged their shoulders regarding him as a suicide playing with -fate, and murmured "as long as it lasts...."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p><p>Amid a clash of kettledrums and trumpets the first bull rushed out. -Gallardo, with his working cloak devoid of ornament hanging on his arm, -remained by the barrier, close to the benches where his partizans sat, -disdainfully motionless, as though the eyes of the whole audience were -fixed on him. That bull was for some one else. He would give signs of -existence when his own bull came out. But the applause at the cloak play -executed by his companions, drew him out of this immobility, and in -spite of his intentions he joined in the fray, performing several feats -in which he showed more audacity than skill. The whole Plaza applauded -him, roused by the delight they felt at his daring.</p> - -<p>When Fuentes killed his first bull, and went towards the presidential -chair saluting the crowd, Gallardo turned paler than before, as though -any expression of gratification that was not for him was a studied -insult. Now his turn had come: they would see great things. He did not -know for certain what they might be, but he was disposed to startle the -public.</p> - -<p>As soon as the second bull came out, Gallardo, thanks to his mobility -and his desire to shine, seemed to fill the whole Plaza. His cape was -constantly close to the beast's muzzle. A picador of his own cuadrilla, -the one named Potaje, was thrown from his horse, and lay helpless close -to the horns. The maestro seizing the fierce beast's tail, pulled with -such herculean strength, that he obliged it to turn round till the -dismounted rider was safe. This was a feat that the public applauded -wildly.</p> - -<p>When the play of the banderilleros began, Gallardo remained in the -passage between the barriers awaiting the signal to kill. El Nacional -with the darts in his hand challenged the bull in the centre of the -arena. There was nothing graceful in his movements, nor any proud -daring, "simply the question of earning his bread."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> Down in Seville he -had four little ones, who, if he died, would find no other father. He -would do his duty and nothing more, stick in his banderillas like a -journeyman of Tauromachia, not desiring applause, and trying to avoid -hissing.</p> - -<p>When he had stuck in the pair, a few on the vast tiers applauded, while -others, alluding to his ideas, found fault with the banderillero in -chaffing tones.</p> - -<p>Quit politics and strike better!</p> - -<p>And El Nacional, deceived by the distance, heard these shouts, and -acknowledged them smilingly like his master.</p> - -<p>When Gallardo leapt again into the arena, the crowd, hearing the blare -of trumpets and drums which announced the final death stroke, became -restless and buzzed with excitement. That matador was their own, now -they would see something fine.</p> - -<p>He took the muleta<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> from the hands of Garabato, who offered it to him -folded from inside the barrier, and drew the rapier, which his servant -also presented to him. Then with short steps he went and stood in front -of the president's chair, carrying his montero in one hand. All -stretched out their necks, devouring their idol with their eyes, but no -one could hear the "brindis."<a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> The proud figure with its magnificent -stature, the body thrown back to give more strength to his voice, -produced the same effect on the masses as the most eloquent harangue. As -he ended his speech, giving a half turn and throwing his montero on the -ground, the noisy enthusiasm broke out.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> Olé for the lad from Seville! -Now they would see real sport! And the spectators looked at one another, -mutely promising each other tremendous happenings. A shiver ran over all -the rows of seats, as if they awaited something sublime.</p> - -<p>Then silence fell on the crowd, a silence so deep that one would have -thought that the Plaza had suddenly become empty. The life of thousands -of people seemed concentrated in their eyes. No one seemed even to -breathe.</p> - -<p>Gallardo advanced slowly towards the bull, carrying the muleta resting -against his stomach like a flag, and with sword waving in his other -hand, swinging like a pendulum to his step.</p> - -<p>Turning his head for an instant, he saw he was being followed by El -Nacional and another peon of his cuadrilla, their cloaks on their arms -ready to assist him.</p> - -<p>"Go out, everybody!"</p> - -<p>His voice rang out in the silence of the Plaza reaching up to the -furthest benches, and was answered by a roar of admiration.... "Go out -everybody!"... He had said "go out" to everybody.... What a man!</p> - -<p>He remained completely alone close to the beast, and instantly there was -again silence. Very calmly he unrolled the muleta, and spread it, -advancing a few steps at the same time, till he flung it almost on the -muzzle of the bull who stood bewildered and frightened at the man's -audacity.</p> - -<p>The audience did not dare to speak, nor scarcely to breathe, but -admiration flashed in their eyes. What a man! He was going up to the -very horns:... He stamped impatiently on the sand with one foot, -inciting the animal to attack, and the enormous mass of flesh, with its -sharp defences, fell bellowing upon him. The muleta passed over its -horns, which grazed the tassels and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> fringes of the matador's costume. -He remained firm in his place, his only movement being to throw his body -slightly back. A roar from the masses replied to this pass of the -muleta, "Olé!"...</p> - -<p>The brute turned, once more attacking the man and his rag, and the pass -was again repeated amid the roars of the audience. The bull, each time -more infuriated by the deception, again and again attacked the fighter -who repeated the passes with the muleta, scarcely moving off his ground, -excited by the proximity of danger and the admiring acclamations of the -crowd, which seemed to intoxicate him.</p> - -<p>Gallardo felt the wild beast's snorting close to him. Its breath moist -with slaver fell on his face and right hand. Becoming familiar with the -feeling he seemed to look on the brute as a good friend who was going to -let himself be killed, to contribute to his glory.</p> - -<p>At last the bull remained quiet for a few instants as if tired of the -game, looking with eyes full of sombre reflexion at this man and his red -cloth, suspecting in his limited brain the existence of some stratagem -that, by attack after attack, would lead him to his death.</p> - -<p>Gallardo felt the great heart-beat of his finest feats. Now then! He -caught the muleta with a circular sweep of his left hand, rolling it -round the stick, and raised his right to the height of his eyes, -standing with the sword bending down towards the nape of the brute's -neck. A tumult of surprised protest broke from the crowd: "Don't -strike!" ... shouted thousands of voices: "No!... No!"...</p> - -<p>It was too soon. The bull was not well placed, it would charge and catch -him. He was acting outside all rules of the art. But what did rules or -life itself signify to that reckless man!...</p> - -<p>Suddenly he threw himself forward with his sword at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> the same instant -that the beast fell upon him. The encounter was brutal, savage. For an -instant man and beast formed one confused mass, and thus advanced a few -paces. No one could see who was the conqueror; the man with one arm and -part of his body between the two horns; or the brute lowering his head -and fighting to catch on those horns the brilliantly coloured golden -puppet which seemed to be slipping away from him.</p> - -<p>At last the group separated. The muleta remained on the ground like a -rag, and the fighter, his hands empty, emerged staggering from the -impetus of the shock, till some distance away he recovered his -equilibrium. His clothes were disordered, and the cravat floating -outside the waistcoat was gashed and torn by the bull's horns.</p> - -<p>The bull continued its rush with the impetus of the first charge. On its -broad neck, the red pommel of the sword, buried up to the hilt scarcely -could be seen. Suddenly it stopped short in its career, rolling with a -painful curtseying motion; then folded its fore-legs, bent its head till -its bellowing muzzle touched the sand, and finally subsided in -convulsions of agony.</p> - -<p>It seemed as though the whole Plaza were falling down, as if all its -bricks were rattling against one another; as if the crowd was going to -fly in panic, when all rose suddenly to their feet, pale, trembling, -gesticulating, waving their arms. Dead! What a sword thrust!... They had -all thought for a second, that the matador was impaled on the bull's -horns, all thought they would assuredly see him fall bleeding on the -sand, but now they saw him, standing there, still giddy from the shock, -but smiling!... The surprise and astonishment of it all increased their -enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>"Oh! the brute!" ... they roared from the benches, not finding any -better word with which to express their unbounded astonishment.... "What -a savage!"...</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p><p>Hats flew into the arena. Overwhelming rounds of applause ran like a -torrent of hail from bench to bench, as the matador advanced through the -arena, following the circle of the barriers, till he arrived opposite -the presidential chair.</p> - -<p>Then as Gallardo opened his arms to salute the president, the thundering -ovation redoubled, all shouted claiming the honours of the -"maestria"<a name="FNanchor_42_42" id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a> for the matador. "He ought to be given the ear."<a name="FNanchor_43_43" id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a> -"Never was the honour better deserved." "Sword-thrusts like that are -seldom seen," and the enthusiasm waxed even greater when one of the -attendants of the Plaza presented him with a dark, hairy, bloody -triangle; it was the tip of one of the beast's ears.</p> - -<p>The third bull was already in the circus, and still the ovation to -Gallardo continued, as if the audience had not recovered from its -astonishment, and nothing that could possibly happen during the rest of -the corrida could be of the slightest interest.</p> - -<p>The other toreros, pale with professional jealousy, exerted themselves -to attract the attention of the public, but the applause they gained -sounded weak and timid after the outburst that had preceded it. The -public seemed exhausted by their former excess of enthusiasm, and only -paid absent-minded attention to the fresh events unfolding themselves in -the arena.</p> - -<p>Soon violent disputes arose between the rows of seats.</p> - -<p>The supporters of the other matadors who by this time had become calm, -and had recovered from the wave of enthusiasm which had mastered them in -common with everyone else, began to justify their former spontaneous -outburst by criticising Gallardo.</p> - -<p>"Very brave," "very daring," "suicidal," but that was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> not art. On the -other hand the worshippers of the idol who were even more vehement and -brutal, and who admired his audacity from innate sympathy, were rabid -with the rage of zealots who hear doubts cast on the miracles of their -own particular saint.</p> - -<p>Various minor incidents which caused commotion amidst the benches also -distracted the attention of the audience. Suddenly there was a commotion -in some section of the amphitheatre. Everybody stood up, turning their -backs on the arena, and arms and sticks were flourished above the sea of -heads. The rest of the audience forgot the arena, and concentrated their -attention on the fracas, and the large numbers painted on the walls of -the inside barrier, which distinguished the blocks of seats.</p> - -<p>"A fight in No. 3!" they yelled joyfully. "Now there's a row in No. 5!"</p> - -<p>Finally the whole audience caught the contagion, got excited, and stood -up, each trying to look over his neighbour's head, but all they were -able to see was the slow ascent of the police, who pushed a way for -themselves from bench to bench, and finally reached the group where the -disturbance was going on.</p> - -<p>"Sit down!" ... shouted the more peaceable, who were prevented from -seeing the arena, where the toreros were continuing their work.</p> - -<p>The general tumult was gradually calmed and the rows of heads round the -circular line of benches resumed their previous regularity during the -progress of the corrida. But the audience seemed to have its nerves -over-strained, and gave vent to its feelings, by uncalled-for animosity, -or contemptuous silence towards certain of the fighters.</p> - -<p>The crowd, exhausted by its previous outburst of emotion, regarded all -that followed as insipid, and so diverted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> its boredom by eating and -drinking. The refreshment sellers of the Plaza walked round between the -barriers, throwing up the articles asked for with marvellous dexterity. -Oranges flew like golden balls up to the very highest benches, in a -straight line from the hands of the seller to that of the buyer, as if -drawn by a thread. Bottles of aerated drinks were opened, and the golden -wine of Andalusia shone in the glasses.</p> - -<p>Soon a current of curiosity ran round the seats. Fuentes was going to -fix banderillas in his bull, and everyone expected something -extraordinarily dexterous and graceful. He advanced alone into the midst -of the Plaza, with the banderillas in his hand, quiet and -self-possessed, moving slowly, as if he were beginning some game. The -bull followed his movements with anxious eyes, astonished to see this -man alone in front of him, after the previous hurly-burly of outspread -cloaks, cruel pikes sticking into his neck, and horses which placed -themselves in front of his horns, as if offering themselves to his -attack.</p> - -<p>The man hypnotised the beast, approaching so close as even to touch his -pole with the banderillas. Then with short tripping steps he ran away, -pursued by the bull, which followed him as though fascinated, to the -opposite end of the Plaza. The animal seemed cowed by the fighter, and -obeyed his every movement, until at last, thinking the game had lasted -long enough, the man opened his arms with a dart in either hand, drew up -his graceful slim figure on tip-toe, and advancing towards the bull with -majestic tranquillity, fixed the coloured darts in the neck of the -surprised animal.</p> - -<p>Three times he performed this feat, amid the acclamations of the -audience. Those who thought themselves "connoisseurs" now had their -revenge for the explosion<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> of admiration provoked by Gallardo. This was -what a true torero should be! This was real art!</p> - -<p>Gallardo stood by the barrier, wiping the sweat from his face with a -towel handed to him by Garabato. Afterwards he drank some water, and -turned his back on the circus, so as not to see the prowess of his -rival. Outside the Plaza he esteemed his rivals with the fraternity -established by danger; but once they trod the arena they all became his -enemies and their triumphs pained him like insults. This general -enthusiasm for Fuentes which obscured his own great triumphs seemed to -him like robbery. On the appearance of the fifth bull, which was his, he -leapt into the arena, burning to astonish everybody by his prowess.</p> - -<p>If a picador fell he spread his cloak and drew the bull to the other end -of the arena, bewildering it with a succession of cloak play that left -the beast motionless. Then Gallardo would touch it on the muzzle with -one foot, or would take off his montero and lay it between the animal's -horns. Again and again he took advantage of its stupefaction and exposed -his stomach in an audacious challenge, or knelt close to it as though -about to lie down beneath its nose.</p> - -<p>Under their breath the old aficionados muttered "monkey tricks!" -"Buffooneries that would not have been tolerated in former days!"... -But amidst the general shouts of approval they were obliged to keep -their opinion to themselves.</p> - -<p>When the signal for the banderillas was given, the audience was amazed -to see Gallardo take the darts from El Nacional, and advance with them -towards the bull. There was a shout of protest. "He with the -banderillas!"... They all knew his failing in that respect. Banderilla -play was only for those who had risen in their career step by step, who -before arriving at being matadors<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> had been banderilleros for many years -by the side of their masters, and Gallardo had begun at the other end, -killing bulls from the time he first began in the Plaza.</p> - -<p>"No! No!" shouted the crowd.</p> - -<p>Doctor Ruiz yelled and thumped inside the barrier.</p> - -<p>"Leave that alone, lad! You know well enough what is wanted. Kill!"</p> - -<p>But Gallardo despised his audience, and was deaf to its advice when his -daring impulses came over him. In the midst of the din he went straight -up to the bull, and before it moved—Zas! he stuck in the -banderillas.<a name="FNanchor_44_44" id="FNanchor_44_44"></a><a href="#Footnote_44_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> The pair were out of place and badly driven in. One of -them fell out with the animal's start of surprise, but this did not -signify. With the tolerance that a crowd always has for its idol -excusing, even justifying, its shortcomings, the spectators watched this -daring act smilingly. Gallardo, rendered still more audacious, took a -second pair of banderillas and stuck them in, regardless of the warnings -of those who feared for his life. This feat he repeated a third time, -badly, but with such dash, that what would have provoked hisses for -another, produced only explosions of admiration for him. "What a man! -How luck helped that fearless man!"...</p> - -<p>The bull carried four banderillas instead of six, and those were so -feebly planted that it scarcely seemed to feel the discomfort.</p> - -<p>"He is still fresh!"<a name="FNanchor_45_45" id="FNanchor_45_45"></a><a href="#Footnote_45_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a> shouted the aficionados from the benches, -alluding to the bull, while Gallardo with his montero on his head, -grasping rapier and muleta in his hands, advanced towards him, proud and -calm, trusting to his lucky star.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p><p>"Out—all of you!" he cried again.</p> - -<p>He turned his head, feeling that some one was remaining close to him -regardless of his orders. It was Fuentes a few steps behind him who had -followed him with his cloak on his arm pretending not to have heard, but -ready to rush to his assistance, as if he foresaw some accident.</p> - -<p>"Leave me, Antonio," said Gallardo half angrily, and yet respectfully, -as if he were speaking to an elder brother.</p> - -<p>His manner was such that Fuentes shrugged his shoulders disclaiming all -responsibility. Turning his back he moved slowly away, certain that he -would be suddenly required.</p> - -<p>Gallardo spread his cloth on the very head of the wild beast, which at -once attacked it. A pass. "Olé!" roared the enthusiasts. The animal -turned suddenly, throwing itself again on the torero with a violent toss -of its head that tore the muleta out of his hand. Finding himself -disarmed and attacked he was obliged to run for the barrier, but at this -instant Fuentes' cloak diverted the animal's charge. Gallardo, who -guessed during his flight the cause of the bull's sudden distraction, -did not leap the barrier, but sat on the step and there remained some -moments watching his enemy a few paces off. His flight ended in applause -of this display of calmness.</p> - -<p>He recovered his muleta and rapier, carefully re-arranged the red cloth, -and once again placed himself in front of the brute's head, but this -time not so calmly. The lust of slaughter dominated him, an intense -desire to kill as soon as possible the animal which had forced him to -fly in the sight of thousands of admirers.</p> - -<p>He scarcely moved a step. Thinking that the decisive moment had come he -squared himself, the muleta low, and the pommel of the rapier raised to -his eyes.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p><p>Again the audience protested, fearing for his life.</p> - -<p>"Don't strike! Stop!"... "O..h!"</p> - -<p>An exclamation of horror shook the whole Plaza; a spasm which made all -rise to their feet, their eyes starting, whilst the women hid their -faces, or convulsively clutched at the arm nearest them.</p> - -<p>As the matador struck, the sword glanced on a bone. This mischance -retarded his escape, and caught by one of the horns he was hooked up by -the middle of his body, and despite his weight and strength of muscle, -this well-built man was lifted, was twirled about on its point like a -helpless dummy until the powerful beast with a toss of its head sent him -flying several yards away. The torero fell with a thump on the sand with -his limbs spread wide apart, just like a frog dressed up in silk and -gold.</p> - -<p>"It has killed him!" "He is gored in the stomach!" they yelled from the -seats.</p> - -<p>But Gallardo picked himself up from among the medley of cloaks and men -which rushed to his rescue. With a smile he passed his hands over his -body, and then shrugged his shoulders to show he was not hurt. Nothing -but the force of the blow and a sash in rags. The horn had only torn the -strong silk belt.</p> - -<p>He turned to pick up his "killing weapons."<a name="FNanchor_46_46" id="FNanchor_46_46"></a><a href="#Footnote_46_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a> None of the spectators -sat down, as they guessed that the next encounter would be brief and -terrible. Gallardo advanced towards the bull with a reckless excitement, -as if he discredited the powers of its horns now he had emerged unhurt. -He was determined to kill or to die. There must be neither delay nor -precautions. It must be either the bull or himself! He saw everything -red just as if his eyes were bloodshot, and he only heard, like a -distant sound from the other world, the shouts of the people who -implored him to keep calm.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span></p><p>He only made two passes with the help of a cloak which lay near him, -and then suddenly quick as thought like a spring released from its catch -he threw himself on the bull, planting a thrust, as his admirers said, -"like lightning." He thrust his arm in so far, that as he drew back from -between the horns, one of them grazed him, sending him staggering -several steps. But he kept his feet, and the bull, after a mad rush, -fell at the opposite side of the Plaza, with its legs doubled beneath it -and its poll touching the sand, until the "puntillero"<a name="FNanchor_47_47" id="FNanchor_47_47"></a><a href="#Footnote_47_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a> came to give -the final dagger thrust.</p> - -<p>The crowd seemed to go off its head with delight, A splendid corrida! -All were surfeited with excitement. "That man Gallardo didn't steal -their cash, he paid back their entrance money with interest." The -aficionados would have enough to keep them talking for three days at -their evening meetings in the Café. What a brave fellow! What a savage! -And the most enthusiastic looked all around them in a fever of pugnacity -to find anyone that disagreed with them.</p> - -<p>"He's the finest matador in the world!... If anyone dares to deny it, -I'm here, ready for him."</p> - -<p>The rest of the corrida scarcely attracted any attention. It all seemed -insipid and colourless after Gallardo's great feats.</p> - -<p>When the last bull fell in the arena, a swarm of boys, low class -hangers-on, and bull-ring apprentices invaded the circus. They -surrounded Gallardo, and escorted him in his progress from the -president's chair to the door of exit. They pressed round him, anxious -to shake his hands, or even to touch his clothes, till finally the -wildest spirits, regardless of the blows of El Nacional and the other -banderilleros, seized the "Maestro" by the legs, and hoisting him on -their shoulders, carried him in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span>triumph round the circus and galleries -as far as the outbuildings of the Plaza.</p> - -<p>Gallardo raising his montero saluted the groups who cheered his -progress. With his gorgeous cape around him he let himself be carried -like a god, erect and motionless, above the sea of Cordovan hats and -Madrid caps, whence issued enthusiastic rounds of cheers.</p> - -<p>When he was seated in his carriage, passing down the Calle de Alcala, -hailed by the crowds who had not seen the corrida but who had already -heard of his triumphs, a smile of pride, of delight in his own strength, -illuminated his face perspiring and pale with excitement.</p> - -<p>El Nacional, still anxious about his Master's accident and terrible -fall, asked if he was in pain, and whether Doctor Ruiz should be -summoned.</p> - -<p>"No, it was only a caress, nothing more.... The bull that can kill me is -not born yet."</p> - -<p>But as though in the midst of his pride some remembrance of his former -weakness had surged up, and he thought he saw a sarcastic gleam in El -Nacional's eye, he added:</p> - -<p>"Those feelings come over me before I go to the Plaza.... Something like -women's fancies. You are not far wrong Sebastian. What's your saying?... -"God <i>or</i> Nature"; that's it. Neither God <i>or</i> Nature meddle with -bull-fighting affairs. Every one comes out of it as best he can, by his -own skill or his own courage, there is no protection to be had from -either earth or heaven.... You have talents, Sebastian; you ought to -have studied for a profession."</p> - -<p>In the optimism of his triumph he regarded the banderillero as a sage, -quite forgetting the laughter with which at other times he had always -greeted his very involved reasonings.</p> - -<p>On arriving at his lodging he found a crowd of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>admirers in the lobby -waiting to embrace him. His exploits, to judge from their hyperbolic -language, had become quite different, so much did their conversation -exaggerate and distort them, even during the short drive from the Plaza -to the hotel.</p> - -<p>Upstairs he found his room full of friends. Gentlemen who called him -"tu" and who imitated the rustic speech of the peasantry, shepherds, -herdsmen, and such like, slapping him on the back and saying, "You were -splendid ... absolutely first class."</p> - -<p>Gallardo freed himself from this warm reception, and went out into the -passage with Garabato.</p> - -<p>"Go and send off the telegram home. You know—'nothing new.'"</p> - -<p>Garabato excused himself, he wished to help his master to undress. The -hotel people would undertake to send off the wire.</p> - -<p>"No: I want you to do it. I will wait.... There's another telegram too -that you must send. You know for whom it is—for that lady, for Doña -Sol.... Also 'nothing new.'"</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> "Good shadow"—lucky.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> Two Matadors. "Little Lizard" and "Flask."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> Frascuelo dressed in black in the bull-ring on account of -his political opinions.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> A café specially frequented by toreros.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> Easter.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> Aficion. <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> The knot of hair, dressed with ribbons, worn at the back -of the head by toreros, principally to lessen the shock of a fall. The -Mona was only "lowered" when a torero retired finally from the ring, -either on account of age or inefficiency.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> Garabato. Balafré—scarred.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> The Snail.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> Lettuce seller.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> A kind of Anisette made at Cazalla, in the Sierra Morena.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> Muira, a famous breeder whose bulls have a reputation for -ferocity.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> About £40. A peseta is worth about 9½d.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> A contraction of "Vuestra Merced"—Your Worship. The usual -Spanish address to an equal or superior.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> Mozo d'estoque—sword or rapier, about a yard long, -sharpened on both sides. The hilt is very small, in the shape of a -cross, and is bound round with red stuff to give a better hold. At the -top of the hilt is a knob which fits into the palm of the hand and -strengthens the thrust.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> A small portmanteau. Term applied to a torero's valet, but -an insult if applied to a torero.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> Maestro—one high up in the profession.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> Before the fight the bulls are divided and those chosen -for the day's work are put into separate boxes or stalls.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> Nickname of one of the banderilleros forming part of -Gallardo's cuadrilla.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> Old Spanish head-dress, a kind of net.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> Toreador's small round hat, like a pork pie.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> Procession cape.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> These servants have to strip the harness off dead horses -and sprinkle sand over the pools of blood.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> The name of a fountain.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> 'Of the stables.'</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#GLOSSARY">Glossary</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> Banderilleros, Chulos, etc., who fight on foot.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> Lit.:—excitement.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> Square of red silk fastened to a wand—used to irritate -the bull and to throw over his eyes as he charges.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span class="label">[41]</span></a> Brindis.—The matador has to declare before the president -in whose honour—man or woman—he will kill the bull. There is an -ancient formula used: "I dedicate this bull to so and so—either I will -kill him or he will kill me." He then throws his montero on the ground -behind him and fights the bull bareheaded.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span class="label">[42]</span></a> Maestria—complete knowledge.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span class="label">[43]</span></a> As the fox's brush or otter's pad is given with us.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_44_44" id="Footnote_44_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor_44_44"><span class="label">[44]</span></a> The banderillas ought to be evenly and symmetrically -placed in pairs—three pairs is the proper complement.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_45_45" id="Footnote_45_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor_45_45"><span class="label">[45]</span></a> Term applied to a bull which, after much punishment, is -still plucky and strong.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_46_46" id="Footnote_46_46"></a><a href="#FNanchor_46_46"><span class="label">[46]</span></a> Trastos de Matar.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_47_47" id="Footnote_47_47"></a><a href="#FNanchor_47_47"><span class="label">[47]</span></a> A man who finishes the bull with a dagger thrust.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER II</h2> - -<p>When the husband of Señora Angustias died, the Señor Juan Gallardo, an -excellent cobbler long established under a doorway in the suburb de la -Feria, she wept as disconsolately as was appropriate to the event, but -at the same time in the bottom of her heart, she felt the comfort of one -who rests after a long march, and lays down an overwhelming burden.</p> - -<p>"Poor dear soul! God has him in His glory! So good! ... so hard -working!"...</p> - -<p>During the twenty years of their life together, he had not given her -more troubles than those endured by the other women in the suburb. Of -the three pesetas that, one day with another, he earned by his work, he -gave one to the Señora Angustias for the maintenance of the house and -the family, reserving the other two for the up-keep of his own person, -and the expenses of the "representacions."<a name="FNanchor_48_48" id="FNanchor_48_48"></a><a href="#Footnote_48_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a> He must respond to the -civilities of his friends when they invited him to drink a glass, and -the wine of Andalusia, although it is the glory of God, costs dear. -Besides he must inevitably go to the bull-fights, for a man who neither -drinks nor attends corridas ... why is he in the world at all?...</p> - -<p>The Señora Angustias, left with her two children, Encarnacion and Juan, -had to sharpen her wits and develop a multiplicity of talents to carry -the family along. She worked as charwoman in the wealthiest houses in -the suburb, sewed for the neighbours, mended clothes and laces for a -certain pawnbroking friend of hers, made<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> cigarettes for gentlemen, -availing herself of the dexterity acquired in her youth when the Señor -Juan, an ardent and wheedling lover, used to wait for her at the -entrance of the Tobacco factory.</p> - -<p>She never had to complain of infidelities or bad treatment on the part -of the defunct. On Saturdays when he returned to the house in the small -hours of the night, tipsy, supported by his friends, happiness and -tenderness came with him. The Señora Angustias was obliged forcibly to -push him in, for he persisted in remaining at the door, clapping his -hands, and chanting doleful love songs in a drivelling voice, all in -praise of his voluminous companion. And when at last the door was closed -behind him, and the neighbours deprived of a source of amusement, the -Señor Juan, in the fullness of his drunken sentimentality would insist -on seeing the little ones, kissing them and wetting them with huge -tears, all the while chanting his love songs in honour of the Señora -Angustias (Olé! The best woman in the world!) and the good woman ended -by relaxing her frown and laughing, while she undressed him, and petted -him like a sick child.</p> - -<p>This was his only vice. Poor dear! ... of women or gambling there was -never a sign. His selfishness in going well dressed while his family -were in rags, and the inequality in the division of the proceeds of his -work, were compensated for by generous treats. The Señora Angustias -remembered with pride how on the great holidays Juan made her put on her -Manila silk shawl, the wedding mantilla, and with the children in front -walked by her side in a white Cordovan sombrero, with a silver headed -stick, taking a turn through las Delicias,<a name="FNanchor_49_49" id="FNanchor_49_49"></a><a href="#Footnote_49_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> looking just like a -family of tradespeople of the Calle de las Sierpes. On the days of cheap -bull-fights he would treat<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> her magnificently before going to the Plaza, -offering her a glass of Manzanilla in La Campana, or in a café of the -Plaza Nueva.</p> - -<p>This happy time was now nothing but a faded though pleasant recollection -in the poor woman's memory.</p> - -<p>Señor Juan became ill of consumption, and for two years his wife had to -nurse him, working harder than ever at her various jobs to make up for -the peseta that her husband formerly gave her. Finally he died in the -hospital, resigned to his fate, having come to the conclusion that life -was worth nothing without bulls and Manzanilla. His last looks of love -and gratitude were for his wife, as though he were crying out with his -eyes, "Olé! the best woman in the world!"...</p> - -<p>When the Señora Angustias was left alone, her situation became no worse; -on the contrary, she was much less hampered in her movements, freed from -the man who in the last two years of his life had weighed more heavily -on her than all the rest of the family. Being a woman of prompt and -energetic action, she immediately struck out a line for her children. -Encarnacion, who was now seventeen, went to the Tobacco factory, where -her mother was able to introduce her, thanks to her relations with -certain friends of her youth, who were now overseers. Juanillo, who from -his babyhood had spent his days under the doorway in the suburb de la -Feria, watching his father work, should become a shoemaker, by the will -of Señora Angustias.</p> - -<p>She took him away from school, where he had only learnt to read very -badly, and at twelve years old he was apprenticed to one of the best -shoemakers in Seville.</p> - -<p>Now commenced the martyrdom of the poor woman. Ay! that urchin. The son -of such honoured parents!... Almost every day instead of going to his -master's shop, he would go to the slaughter-house with certain<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> -ragamuffins, who had their meeting place on a bench in the Alameda de -Hercules, and for the amusement of shepherds and slaughtermen, would -venture to throw a cloak before the oxen, frequently getting knocked -over and trampled. The Señora Angustias, who watched many nights needle -in hand, so that her son should go decently clad to the workshop in -clean clothes, would find him at the house door, afraid to come in, but -from the extremity of his hunger equally afraid to run away, with his -trousers torn, his jacket filthy, and bruises and grazes on his face.</p> - -<p>To the bruises of the treacherous oxen would be added his mother's blows -and beatings with a broomstick: but the hero of the slaughter-house -endured everything, as long as he could get his poor pittance, "Beat me, -but give me something to eat," and with an appetite sharpened by the -violent exercise, he would swallow the hard bread, the weevilled beans, -the putrefied salt cod, all the damaged goods that the thrifty woman -found in the shops, which enabled her to maintain the family on very -little money.</p> - -<p>Busy all day scrubbing the floors of other people's houses, it was only -now and again in the evenings that she was able to look after her son, -going to his master's shop to enquire about the apprentice's progress. -When she returned from the shoemaker's she was usually panting with -rage, promising herself to administer the most stupendous punishments in -order to correct the rascal.</p> - -<p>On most days he never went near the shop at all. He spent the mornings -at the slaughter-house, and in the evenings formed one of a group of -other vagabonds at the entrance of the Calle de las Sierpes, prowling -round the groups of toreros without contracts, who assembled in La -Campana, dressed in new clothes with spick and span hats, and scarcely a -peseta between them in their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> pockets, each one boasting of his own -imaginary exploits.</p> - -<p>Juanillo viewed them as creatures of amazing superiority, he envied -their fine carriage, and the coolness with which they ogled the women. -The idea that each one of those men had in his house a set of silk -clothes embroidered with gold, and being dressed in these would march -past before the crowd to the sound of music, produced a shiver of -respect.</p> - -<p>The son of Señora Angustias was known to all his ragged companions as -"Zapaterin,"<a name="FNanchor_50_50" id="FNanchor_50_50"></a><a href="#Footnote_50_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a> and he seemed delighted at having a nickname, like -almost all the great men who appeared in the circus. Everything must -have a beginning. Round his neck he wore a red handkerchief filched from -his sister, and from beneath his cap the hair fell over his ears in long -locks, which he smoothed with saliva. He wanted to have his drill -blouses made short to the waist with many pleats, his trousers, old -remains of his father's wardrobe, high in the waist, full in the legs, -well fitting over the hips; and he wept with humiliation when his mother -would not give in to these requirements.</p> - -<p>A cape! Oh! to possess a fighting cape, not to have to implore the loan -of the coveted garment for a few moments from others more fortunate than -himself!... In a small room in their house lay an old empty mattress -from which Señora Angustias had sold the wool in days of distress. The -Zapaterin spent one morning shut up in that room, taking advantage of -his mother's absence, who was working that day at a canon's house. With -the ingenuity of a ship-wrecked man, left to his own resources on a -desert island, who has to make everything for himself, he cut out a -fighting cape from the damp and ravelled linen. Afterwards he boiled in -a pipkin a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> handful of red aniline which he had bought at a druggists, -and dipped the old linen in the dye. Then Juanillo looked at the result -of his work. A cape of the most brilliant scarlet which would arouse -many envies at the "capeas" in different villages!... It only wanted -drying. So he hung it in the sun among the neighbours' white clothes. -The wind waving the dripping rag, spotted the neighbouring garments, and -a chorus of maledictions and threats, of clenched fists, and mouths -uttering the most abusive words against him and his mother, obliged the -Zapaterin to seize his cape of glory and bolt; his hands and face -covered with red, as if he had just committed a murder.</p> - -<p>The Señora Angustias was a strong woman, obese and mustachioed, who -feared no man, and compelled respect from other women by her energetic -determination, but with her son she was weak and soft-hearted. What -could she do?... She had laid violent hands on every part of the boy's -body, and broom sticks had been broken with no apparent result. That -cursed one, said she, had the hide of a dog. Accustomed out of the house -to the tremendous butting of the calves, the cruel tramplings of the -cows, to the sticks of the herdsmen and slaughtermen, who thrashed the -tauric aspirants without mercy, his mother's blows seemed a natural -event, a continuation of his out-door life prolonged into his family -life, which he accepted without the slightest intention of amendment, as -a fine he had to pay in return for food. So he gnawed the hard bread -with starving gluttony, while the maternal blows and maledictions rained -on his shoulders.</p> - -<p>As soon as his hunger was satisfied he ran away from the house, availing -himself of the liberty perforce left by Señora Angustias, who was -absent, busy at her tasks.</p> - -<p>In La Campana, the venerable agora of tauric gossip, where all the great -news of the "aficion" circulated, he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> got tidings from his friends which -made him tremble with delight.</p> - -<p>"Zapaterin, there is a corrida to-morrow."</p> - -<p>The country villages celebrated the feast-day of their patron saint by -"capeas" of already<a name="FNanchor_51_51" id="FNanchor_51_51"></a><a href="#Footnote_51_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a> tried bulls, and there the young toreros walked, -in the hope of being able to say on their return, that they had spread -their cloaks in the celebrated Plazas of Aznalcollar, Bollullos or -Mairena. They would begin their journey at night, with their cloaks over -their shoulders if it were summer, or wrapped round them if it were -winter, their stomachs empty, talking all the time of bulls.</p> - -<p>If their tramp lasted several days they would camp on the ground, or be -admitted out of charity to the hay-loft of some inn. Alas! for the -grapes, the melons and the figs they came across on their way in the -warm season. Their only anxiety was lest some other party, some other -cuadrilla should have had the same inspiration, and would arrive in the -town before them, thus establishing a rough competition.</p> - -<p>When they came to the end of their journey, their brows dusty and their -mouths parched, tired and foot weary from the tramp, they presented -themselves before the alcalde, and the boldest among them, who fulfilled -the functions of director spoke of the merits of the troup, who thought -themselves lucky if municipal generosity lodged them in the inn stables, -and gave them in addition an "olla"<a name="FNanchor_52_52" id="FNanchor_52_52"></a><a href="#Footnote_52_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a> which was emptied in a few -seconds.</p> - -<p>In the square of the town, enclosed with carts and boarded scaffolding, -old bulls would be loosed, veritable castles of flesh, covered with -seams and scars, with enormous sharp horns, brutes that for many years -had been baited at all the holidays in the province, venerable <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>animals -who "knew Latin."<a name="FNanchor_53_53" id="FNanchor_53_53"></a><a href="#Footnote_53_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a> Their cunning was so great that accustomed to the -perpetual baiting they were in the secrets of all the possibilities of -the fight. The boys of the town pricked these beasts from a safe place, -and the people derived more amusement from the "toreros" from Seville -even than from the bull. The youngsters spread their cloaks with -trembling legs, but their hearts comforted by the weight in their -stomachs. There was great delight among the crowd when any one of them -was knocked over; and when any lad among them in sudden terror took -refuge behind the palisades, the peasant barbarians received him with -insults, striking the hands clutching hold of the wood, and thrashing -him on the legs to make him jump again into the Plaza. "Arre, coward! -show your face to the bull. Cheat!"</p> - -<p>Sometimes one of the "diestros" would be carried out of the Plaza by -four of his companions, pale with the whiteness of paper, his eyes -glassy, his head hanging, and his breast heaving like a broken bellows. -The barber would arrive, reassuring them all as he saw no blood, it was -only the shock the lad had suffered in being tossed to a distance of -several yards, and falling on the ground like a bundle of clothes. At -other times it was the agony of being trampled under foot by some -enormously heavy animal; then a pail of water would be dashed on his -head, and when he recovered his senses, he would be treated to a long -draught of aguardiente from Cazalla de la Sierra. Not even a prince -could be better cared for, and back he went to the Plaza again.</p> - -<p>When the grazier had no more bulls to loose and night was beginning to -fall, two of the cuadrilla, choosing the best cloak of the company, and -holding it by the corners, would go from stand to stand asking for some -gratuity. Copper money would rain into the red cloth<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> according to the -amusement the strangers had given to the inhabitants, and the corrida -being ended they would recommence their tramp home, knowing their credit -at the inn was exhausted. Very often on the way home they quarrelled -over the division of the coins which were carried tied up in a -handkerchief.</p> - -<p>All the rest of the week would be spent narrating their exploits before -the wide open eyes of the chums who had not been of the expedition. They -would tell of their "veronicas"<a name="FNanchor_54_54" id="FNanchor_54_54"></a><a href="#Footnote_54_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a> in El Garrobo, of their -"navarras"<a name="FNanchor_55_55" id="FNanchor_55_55"></a><a href="#Footnote_55_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a> in Lora, or of a terrible goring in El Pedroso, imitating -the airs and attitudes of the true professionals, who, a few steps away -from them, were consoling themselves for their failure to get contracts, -by every sort of bragging and lies.</p> - -<p>On one occasion the Señora Angustias was more than a week without news -of her son. At last vague rumours came that he had been wounded in a -"capea" at the village of Tocino. Dios mio! Where might that village be? -How should she get to it?... She made sure her son was dead and wept for -him, nevertheless she wished to go to the place herself. While, however, -she was considering the journey Juanillo arrived, pale and weak, but -speaking with manly pride of his accident.</p> - -<p>It was nothing. A prick in the buttock, which, with the shamelessness -born of his triumph he wished to show to all the neighbours, declaring -that he could put his finger in several inches without its coming to the -end. He was proud of the smell of iodoform which he <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span>dispersed as he -passed, and he spoke gratefully of the attentions which had been paid to -him in that town, which, according to him, was the finest in all Spain. -The richest people there, the aristocracy as one might say, were -interested in his mishap, and the alcalde had been to see him, -afterwards giving him his return fare. He still had three duros in his -purse, which he made over to his mother with the air of a grand -gentleman. So much fame at fourteen! His pride was all the greater when -in La Campana, several toreros (real toreros) deigned to take notice of -him, enquiring how his wound was getting on.</p> - -<p>After this accident he never again returned to his master's shop. He -knew now what bulls were, and his wound only served to increase his -boldness. He would be a torero; and nothing but a torero! The Señora -Angustias abandoned all her projects of correction, judging them to be -useless. She tried to ignore her son's existence. When he arrived home -at night, at the time his mother and sister were supping together, they -gave him his food in silence, intending to crush him with their -contempt, but this in no way interfered with his appetite. If he arrived -late, they did not even keep a scrap of bread for him, and he was -obliged to go out again, as empty as he had come in.</p> - -<p>He was one of the evening promenaders in the Alameda de Hercules, with -other vicious-eyed lads, a confused mixture of apprentices, criminals, -and toreros. The neighbours met him sometimes in the streets talking to -young gentlemen whose airs made the women laugh, or grave caballeros to -whom slander gave feminine nicknames. Sometimes he would sell -newspapers, or during the great festivals of Holy Week he would sell -packets of caramels in the Plaza de San Francisco. At the time of the -fair, he would loiter about the hotels waiting for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> an "Englishman," -because for him all travellers were English, hoping to be engaged as -guide.</p> - -<p>"Milord!... I am a torero!" ... he would say, seeing a foreign figure, -as if this professional qualification was an undeniable recommendation -to strangers.</p> - -<p>In order to establish his identity, he would take off his cap, letting -the pigtail fall down behind, the long lock of hair which as a rule he -wore rolled up on the top of his head.</p> - -<p>His companion in wretchedness was Chiripa, a lad of the same age, small -of body and malicious of eye. He had neither father nor mother, and had -wandered about Seville ever since he could remember anything. He -exercised over Juanillo all the influence of greater experience. He had -one cheek scarred by a bull's horn, and this visible wound the Zapaterin -considered greatly superior to his invisible one.</p> - -<p>When at the door of an hotel some lady, bitten by the idea of "local -colour," spoke with the young toreros, admired their pig-tails, listened -to the stories of their exploits, and ended by giving them some money, -Chiripa would say in a whining voice.</p> - -<p>"Do not give it to him, he has a mother, and I am alone in the world. He -who has a mother does not know what he has!"</p> - -<p>And the Zapaterin, seized with a feeling of compunction, would allow the -other lad to take possession of all the money, murmuring:</p> - -<p>"That is true; that is true."</p> - -<p>This filial tenderness did not prevent Juanillo continuing his abnormal -existence, only putting in an occasional appearance at Señora Angustias' -house, and often undertaking long journeys away from Seville.</p> - -<p>Chiripa was a past master of a vagabond life. On the days of a corrida -he would make up his mind to get<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> into the Plaza de Toros somehow with -his comrade, and would employ for this end every sort of stratagem, such -as scaling the walls, slipping in among the people unperceived, or even -softening the officials by humble prayers. A fiesta taurina,<a name="FNanchor_56_56" id="FNanchor_56_56"></a><a href="#Footnote_56_56" class="fnanchor">[56]</a> and -they who were of the profession not there to see it!... When there were -no "capeas" in the provincial towns, they would go and spread their -cloaks before the young bulls in the pastures of Tablada. These -attractions of Sevillian life, however, were not sufficient to satisfy -their ambition.</p> - -<p>Chiripa had wandered much, and told his companion of all the things he -had seen in the distant provinces. He was expert in the art of -travelling gratuitously and hiding himself cleverly on the trains. The -Zapaterin listened with delight to his description of Madrid, that city -of dreams with its Bull-ring, which was a kind of Cathedral of -bull-fighting.</p> - -<p>One day a gentleman at the door of a café in the Calle de las Sierpes -told them, in order to take a rise out of them, that they might earn a -great deal of money in Bilbao, as toreros did not abound there as they -did in Seville. So the two lads undertook the journey with empty purses, -and no luggage but their capes—real capes, which had belonged to -toreros whose names figured on placards, and bought by them for a few -reals in an old clothes shop.</p> - -<p>They crept cautiously into the trains, hiding themselves beneath the -seats, but hunger and other necessities obliged them to divulge their -presence to their fellow travellers, who ended by pitying their plight, -laughing at the queer figures they cut, with their pig-tails and capes, -and finally giving them the remains of their victuals. When any official -gave chase at the stations, they would run from carriage to carriage, or -try to climb on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> roofs to await, lying flat, the starting of the -train. Many times they were caught, seized by the ears to the -accompaniment of blows and kicks, and left, standing on the platform of -a lonely station, to watch the train vanish like a lost hope.</p> - -<p>They would wait for the passing of the next train, bivouacing in the -open air, or if they found they were being watched would start to walk -over the deserted fields to the next station, in the hope that there -they would be more fortunate. And so they arrived at Madrid after an -adventurous journey of many days, with long waits and not a few cuffs. -In the Calle de Sevilla and the Puerta del Sol, they admired the groups -of unemployed toreros, superior beings, from whom they ventured to -beg—without any result—a little alms to continue their journey. A -servant of the Plaza de Toros who came from Seville had pity on them, -and let them sleep in the stables, procuring them further the delight of -seeing a corrida of young bulls in the famous circus, which, however, -did not seem to them as imposing as the one in their own country.</p> - -<p>Frightened at their own daring, and seeing the end of their excursion -ever further and further off, they decided to return to Seville in the -same way that they had come, but from that time they took a pleasure in -these stolen journeys on the railway. They travelled to many places of -small importance in the different Andalusian provinces, whenever they -heard vague rumours of "fiestas" with their corresponding "capeas." In -this way they travelled as far as La Mancha, and Estremadura, and if bad -luck obliged them to go on foot, they took refuge in the hovels of the -peasants, credulous, good-natured people, who were astounded at their -youth, their daring and their bombastic talk, and took them for real -toreros.</p> - -<p>This wandering existence made them exercise the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>cunning of primitive -man to satisfy their wants. In the neighbourhood of country houses, they -would crawl on their stomachs to steal the vegetables without being -seen. They would watch whole hours for a solitary hen to come near them, -and having wrung her neck would proceed on their tramp, to light a fire -of dry wood in the middle of the day, and swallow the poor bird scorched -and half raw with the voracity of little savages. The field mastiffs -they feared more than bulls; these watchdogs were difficult brutes to -fight, when they rushed upon the boys showing their fangs, as if the -strange aspect of the latter infuriated them and they scented enemies to -personal property.</p> - -<p>Sometimes when they were sleeping in the open air near a station waiting -for a train to pass, a couple of Civil Guards would rouse them. However, -the guardians of law and order were pacified when they saw the red cloth -bundles which served these vagabonds as pillows. Very civilly they would -take off the urchins' caps, and finding the hairy appendage of the -pig-tail, they would move off laughing, and make no further enquiries. -They were not little thieves; they were "aficionados" going to the -"capeas." In this tolerance there was a mixture of sympathy for the -national pastime, and respect towards the obscurity of the future. Who -could tell if perhaps one of these ragged lads, with poverty stricken -exterior, might not become in the future a "star of the art," a great -man who would pledge<a name="FNanchor_57_57" id="FNanchor_57_57"></a><a href="#Footnote_57_57" class="fnanchor">[57]</a> bulls to kings, would live like a prince, and -whose exploits and sayings would be recorded in the newspapers!</p> - -<p>At last an evening came, when, in a town of Estremadura the Zapaterin -found himself alone.</p> - -<p>In order the more to astonish the rustic audience who were applauding -the famous toreros "come purposely<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> from Seville," the two lads thought -they would fix banderillas in the neck of an old and very tricky bull. -Juanillo had fixed his darts in the beast's neck and stood near a -staging, delighting in receiving the popular ovation, which expressed -itself in tremendous thumps on his back and offers of glasses of wine. -An exclamation of horror startled him out of this intoxication of -triumph. Chiripa was no longer standing on the ground of the Plaza. -Nothing remained of him but the banderillas rolling on the ground, one -slipper and his cap. The bull was tossing his head as if irritated at -some obstacle, carrying impaled on one of his horns a bundle of clothes -like a doll. By violent head-shakes the shapeless bundle was flung off -the horn pouring out a red stream, but before it reached the ground it -was caught by the other horn, and twirled about for some time. At last -the luckless bundle fell into the dust, and lay there limp and lifeless, -pouring out blood, like a pierced wine skin letting out the wine in -jets.</p> - -<p>The grazier with his bell oxen drew the brute into the yard, for no one -dared to approach him, and the unhappy Chiripa was carried on a straw -mattress to a room in the Town Hall which usually served as a prison. -His companion saw him there with his face as white as plaster, his eyes -dull, and his body red with blood which the cloths soaked in -vinegar—applied in default of anything better—were unable to staunch.</p> - -<p>"Adio, Zapaterin!" he sighed. "Adio, Juaniyo!" and spoke no more.</p> - -<p>The dead lad's companion, quite overcome, started on his return to -Seville, haunted by those glassy eyes, hearing those moaning farewells. -He was afraid. A quiet cow crossing his path would have made him run. He -thought of his mother and the wisdom of her advice. Would it not be -better to devote himself to shoe-making<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> and live quietly?... Those -ideas, however, only lasted as long as he was alone.</p> - -<p>On arriving in Seville he once more felt the influence of the pervading -atmosphere. His friends surrounded him anxious to hear every detail of -poor Chiripa's death. The professional toreros enquired about it in La -Campana, recalling pitifully the little rascal with the scarred face who -had run so many errands for them. Juan, fired by such marks of -consideration, gave rein to his powerful imagination, and described how -he had thrown himself on the bull when he saw his unlucky companion -caught, how he had seized the brute by the tail, with other portentous -exploits, in spite of which poor Chiripa had made his exit from this -world.</p> - -<p>This painful impression soon disappeared. He would be a torero and -nothing but a torero; if others became that, why not he? He thought of -the weevilled beans, and his mother's dry bread, of the abuse which each -new pair of trousers drew on him, of hunger, the inseparable companion -of so many of his expeditions. Besides he felt a vehement longing for -all the enjoyments and luxuries of life, he looked with envy at the -coaches and horses; he stood absorbed before the doorways of the great -houses, through whose iron wickets he could see court-yards of oriental -luxury, with arcades of Moorish tiles; floors of marble and murmuring -fountains, which dropped a shower of pearls day and night over basins -surrounded by green leaves. His fate was decided. He would kill bulls or -die. He would be rich, so that the newspapers should speak of him, and -people bow before him, even though it were at the cost of his life. He -despised the inferior ranks of the torero. He saw the banderilleros who -risked their lives, just like the masters of the profession, receive -thirty duros only for each corrida, and, after a life of fatigues and -gorings, with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> no future for their old age but some wretched little shop -started with their savings, or some employment at a slaughter-house. -Many died in hospitals; the majority begged for charity from their -younger companions. Nothing for him of banderilleros, or of spending -many years in a cuadrilla, under the despotism of a master! He would -kill bulls from the first and tread the sand of the Plazas as an espada -at once.</p> - -<p>The misfortune of poor Chiripa gave him a certain ascendancy among his -companions, and he formed a cuadrilla, a ragged cuadrilla who tramped -after him to the "capeas" in the villages. They respected him because he -was the bravest and the best dressed. Several girls of loose life -attracted by the manly beauty of the Zapaterin, who was now eighteen, -and also by the prestige of his pig-tail, quarrelled among themselves in -noisy rivalry, as to who should have the care of his comely person. -Added to this, he now reckoned on a Godfather, an old patron and former -magistrate, who had a weakness for smart young toreros, but whose -intimacy with her son made Señora Angustias furious, and caused her to -give vent to all the most obscene expressions she had learnt while she -was at the Tobacco factory.</p> - -<p>The Zapaterin wore suits of English woollen cloth well fitted to his -elegant figure, and his hats were always spick and span. His female -associates looked to the scrupulous whiteness of his collars and shirt -fronts, and on great days he wore over his waistcoat a double chain of -gold like ladies wear, a loan from his respected friend, which had -already figured round the necks of several youngsters who were beginning -their careers.</p> - -<p>He now mixed with the real toreros, and he could afford to stand treat -to the old servants who remembered the exploits of the famous masters. -It was rumoured as true, that certain patrons were working in favour of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> -this "lad," and were only waiting for a propitious occasion for his -début, at the baiting of novillos<a name="FNanchor_58_58" id="FNanchor_58_58"></a><a href="#Footnote_58_58" class="fnanchor">[58]</a> in the Plaza of Seville.</p> - -<p>The Zapaterin was already a matador. One day at Lebrija, a most lively -bull was turned into the arena, his companions egged him on to the -supreme feat: "Do you dare to put your hand to him?" ... and he did put -his hand. Afterwards, emboldened by the facility with which he had come -out of the peril, he went to all the "capeas" in which it was announced -that the novillos would be killed, and to all the farm houses where they -baited and killed cattle.</p> - -<p>The proprietor of La Rinconada—a rich grange with its own small -bull-ring—was an enthusiast, who kept the table laid, and his hay-loft -open for all the starving "aficionados" who wished to amuse themselves -fighting his cattle. Juanillo had been there in the days of his poverty -with other companions, to eat to the health of the rural hidalgo. They -would arrive on foot after a two days' tramp, and the proprietor seeing -the dusty troup with their bundles of cloaks would say solemnly:</p> - -<p>"To whoever does best, I will give his ticket to return to Seville by -train."</p> - -<p>The master of the farm spent two days smoking in the balcony of his -Plaza, whilst the youngsters from Seville fought his young bulls, being -often knocked over and pawed.</p> - -<p>"That's no use whatever, blunderer!" he would cry, reproving a cloak -pass ill delivered.</p> - -<p>"Up from the ground, coward!... And tell them to give you some wine to -get over your fright," ... he would shout when a lad continued lying -full length on the ground after a bull had passed over his body.</p> - -<p>The Zapaterin killed a novillo so much to the taste of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> its owner, that -the latter seated him at his own table, while his comrades remained in -the kitchen with the shepherds and labourers, dipping their horn spoons -into the common steaming pot.</p> - -<p>"You have earned your journey in the railway, Gacho. You will go far, if -your heart does not fail you. You have capabilities."</p> - -<p>When the Zapaterin began his return journey to Seville in a second-class -carriage, while the cuadrilla commenced theirs on foot, he thought a new -life was opening for him, and he cast looks of envy on the enormous -grange, with its extensive olive-yards, its mills, its pastures which -lost themselves to sight, on which thousands of goats grazed and bulls -and cows ruminated quietly with their legs tucked under them. What -wealth! If he could only some day arrive at possessing something -similar!</p> - -<p>The fame of his prowess in baiting the young bulls in the villages -reached Seville, attracting the notice of some of the restless and -insatiable amateurs, who were always hoping for the rise of a new star -to eclipse the existing ones.</p> - -<p>"He looks a promising lad" ... they said, seeing him pass along the -Calle de las Sierpes, with a short step swinging his arms proudly. "We -shall have to see him on the 'true ground.'"</p> - -<p>This ground for them and for the Zapaterin was the circus of the Plaza -of Seville. The youngster was soon to find himself face to face with -"the truth."<a name="FNanchor_59_59" id="FNanchor_59_59"></a><a href="#Footnote_59_59" class="fnanchor">[59]</a> His protector had acquired for him a gala dress a -little used, the cast-off finery of some nameless matador. A corrida of -novillos was being organized for some charitable purpose, and some -influential amateurs, anxious for novelty,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> succeeded in including him -in the programme—gratuitously—as matador.</p> - -<p>The son of Señora Angustias would not allow himself to be announced on -the placards by his nickname of Zapaterin, which he wished to forget. He -would have nothing to do with nicknames, still less with any subordinate -employment. He wished to be known by his father's names, he intended to -be Juan Gallardo; and that no nickname should remind the great people, -who in the future would indubitably be his friends, of his low origin.</p> - -<p>All the suburb of la Feria rushed "en masse" to the corrida, with -turbulent and patriotic ardour. Those of la Macarena also showed their -interest, and all the other workmen's suburbs were roused to the same -enthusiasm. A new Sevillian Matador!... There were not places enough for -all, and thousands of people remained outside anxiously awaiting news of -the corrida.</p> - -<p>Gallardo baited, killed, was rolled over by a bull without being -wounded; keeping his audience on tenter hooks with his audacities, which -in most cases turned out luckily, provoking immense howls of enthusiasm. -Certain amateurs whose opinions were worthy of respect smiled -complacently. He still had a great deal to learn, but he had courage and -goodwill, which is the most important thing. Above all he goes in to -kill truly, and he is at last on the "true ground."</p> - -<p>During the corrida the good-looking girls, friends of the diestro, -rushed about frantic with enthusiasm, with hysterical contortions, -tearful eyes, and slobbering mouths, making use in broad daylight of all -the loving words they generally kept for night. One flung her cloak into -the arena, another, to go one better, her blouse and her stays, another -tore off her skirt, till the spectators seized hold of them laughing, -fearing they would throw themselves next into the arena, or remain in -their shifts.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p><p>On the other side of the Plaza, the old magistrate smiled tenderly -under his white beard, admiring the youngster's courage, and thinking -how well the gala dress became him. On seeing him rolled over by the -bull, he threw himself back in his seat as if he were fainting. That was -too much for him.</p> - -<p>Between the barriers Encarnacion's husband strutted with pride, he was a -saddler with a small open shop; a prudent man, detesting vagrancy, he -had fallen in love with the cigarette maker's charms, and married her, -but on the express condition of having nothing to do with that bad lot, -her brother.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, offended by his brother-in-law's sour face, had never -attempted to set foot in his shop, situated on the outskirts of la -Macarena, neither had he ever ceased to use the ceremonious "Uste" when -he met him sometimes in the evening at Señora Angustias' house.</p> - -<p>"I am going to see how they will pelt that vagabond brother of yours -with oranges to make him run," he had said to his wife as he left for -the Plaza.</p> - -<p>But now from his seat he was applauding the diestro, shouting to him as -Juaniyo, calling him "tu," peacocking with delight when the youngster, -attracted by the shouting at last saw him, and replied with a wave of -his rapier.</p> - -<p>"He is my brother-in-law" ... explained the saddler, in order to attract -the attention of those around him. "I have always thought that youngster -would be something in the bull-fighting line. My wife and I have helped -him a great deal."</p> - -<p>The exit was triumphal. The crowd threw themselves on Juanillo, as if -they intended to devour him in their expansive delight. It was a mercy -his brother-in-law was there to restore order, to cover him with his -body,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> and conduct him to the hired carriage, in which he finally took -his seat by the side of the Novillero.</p> - -<p>When they arrived at the little house in the suburb of la Feria, an -immense crowd followed the carriage, and like all popular manifestations -they were shouting vivas which made the inhabitants run to their doors. -The news of his triumph had arrived before the diestro, and all the -neighbours ran to look at him and shake his hand.</p> - -<p>The Señora Angustias and her daughter were standing at the house door. -The saddler almost lifted his brother-in-law out in his arms, -monopolizing him, shouting and gesticulating in the name of the family -to prevent anyone touching him as though he were a sick man.</p> - -<p>"Here he is; Encarnacion"—he said pushing him towards his wife. "He is -the real Roger de Flor!"<a name="FNanchor_60_60" id="FNanchor_60_60"></a><a href="#Footnote_60_60" class="fnanchor">[60]</a></p> - -<p>Encarnacion did not need to ask any more, for she knew that her husband, -as a result of some far off and confused reading, considered this -historic personage as the embodiment of all greatness, and only ventured -to join his name to portentous events.</p> - -<p>Other neighbours who had come from the corrida insinuatingly flattered -Señora Angustias, as they looked admiringly at her portly figure.</p> - -<p>Blessed be the mother who bore so brave a son!...</p> - -<p>The poor woman's eyes wore an expression of bewilderment and doubt. -Could it be really her Juanillo who was making everyone run about so -enthusiastically?... Had they all gone mad?</p> - -<p>But suddenly she threw herself upon him, as if all the past had -vanished, as if her sorrows and rages were a dream; as if she were -confessing to a shameful error. Her enormous flabby arms were flung -round the torero's neck, and tears wetted one of his cheeks.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p><p>"My son! Juaniyo!... If your poor father could see you!"</p> - -<p>"Don't cry, mother ... for this is a happy day. You will see. If God -gives me luck I will build you a house, and your friends shall see you -in a carriage, and you shall wear a Manila shawl which will make -everyone...."</p> - -<p>The saddler acknowledged those promises of grandeur with affirmative -nods, standing opposite his bewildered wife, who had not yet got over -her surprise at this radical change. "Yes, Encarnacion; this youngster -can do everything if he takes the trouble ... he was extraordinary! the -real Roger de Flor himself!"</p> - -<p>That night in the taverns of the people's suburbs, nothing was talked of -but Gallardo.</p> - -<p>The torero of the future. As startling as the roses! This lad will take -off the chignons<a name="FNanchor_61_61" id="FNanchor_61_61"></a><a href="#Footnote_61_61" class="fnanchor">[61]</a> of all the Cordovan caliphs.</p> - -<p>In this speech Sevillian pride was latent, the perpetual rivalry with -the people of Cordova, also a country of fine bull-fighters.</p> - -<p>From that day forward Gallardo's life was completely changed. The -gentlemen saluted him and made him sit among them in front of the cafés. -The girls who formerly kept him from hunger, and looked after his -adornment found themselves little by little repelled with smiling -contempt. Even the old protector withdrew in view of certain rebuffs, -and transferred his tender friendship to other youths who were -beginning.</p> - -<p>The management of the Plaza de Toros sought out Gallardo, flattering him -as though he were already a celebrity. When his name was announced on -the placards, the result was certain: a bumper house. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> rabble -applauded Señora Angustias' son with transports, telling tales of his -courage. Gallardo's renown soon spread throughout Andalusia, and the -saddler, without anyone having asked for his assistance, now mixed -himself up in everything, arrogating to himself the rôle of protector of -his brother-in-law's interests.</p> - -<p>He was a hard-headed man, very expert, according to himself, in -business, and he saw his line of life marked out for ever.</p> - -<p>"Your brother ..." he said at nights to his wife as they were going to -bed ... "wants a practical man at his side who will look after his -interest. Do you think it would be a bad thing for him to name me his -manager? It would be a great thing for him. He is better than Roger de -Flor! And for us...."</p> - -<p>The saddler's imagination pictured to himself the great wealth that -Gallardo would acquire, and he thought also of the five children he -already had and of the rest which would surely follow, for he was a man -of unwearied and prolific conjugal fidelity. Who knew if what the espada -earned might not eventually be for one of his nephews!...</p> - -<p>For a year and a half Juan killed novillos in the best Plazas in Spain. -His fame had even reached Madrid. The amateurs of that town were curious -to know the "Sevillian lad" of whom the newspapers spoke so much, and of -whom the intelligent Andalusians told such stories.</p> - -<p>Gallardo escorted by a party of friends from his own country, who were -living in Madrid, swaggered on the pavement of the Calle de Sevilla near -the Café Ingles. The girls smiled at his gallantries, fixing their eyes -on the torero's thick gold chain and his large diamonds, jewels bought -with his first earnings and on the credit of those of the future. A -matador ought to show by the adornment of his person, and also by his -generous treatment<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> of everyone, that he has over and above enough -money. How distant those days seemed, when he and poor Chiripa, -vagabonds on that same pavement, in fear of the police, looked at the -toreros with wondering eyes and picked up the fag ends of their cigars!</p> - -<p>His work in Madrid was fortunate. He made friendships, and soon gathered -round him a party of enthusiasts, anxious for novelty, who also -proclaimed him "the torero of the future," protesting loudly at his not -yet having received "la alternativa."</p> - -<p>"He will earn money by basketsful, Encarnacion," said his -brother-in-law. "He will have millions, unless any bad accident happens -to him."</p> - -<p>The family life had completely changed. Gallardo, who now mixed with the -gentry of Seville, did not care for his mother to continue living in the -hovel of the days of her poverty. For his own part, he would have liked -to move into the best street in the town, but Señora Angustias wished to -remain faithful to the suburb of la Feria, with that love which simple -people feel as they grow older for the places in which their youth has -been spent.</p> - -<p>They now lived in a much better house. The mother no longer worked, and -the neighbours courted her, foreseeing in her a generous lender in their -days of distress. Juan, besides the heavy and startling jewelry with -which he adorned his person, possessed that supreme luxury of a torero, -a powerful sorrel mare, with a Moorish saddle, and a large blanket, -adorned with multi-coloured tassels rolled up on the bow. Mounted on her -he trotted through the streets, his only object being to receive the -homage of his friends who greeted his elegance with noisy Olé's. This -for the time being satisfied his desire for popularity. At other times -joining some gentlemen, the gallant cavalcade would ride to the pastures -of Tablada, on the eve<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> of some great corrida, to inspect the cattle -that others were to kill.</p> - -<p>When I shall have received "la Alternativa" ... he said perpetually, -making all his plans for the future depend on this event.</p> - -<p>For that future time he also left several projects with which he -intended to surprise his mother; who, poor woman! already frightened by -the comfort which had crept suddenly into her house, would have thought -any farther augmentation an impossibility.</p> - -<p>At last the day of "la Alternativa" arrived, the public recognition of -Gallardo as matador.</p> - -<p>A celebrated master ceded his sword and muleta to him in the full circus -in Seville, the crowd were nearly mad with delight, seeing how he killed -with one sword thrust the first "formal"<a name="FNanchor_62_62" id="FNanchor_62_62"></a><a href="#Footnote_62_62" class="fnanchor">[62]</a> bull which was placed -before him. The following month this doctorate of tauromachia was -countersigned in the Plaza in Madrid, where another no less celebrated -master gave him "la Alternativa" in a corrida of bulls from Muira.</p> - -<p>He was now no longer a novillero; he was a recognized matador, and his -name figured on the placards by the side of all the old espadas, whom he -had admired as unapproachable divinities, in the days when he went -through the little towns taking part in the "capeas." He remembered -having waited for one of them at a station near Cordova to beg a little -help from him as he passed with his cuadrilla. That night he had -something to eat, thanks to the fraternal generosity existing between -the people of the pigtail, and which made an espada living in princely -luxury give a duro and a cigar to the needy wretch who was trying his -first "capeas."</p> - -<p>Engagements began to pour in to the new espada. In<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> all the Plazas of -the Peninsula they were curious to see him. The professional papers -popularized his portrait and his life, not without adding romantic -episodes to this latter. No matador had as many engagements as he had, -and it would not be long before he made a fortune.</p> - -<p>Antonio, his brother-in-law, viewed this success with scowling brow and -grumbling protests to his wife and his mother-in-law. The fellow was -ungrateful; it was the way of all those who rose too rapidly. Just think -how he had worked for Juan! How obstinately he had discussed matters -with Managers when they were arranging the runs of Novillos!... And now -that he was "Maestro" he had taken for agent a certain Don José, whom he -scarcely knew, who did not belong in any way to the family, and for whom -Gallardo had taken a great affection simply because he was an old -amateur.</p> - -<p>He will suffer for it; he ended by saying: "One can only have one -family. Where will he meet with affection like ours, who have known him -since his earliest childhood? So much the worse for him! With me, he -would have been like the real Roger...."</p> - -<p>But here he stopped short, swallowing the rest of the famous name, from -fear of the laughter of the banderilleros and amateurs who frequented -the matador's house, and who had not been slow in noticing this -historical adoration of the saddler's.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, with the good nature of a successful man, had endeavoured to -give his brother-in-law some compensation, entrusting him with the -supervision of the house he was building. He gave him carte-blanche for -all expenses, for the espada, bewildered with the ease with which money -was pouring into his hands, was not sorry his brother-in-law should make -a profit, and he was pleased to make it up to him in this way for not -having retained him as agent.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p><p>The torero was now able to carry out his cherished wish of building a -house for his mother. The poor woman, who had spent her life in -scrubbing rich people's floors, was now to have her own beautiful -patio,<a name="FNanchor_63_63" id="FNanchor_63_63"></a><a href="#Footnote_63_63" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> with arches of Moorish tiles, and marble floors, her rooms -with furniture like that of the gentry, and servants, a great many -servants, to wait on her. Gallardo also felt himself drawn by -traditional affection to the suburbs where he had spent his miserable -childhood. It pleased him to dazzle the people who had employed his -mother as charwoman, or to give a handful of pesetas in times of -distress to those who had taken their shoes to his father to mend, or -had even given himself a crust of bread when he was starving.</p> - -<p>He bought several old houses, amongst them the very one with the doorway -under which his father had worked, pulled them down, and commenced a -fine building, which should have white walls, the iron work of its -windows and balconies painted green, a vestibule with a dado of Moorish -tiles, and an iron wicket of fine workmanship, through which would be -seen the patio with its fountain, and arcades with marble pillars -between which would hang gilded cages full of singing birds.</p> - -<p>The pleasure his brother-in-law felt on finding himself completely at -liberty with regard to the direction and progress of the works, was -damped by a terrible piece of news.</p> - -<p>Gallardo had a sweetheart. It was then full summer and the matador was -travelling from end to end of Spain, from one Plaza to another, giving -estocades, and receiving tumultuous applause; but almost every day he -wrote to a young girl in the suburb, and during the brief respite -between two corridas, he would leave his companions,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> taking the train -to spend a night in Seville "Pelando la Pava"<a name="FNanchor_64_64" id="FNanchor_64_64"></a><a href="#Footnote_64_64" class="fnanchor">[64]</a> with her.</p> - -<p>"Just fancy that," cried the saddler aghast, in what he called "the -bosom of the hearth," that is to his wife and mother-in-law. "A -sweetheart, without ever saying a word to his family, which is the only -real thing that exists in this world! The Señor wishes to marry—no -doubt he is tired of us.... What a shame!"</p> - -<p>Encarnacion assented to her husband's grumbles by energetic nods of her -fierce looking but handsome head, pleased on the whole to express what -she thought about that brother, whose good fortune had always been a -source of envy. Yes, no doubt he had always been utterly shameless.</p> - -<p>But his mother raised her voice.</p> - -<p>"As for that—No. I know the girl, and her poor mother was a friend of -mine at the Fabrica. She is as pure as a river of gold, well mannered, -good—handsome.... I have already told Juan that as far as I am -concerned ... the sooner the better."</p> - -<p>She was an orphan living with some uncles who kept a small provision -shop in the suburb. Her father, a former wine merchant, had left her two -houses in the suburb of la Macarena.</p> - -<p>"It is not much," said Señora Angustias; "still the girl will not come -empty handed, she brings something of her own.... And for clothes? -Jesus; those little hands are worth their weight in gold, see how she -embroiders; how she is preparing her dowry!"</p> - -<p>Gallardo remembered vaguely having played with her as a child, close to -the doorway where the cobbler worked, while their mothers gossiped. She -was then like a little dry, dark lizard with gipsy eyes, the whole -pupil<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> as black as a drop of ink, the whites blueish and the corners -pale pink. When she ran, nimbly as a boy, she showed legs like thin -reeds, and her hair flew wildly about her head in rebellious and tangled -curls like black snakes. Afterwards he had lost sight of her, not -meeting her again till many years after when he was a novillero, and was -already beginning to make a name.</p> - -<p>It was on a day of Corpus, one of the few festivals in which the women, -generally kept at home by their almost Oriental laziness, all come forth -like Moorish women set at liberty, in their lace mantillas, pinned to -their breasts with bunches of carnations, Gallardo saw a young girl, -tall, slim but at the same time strongly built, her waist well poised -above her curved and ample hips, showing the vigour of youth. Her face, -of a rice-like paleness, flushed as she saw the torero, and her eyes -fell, hidden beneath their long lashes.</p> - -<p>That gachi knows me, ... thought Gallardo vainly, most probably she has -seen me in the Plaza.</p> - -<p>But after following the young girl and her aunt he learnt that it was -Carmen, the playmate of his childhood, and he felt confused and -delighted at the marvellous transformation of the little black lizard of -former days.</p> - -<p>In a short time they became betrothed, and all the neighbours spoke of -the courtship, which they considered so flattering to the suburb.</p> - -<p>"I am like that," said Gallardo, assuming the air of a good prince. "I -do not care to imitate those toreros who, when they marry ladies, marry -nothing but hats, and feathers and flounces, I prefer what belongs to my -own class, a rich shawl, a good figure, grace.... Olé, ya!"</p> - -<p>His friends, delighted, hastened to praise the girl.</p> - -<p>A queenly presence, curves that would drive anyone mad, and such a -figure....</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></p><p>But the torero frowned. Enough of these jests if you please. Eh? And -the less you all talk of Carmen the better.</p> - -<p>One night, as he was talking with her through the iron grating of her -window, and looking at her Moorish face framed among the pots of -flowers, the waiter from a neighbouring tavern came bearing a tray on -which stood two glasses of Manzanilla. It was the messenger come to -"Cobrar el piso,"<a name="FNanchor_65_65" id="FNanchor_65_65"></a><a href="#Footnote_65_65" class="fnanchor">[65]</a> the traditional Sevillian custom, which allows of -this offering to fiancés as they talk at the grating.</p> - -<p>The torero drank a glass, offering the other to Carmen, and then said to -the boy:</p> - -<p>"Thank these gentlemen very much from me, and say I will look in -presently; ... tell Montañes also that he is not to take any payment -from them, for Juan Gallardo will pay for everything."</p> - -<p>And as soon as his interview with his lady-love was ended, he walked -across to the tavern where those who had offered the civility were -waiting for him, some of them friends, others strangers, but all anxious -to drink a glass at the espada's expense.</p> - -<p>On his return from his first tour as recognized matador, he spent his -nights standing by the iron grating of Carmen's window, wrapped in his -elegant and luxurious cape of a greenish cloth embroidered with sprays -and arabesques in black silk.</p> - -<p>"They tell me you drink a great deal," sighed Carmen, pressing her face -against the iron grating.</p> - -<p>"What nonsense!... Only the civilities of my friends that I am obliged -to return, nothing more. And besides, you see, a torero is ... a torero, -and he cannot live like a brother of 'the Mercy.'"</p> - -<p>"They tell me also that you go with loose women."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p><p>"Lies!... That might have been in former days before I knew you. -Rascals! Curse them! I should like to know who the slanderers are who -whisper such things to you...."</p> - -<p>"And when shall we be married?" she continued, cutting short her lover's -indignation by this query.</p> - -<p>"As soon as the house is finished, and would to God that were to-morrow! -That blockhead, my brother-in-law, never gets done with it. The rascal -finds it profitable and rests on his oars."</p> - -<p>"I will get everything into order when we are married, Juaniyo. You will -see, everything will go on all right, and you will see how your mother -loves me."</p> - -<p>And so the dialogues went on, while they were waiting for the marriage -of which all Seville was talking. Carmen's uncle talked over the affair -with Señora Angustias, whenever they met, but all the same, the torero -scarcely ever set foot in Carmen's house, it seemed as though some -terrible prohibition forbade him the door, anyhow the two preferred to -see each other at the grating according to custom.</p> - -<p>The winter was passing by, Gallardo rode and hunted over the country -estates of several wealthy gentlemen, who used the familiar "thou" with -a patronizing air. It was necessary for him to preserve his bodily -agility by continual exercise, till the time of the corridas came round -again. He was afraid of losing his great advantages of strength and -lightness.</p> - -<p>The most indefatigable advertiser of his fame was Don José, the -gentleman who acted as his agent, and who called him "his own matador." -He had a hand in every act of Gallardo's, not even yielding any prior -claims to "the family." He lived on his own income, and had no other -employment than that of talking perpetually of bulls and toreros. For -him there was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span>nothing interesting in the world beyond corridas, and he -divided the nations into two classes, the elect who had bull-rings, and -the numberless others who had neither sun, gaiety, nor good Manzanilla, -and yet thought themselves powerful and happy, although they had never -seen even the worst run of novillos.</p> - -<p>He carried to his love of "the sport" the energy of a champion of the -faith, or of an inquisitor. Although he was young he was stout and -slightly bald with a light beard; but this sociable man, so jovial and -laughter-loving in ordinary life, was fierce and unbending on the -benches of a Plaza, if his neighbours expressed opinions differing from -his own. He felt himself capable of fighting the whole audience for a -torero he liked, and he disturbed the plaudits of the public by -unexpected objections, when those plaudits were given to any torero who -had not been lucky enough to gain his affection.</p> - -<p>He had been a cavalry officer, more on account of his love of horses -than of his love of war. His stoutness and his enthusiasm for bulls had -made him retire from the service.... Oh! to be the guide, the mentor, -the agent of an espada!</p> - -<p>When he became possessed of this vehement desire, all the "maestros" -were already provided, so the advent of Gallardo was a God-send to him. -The slightest doubt cast on his hero's merits made him crimson with -rage, and he generally ended by turning a bull-fighting discussion into -a personal quarrel. He considered it a glorious heroic act to have come -to blows with two evil minded amateurs who censured "his own matador" -for being too bold.</p> - -<p>The press seemed to him quite insufficient to proclaim Gallardo's fame, -so on winter mornings he would go and sit at a sunny corner at the -entrance of the Calle de las Sierpes, through which most of his friends -passed.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p><p>"No. There is only one man!" he would say in a loud voice as if talking -to himself, pretending not to see the people who were approaching. "The -first man in the world! If anyone thinks the contrary let him speak.... -Yes, the only man!"</p> - -<p>"Who?" enquired his friends chuckling, pretending not to understand.</p> - -<p>"Who should it be?" ... "Juan."</p> - -<p>"What Juan?"</p> - -<p>A gesture of indignation and surprise.</p> - -<p>"What Juan is it? As if there were many Juans!... Juan Gallardo."</p> - -<p>"Bless the man!" said some of them, "one would think it was you who were -going to marry him!"</p> - -<p>Seeing other friends approaching he ignored their chaff, and began -again:</p> - -<p>"No, there is only one man!... The first man in the world! If anyone -doesn't believe it, let him open his beak! ... here am I to answer!"</p> - -<p>Gallardo's wedding was a great event. At the same time the new house was -inaugurated, of which the saddler was so proud, that he showed the -patio, the columns, and the Moorish tiles, as if they were all the work -of his own hands.</p> - -<p>They were married in San Gil, before the "Virgin of Hope," also called -la Macarena. As they came out of the church the sun shone on the -tropical flowers and painted birds on hundreds of shawls of Chinese -design, worn by the bride's friends. A deputy was best man, among the -black or white felt hats, shone the tall silk ones of his agent and -other gentlemen, enthusiastic supporters of Gallardo, who smiled, well -pleased with the increase of popularity they gained by being seen at the -torero's side.</p> - -<p>At the house door during the day there was a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span>distribution of alms; many -poor people had come even from distant villages, attracted by the -reports of this splendid wedding.</p> - -<p>There was a grand repast in the patio and several photographers took -snapshots for the Madrid papers, for Gallardo's wedding was a national -event. Well on in the night the melancholy tinkling of the guitars was -still going on, accompanied by the rhythmic clapping of hands and the -rattle of castanets. The girls, their arms raised, danced with dainty -feet on the marble pavement, and skirts and shawls waved round the -pretty figures in the rhythm of Sevillanas. Bottle of rich Andalusian -wine were opened by the dozen, glasses of hot Jerez, of heady Montilla, -and Manzanilla of San Lucar, pale and perfumed, passed from hand to -hand. They were all tipsy, but their drunkenness was gentle, quiet, and -melancholy, and only betrayed itself in their sighs and songs; often -several would start at once singing melancholy airs, which spoke of -prisons, murders and the "poor mother," that eternal theme of Andalusian -popular songs.</p> - -<p>At midnight the last of the guests departed, and the newly-married -couple were left alone in their house with Señora Angustias. The saddler -on leaving made a gesture of despair; tipsy, he was besides furious, for -no one had taken any notice of him during the day. Just as if he were a -nobody! As if he did not belong to the family!</p> - -<p>"They are turning us out, Encarnacion. That girl with her face like the -'Virgin of Hope,' will be mistress of everything, and there will not -even be <i>that</i> for us! You will see the house full of children!..."</p> - -<p>And the prolific husband became furious at the idea of the posterity -that would come to the espada, a posterity sent into the world with the -sole object of damaging his own children.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p><p>Time went by and a year passed without Señor Antonio's prognostications -being verified. Gallardo and Carmen went to all the fêtes, with the -ostentation and show suitable to a rich and popular couple. Carmen with -Manila shawls which drew cries of admiration from poorer women; Gallardo -displaying all his diamonds, ever ready to take out his purse to treat -friends, or to help the beggars who came in swarms. The gitanas, -loquacious and copper coloured as witches, besieged Carmen with their -good auguries.... Might God bless her! She would soon have a child, a -"churumbel" more beautiful than the sun. They knew it by the whites of -her eyes. It was already half way on....</p> - -<p>But in vain Carmen dropped her eyes and blushed with modesty and -pleasure; in vain the espada drew himself up, proud of his work, and -hoped the prediction would come true. But still the child did not come.</p> - -<p>So another year passed, and still the hopes of the couple were not -realized. Señora Angustias became sad as she spoke of their -disappointment. She certainly had other grandchildren, the children of -Encarnacion, whom the saddler was careful should spend most of their -time in their grandmother's house, doing their best to please their -Señor tio.<a name="FNanchor_66_66" id="FNanchor_66_66"></a><a href="#Footnote_66_66" class="fnanchor">[66]</a> But she, who wished to compensate for her former -unkindness by the warm affection she now showed Juan, wished to have a -son of his to bring up in her own way, giving it all the love she had -been unable to give its father during his miserable childhood.</p> - -<p>"I know what it is," said the old woman sadly, "poor Carmen has too many -anxieties, you should see the poor thing when Juan is wandering about -the world!..."</p> - -<p>During the winter, the season of rest when the torero was for the most -part at home, or only went into the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> country for the "trials" of young -bulls or for hunting parties, all went well. Carmen was happy, knowing -her husband ran no risks; she laughed at anything, ate, and her face was -bright with the hues of health. But as soon as the spring time came -round, and Juan left home to fight in the different Plazas in Spain, the -poor girl became pale and weak, and fell into a painful languor, her -eyes, dilated by terror, ready to shed tears on the slightest occasion.</p> - -<p>"He has seventy-two corridas this year," said the intimates of the -house, speaking of the espada's engagements. "No one is so sought after -as he is."</p> - -<p>Carmen smiled with a sorrowful face. Seventy-two afternoons of anguish, -in the chapel like a criminal condemned to death, longing for the -arrival of the telegram in the evening, and yet dreading to open it. -Seventy-two days of terror, of vague superstitions, thinking that one -word forgotten in a prayer might influence the fate of the absent one; -seventy-two days of pained surprise at living in a great house, seeing -the same people, and finding life go on in its usual way; as though -nothing extraordinary was going on in the world, hearing her husband's -nephews playing in the patio, and the flower sellers crying their wares -outside while down there far away, in unknown towns, her beloved Juan -was fighting those fierce beasts before thousands of eyes, and seeing -death lightly pass by his breast with every wave of the red rag that he -carried in his hand.</p> - -<p>Ay! Those days of a corrida, those holidays, when the sky seemed bluer, -and the usually solitary street echoed beneath the holiday maker's -footsteps, when guitars tinkled, accompanied by hand clappings and songs -in the tavern at the corner!... Then Carmen, plainly dressed, with her -mantilla over her eyes, flying from those evil dreams, would leave her -house to take refuge in a church.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span></p><p>Her simple faith, which anxiety peopled with vague superstitions, made -her go from altar to altar, weighing in her mind the merits and miracles -of each image. Some days she would go to San Gil, the popular church -which had witnessed the happiest day of her life, to kneel before the -Virgin de la Macarena. By the light of the numerous tapers she ordered -to be lighted, she would gaze at the dark face of that statue with its -black eyes and long lashes, which many said so singularly resembled her -own. In her she trusted, she was not "the Lady of Hope" for nothing, -surely at that time she was protecting Juan with her divine power.</p> - -<p>But suddenly uncertainty and fear crept through her beliefs, rending -them. The Virgin was only a woman, and women can do so little! Their -fate is to suffer and to weep, as she was weeping for her husband, as -that other had wept for her Son. She must confide in stronger powers, so -with the egoism of pain, she abandoned la Macarena without scruple, like -a useless friend, and went to the church of San Lorenzo in search of -"Our Father, Jesus of Great Power." The Man-God with His crown of -thorns, and His cross by His side, perspiring, and tearful, an image -that the sculptor Montañes had known how to make terrifying.</p> - -<p>The dramatic sadness of the Nazarene, stumbling over the stones, borne -down by the weight of His cross, seemed to console the poor wife. The -Lord of Great Power! ... this vague but grandiose title tranquilised her. -If that God dressed in purple velvet with gold embroideries would only -listen to her sighs and prayers, repeated hurriedly, with dizzy -rapidity, so that the greatest possible number of words should be said -in the shortest possible time, she was sure that Juan would come safe -and sound out of the arena, where he was at that moment fighting. At -other times she would give<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> money to a sacristan to light some wax -tapers and would spend hours watching the rosy reflection of the red -tongues on the image, fancying she saw on its varnished face in the -changing light and shadow, smiles of consolation, which augured -happiness.</p> - -<p>The Lord of Great Power did not deceive her. When she returned to her -house the little blue paper arrived, which she opened with trembling -hands. "Nothing new." She could breathe again, and sleep, like the -criminal who is freed for the moment from the fear of instant death, but -in two or three days the torment of uncertainty, the terrible fear of -the unknown, would begin afresh.</p> - -<p>In spite of the love Carmen professed for her husband, there were times -when her heart rose in rebellion. If she had only known what this life -was before her marriage!... Now and then, impelled by the community of -suffering she would go and see the wives of the men who composed Juan's -cuadrilla, as if those women could give her news.</p> - -<p>The wife of El Nacional, who had a tavern in the same quarter, received -the chief's wife tranquilly, and seemed surprised at her fears. She was -used to the life, and her husband must be quite well as he sent no news. -Telegrams were dear, and a banderillero earned little enough. When the -newspaper sellers did not shout an accident, it meant that nothing -untoward had happened, and she went on attending to the affairs of her -tavern, as if anxiety could not penetrate the hard rind of her -susceptibilities.</p> - -<p>Other times she would cross the bridge and penetrate into the suburb of -Triana, in search of the wife of Potaje the picador, a kind of gitana, -who lived in a hovel like a fowl house, surrounded by dirty copper -coloured brats, whom she ordered about and terrified by her stentorian -shouts. The visit of the chief's wife filled her with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> pride, but her -anxieties made her laugh. She ought not to be afraid, the men on foot -nearly always got clear of the bull, and the Señor Juan was very lucky -in throwing himself on the beast. Bulls killed few people, the terrible -things were the falls from horse-back. It was well known what was the -end of nearly all picadors after a life of horrible tosses: he who did -not end his life in an unforeseen and sudden accident, generally died -mad. No doubt poor Potaje would die in this way, he would have endured -all these hardships for a handful of duros, whereas others....</p> - -<p>She did not conclude her sentence, but her eyes expressed a mute protest -against the injustice of fate, against those fine fellows who directly -they handled a sword, appropriated all the plaudits, the popularity, and -the money, running no more risk than their humble colleagues.</p> - -<p>Little by little Carmen became accustomed to the existence. The cruel -waits on the days of a corrida, the visits to the saints, the -superstitions, doubts, were all accepted as forming part and parcel of -her life. Besides her husband's usual good luck, and the constant -conversation in the house on the chances of the fight, ended by -familiarizing her with the danger. And at last the bull came to be for -her a fairly good-natured and noble animal, who had come into the world -for the express purpose of enriching and giving fame to their matadors.</p> - -<p>She had never been to a corrida of bulls. Since the afternoon when she -had seen her future husband at his first novillada, she had never been -near the Plaza. She felt she should not have the courage to see a -corrida, even though Gallardo were taking no part in it. She should -faint with terror seeing other men face the danger, dressed in the same -costume as Juan.</p> - -<p>After they had been married three years, the espada<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> was wounded in -Valencia. Carmen did not hear of it at once. The telegram came at the -usual hour, bearing the habitual "nothing new," and it was through the -kindness of Don José, who visited Carmen daily and performed clever -sleight of hand tricks to prevent her seeing the papers, that the news -was kept from her for over a week.</p> - -<p>When through the indiscretion of some neighbours Carmen at last heard of -the accident, she wished at once to take the train to join her husband, -and nurse him, feeling sure he was neglected. But there was no need, the -espada arrived before she could leave, pale from loss of blood, and -obliged to keep one leg quiet for some time, but gay and jaunty in order -to reassure his family.</p> - -<p>The house became at once a kind of sanctuary, all sorts of people passed -through the patio, in order to salute Gallardo "the first man in the -world," who, sitting in a cane arm-chair, with his leg on a footstool, -smoked quietly, as though his flesh had not been torn by a horrible -wound.</p> - -<p>Doctor Ruiz, who had brought him back to Seville, declaring he would be -cured in a month, was astonished at the vigour of his constitution. The -facility with which toreros were cured was a mystery for him, in spite -of his long practice as a surgeon. The horn, filthy with blood and -excrement, very often broken at the ends by blows into small splinters, -broke the flesh, lacerated it, perforated it, so that it was at the same -time a deep penetrating wound, and a crushing bruise, but all the same -these awful wounds were cured far more easily than those of daily life.</p> - -<p>"How it can be I know not—it is a mystery"—said the old surgeon, much -perplexed. "Either these lads have flesh like a dog, or the horn in -spite of its filth has some curative property unknown to us."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p><p>Shortly afterwards Gallardo recommenced fighting, his wound, in spite -of his enemies' predictions, having in no way abated his fighting -ardour.</p> - -<p>After they had been married about four years, the espada gave his wife -and mother a great surprise. They were going to become landed -proprietors—proprietors on a large scale—with lands of which they -could not see the end, olive yards, mills, herds innumerable, an estate -as fine as that of the richest men in Seville.</p> - -<p>Gallardo was like all toreros who only dream of being owners of the -soil, and to be horse and cattle breeders. Town property, stocks and -shares in no way tempt them, and they understand nothing whatever about -them. But bulls make them think of the broad plains, and horses remind -them of the country; besides, the necessity of constant movement and -exercise by hunting and walking during the winter months adds to their -desire to possess the soil.</p> - -<p>According to Gallardo's ideas, no one could be rich unless he owned a -large farm, and immense herds of cattle. Ever since the years of his -poverty, when he had wandered on foot, through the cultivated lands and -pastures, he had always nourished the fervent desire of possessing -leagues and leagues of land, that should be his very own, and that -should be enclosed by strong palings from the trespass of other people.</p> - -<p>Don José knew of this wish. He it was who ran Gallardo's affairs, -receiving the money due to him from the different managers, and keeping -accounts which he endeavoured in vain to explain to the matador.</p> - -<p>"I don't understand that music," said Gallardo, rather pleased at his -own ignorance. "I only understand how to kill bulls. Do whatever you -like, Don José. I am quite confident that whatever you do will be for -the best."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p><p>And Don José, who never looked after his own affairs, leaving them to -his wife's rather ineffectual management, thought day and night of the -matador's fortune, investing the money at good interest, with the -keenness of a money-lender.</p> - -<p>One day he came gaily to his protegé.</p> - -<p>"I have got what you longed for—an estate as big as the world, and very -cheap—a splendid bargain. Next week we shall sign all the papers."</p> - -<p>Gallardo enquired the name and situation of the domain.</p> - -<p>"It is called La Rinconada."</p> - -<p>His dearest wishes were fulfilled.</p> - -<p>When Gallardo went with his wife and mother to take possession of the -Grange, he showed them the hay-loft where he had slept with his -companions in misery, the room where he had dined with the former owner, -the little Plaza where he had killed the yearling, thereby earning for -the first time the right to travel by train without being obliged to -hide himself under the seats.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_48_48" id="Footnote_48_48"></a><a href="#FNanchor_48_48"><span class="label">[48]</span></a> <i>i.e.</i> bull-fights, etc.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_49_49" id="Footnote_49_49"></a><a href="#FNanchor_49_49"><span class="label">[49]</span></a> The lovely gardens by the Guadalquiver at Seville.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_50_50" id="Footnote_50_50"></a><a href="#FNanchor_50_50"><span class="label">[50]</span></a> Little shoemaker.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_51_51" id="Footnote_51_51"></a><a href="#FNanchor_51_51"><span class="label">[51]</span></a> Toros corridas.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_52_52" id="Footnote_52_52"></a><a href="#FNanchor_52_52"><span class="label">[52]</span></a> Olla—stew.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_53_53" id="Footnote_53_53"></a><a href="#FNanchor_53_53"><span class="label">[53]</span></a> <i>i.e.</i> knew all about it.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_54_54" id="Footnote_54_54"></a><a href="#FNanchor_54_54"><span class="label">[54]</span></a> Pass in which the torero stands with his feet in line with -the bull's forefeet. When the animal is in the act of charging he turns -it by a pass of the cape either to right or left. It is considered a -very brilliant stroke.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_55_55" id="Footnote_55_55"></a><a href="#FNanchor_55_55"><span class="label">[55]</span></a> Another pass, when the cape is spread nearly flat on the -ground, and when the bull is in the act of charging it, it is drawn up -suddenly over his head.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_56_56" id="Footnote_56_56"></a><a href="#FNanchor_56_56"><span class="label">[56]</span></a> Bull-fighting festival.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_57_57" id="Footnote_57_57"></a><a href="#FNanchor_57_57"><span class="label">[57]</span></a> Brindis, dedication or pledge.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_58_58" id="Footnote_58_58"></a><a href="#FNanchor_58_58"><span class="label">[58]</span></a> Young bulls—up to about three years old.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_59_59" id="Footnote_59_59"></a><a href="#FNanchor_59_59"><span class="label">[59]</span></a> La verdad—full-grown bulls fought according to rules laid -down.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_60_60" id="Footnote_60_60"></a><a href="#FNanchor_60_60"><span class="label">[60]</span></a> A soldier of fortune of the Middle Ages.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_61_61" id="Footnote_61_61"></a><a href="#FNanchor_61_61"><span class="label">[61]</span></a> Quitar la mona—expression used when a torero cuts off his -pigtail or chignon and retires into private life.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_62_62" id="Footnote_62_62"></a><a href="#FNanchor_62_62"><span class="label">[62]</span></a> Toro formal—a bull who fulfils all the conditions -necessary for a large bull-fight, age, size, breed, temper, etc.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_63_63" id="Footnote_63_63"></a><a href="#FNanchor_63_63"><span class="label">[63]</span></a> Central courtyard of a Spanish house—which is always a -garden with fountain—and arched round like a cloister.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_64_64" id="Footnote_64_64"></a><a href="#FNanchor_64_64"><span class="label">[64]</span></a> Plucking the turkey—an expression used of Andalusian -lovers who spend the night at a window spooning.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_65_65" id="Footnote_65_65"></a><a href="#FNanchor_65_65"><span class="label">[65]</span></a> Lit.—recover the rent—something akin to paying the -footing.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_66_66" id="Footnote_66_66"></a><a href="#FNanchor_66_66"><span class="label">[66]</span></a> Uncle.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER III</h2> - -<p>During the winter months, when Gallardo was not at La Rinconada, a party -of his friends gathered every evening in his dining-room after supper.</p> - -<p>The first to arrive were always the saddler and his wife, two of whose -children lived in the espada's house. Carmen, as though she wished to -forget her own sterility, and felt the silence of the big house oppress -her, kept her sister-in-law's two youngest children with her. These -children, from natural affection and also probably by their parents' -express orders, were perpetually petting their beautiful aunt and their -generous and popular uncle, kissing them and purring on their knees like -kittens.</p> - -<p>Encarnacion, now almost as stout and heavy as her mother, her figure -deformed by the birth of her numerous children, while advancing years -were bringing a slight moustache to her upper lip, smiled cringingly at -her sister-in-law, apologizing for the trouble her children gave.</p> - -<p>But before Carmen could reply the saddler broke in:</p> - -<p>"Leave them alone, wife! They are so fond of their uncle and aunt! The -little girl especially, she cannot live without her 'titita'<a name="FNanchor_67_67" id="FNanchor_67_67"></a><a href="#Footnote_67_67" class="fnanchor">[67]</a> -Carmen."</p> - -<p>So the two children lived there as if it were their own house, guessing, -with their infantile cunning, what was expected of them by their -parents, exaggerating their caresses and pettings of those rich -relations, of whom they heard everyone speak with respect.</p> - -<p>As soon as supper was ended, they kissed the hands of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> Señora Angustias -and of their father and mother, threw their arms round the necks of -Gallardo and his wife, and then left the room to go to bed.</p> - -<p>The grandmother occupied an armchair at the head of the table. But when -the espada had guests—and they were all people of a certain social -position—she refused to take the place of honour, but Gallardo -insisted.</p> - -<p>"No," protested Gallardo, "the little mother must preside. Sit you down -there, mother, or we won't have any supper."</p> - -<p>Offering her his arm, he would conduct her to her chair, lavishing on -her the most affectionate caresses, as if he wished to make up for the -torments his vagabond youth had caused her.</p> - -<p>When El Nacional looked in during the evening for an hour, rather with -the feeling of fulfilling a duty towards his chief, the party became -more lively. Gallardo, wearing a rich zamorra,<a name="FNanchor_68_68" id="FNanchor_68_68"></a><a href="#Footnote_68_68" class="fnanchor">[68]</a> like a wealthy -landowner, his head bare, and the pig-tail smoothed forward almost to -his forehead, welcomed his banderillero with loquacious amiability. What -were the amateurs of "the sport" saying? What lies were they spreading? -How were the affairs of the Republic getting on?</p> - -<p>"Garabato, give Sebastian a glass of wine."</p> - -<p>But El Nacional refused the preferred civility. No wine, thanks, he -never drank. Wine was the cause of all the working classes being so -hopelessly behindhand. All the assembly burst out laughing, as if -something amusing had been said which they were expecting, and the -banderillero began at once to air his opinions.</p> - -<p>The only one who remained silent, with hostile eyes, was the saddler. He -hated El Nacional, seeing in him an enemy. He also, like a good and -faithful husband, was prolific, and a swarm of brats tumbled about the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> -tavern, hanging on to their mother's skirts. The two youngest were -godchildren of Gallardo and his wife, so that in this way there was a -sort of connection between the two. Hypocrite! Every Sunday he brought -the two children, dressed in their best to kiss the hands of their -godparents, and the saddler grew pale with anger whenever El Nacional's -children received any present. "He came to rob their own children. -Possibly the banderillero even dreamed that part of Gallardo's fortune -might come to those godchildren. Thief! A man who did not even belong to -the family!"...</p> - -<p>When the saddler did not receive El Nacional's discourses in sulky -silence or with looks of hatred, he endeavoured to mortify him by saying -that in his opinion every one who propagated revolutionary ideas among -the people was a danger to honest people and ought to be shot at once.</p> - -<p>El Nacional was ten years older than his chief. When the latter was -beginning to bait at the capeas, Sebastian was already banderillero in -recognized cuadrillas,<a name="FNanchor_69_69" id="FNanchor_69_69"></a><a href="#Footnote_69_69" class="fnanchor">[69]</a> and had lately returned from America, where -he had killed bulls in the Plaza at Lima. At the commencement of his -career he had enjoyed a certain amount of popularity because he was -young and agile. He also for some little time had figured as "the torero -of the future," and the amateurs of Seville, fixing their eyes on him, -hoped that he would have eclipsed the matadors from other towns. But -this lasted only a short time. On his return from his American journey -with the prestige of distant and possibly nebulous feats, all the -populace of Seville rushed to the Plaza to see him kill. Thousands of -people could not obtain admittance. But at this moment of decisive proof -"his heart failed him," as the amateurs said. He planted the banderillas -steadily as a serious<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> and conscientious worker fulfilling his duty, but -when it was a case of killing, the instinct of self-preservation, -stronger than his will, kept him at a distance from the bull, and he was -unable to take advantage of his great stature and his strong arm.</p> - -<p>El Nacional therefore renounced the higher glories of tauromachia, he -would be a banderillero and nothing more. He must resign himself to -being, as it were, a day labourer of his art, serving others younger -than himself, in order to earn the poor wages of peon, with which to -maintain his family, and save sufficient to start some small business. -His kindness and his honourable habits were proverbial among his -colleagues of the pig-tail, consequently his chief's wife was much -attached to him, seeing in him a kind of guardian angel of her husband's -fidelity. When in summer Gallardo, with all his men, went to a café -chantant in some provincial town, anxious to enjoy himself and have a -fling, El Nacional would stand silent and grave among the singers in -diaphanous dresses, with painted mouths, like some ancient Father of the -desert amid the Alexandrian courtezans.</p> - -<p>It was not that he felt shocked, but he thought of his wife and little -ones down in Seville. According to him all the defects and vices in the -world were the result of want of education, and most certainly those -poor women knew neither how to read nor write. It was also the case with -himself, and as he attributed his own insignificance and poverty of -brain to this deficiency, he attributed to the same cause all the misery -and degradation which exists in the world.</p> - -<p>In his early youth he had worked as a founder, and had been an active -member of the "International of Workmen." He had been an assiduous -listener to those of his fellow workmen, who, happier than himself, -could read aloud what was said in the papers devoted to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> welfare of -the people. During the time of the National Militia, he had played at -being a soldier, figuring in those battalions who wore a red cap in sign -of their federal "intransigeance." He had spent whole days in front of -those platforms erected in public places, or in those clubs which had -declared themselves in permanent sitting, where the orators succeeded -each other day and night, ranting with Andalusian facility on the -divinity of Jesus, or the rise in price of articles of the first -necessity, till the time for repression came, when a strike left him in -the trying position of being a workman marked for his revolutionary -opinions, and excluded from every workshop.</p> - -<p>Then as he was fond of bull-runs, he became torero at twenty-four, just -as he might have chosen any other line of life. Besides, he knew a great -deal and spoke with contempt of the absurdities of existing society. He -had not spent many years listening to papers being read in vain. However -bad a torero he might be, he would earn more, and would lead an easier -life than ever so skilled a workman. His friends, remembering the days -when he shouldered the musket of the National Militia, nicknamed him El -Nacional.</p> - -<p>He always spoke of the taurine profession with a kind of remorse, -apologising for belonging to it in spite of his many years' service. The -committee of his district who had decreed the expulsion from the party -of all their co-religionists who attended corridas, as being barbarous -and retrograde, had made an exception in his favour, keeping him on the -list of voters.</p> - -<p>"I am well aware," he would say in Gallardo's dining-room, "that -bull-fights are reactionary ... something akin to the days of the -Inquisition.... I do not know if I am explaining myself clearly. But to -read and write is quite as necessary to the people as to have bread, -and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> it is wrong that money should be spent on us, while schools are so -sadly wanted. That is what the papers that come from Madrid say. But my -co-religionists esteem me, and the committee after a lecture from Don -Joselito, kept me on the register of the party."</p> - -<p>His great gravity, that not even the jokes or the comic exaggerations of -fury on the part of the espada and his friends could shake, expressed an -honourable pride in this exceptional favour with which his -co-religionists had honoured him.</p> - -<p>Don Joselito, master of a primary school, verbose and enthusiastic, who -presided over the district committee, was a young man of Jewish origin, -who brought into political strife all the ardour of the Maccabees, and -was proud of his swarthy ugliness, pitted with smallpox, because he -thought it made him resemble Danton; El Nacional always listened to him -open-mouthed.</p> - -<p>When Don José and the maestro's other friends, after dinner, ironically -attacked El National's doctrines with all sorts of extravagant -arguments, the poor man would look confused, and scratching his head -would say:</p> - -<p>"You are gentlemen, and you have been educated, I know neither how to -read nor write, and that is why we of the lower orders are such -simpletons. Oh! if only Don Joselito were here!... By the life of the -blue dove! If only you could hear him when he starts speaking like an -angel!"...</p> - -<p>And in order to strengthen his faith, perhaps a little shaken by these -attacks of ridicule, he would go next day to see his idol, who seemed to -take a bitter pleasure, as a descendant of the great persecuted nation, -in showing him what he called his museum of horrors. This Jew, returned -to the natal country of his ancestors, had collected in a room attached -to the school souvenirs of the Inquisition, and with the meticulous -vindictiveness of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> a fugitive prisoner endeavoured to reconstruct hour -by hour the skeleton of his jailor. There on the shelves of a cupboard -were rows of books and parchments, accounts of autos da fe and lists of -questions wherewith to interrogate the criminals during their torture. -On one wall was hung a white banner with the dreaded green cross, and in -the corner were piles of torturing irons, fearful scourges, every -instrument that Don Joselito could pick up on the hucksters' stalls that -had been used to split, to tear with pincers, or to shred, which was -catalogued immediately as an ancient possession of the Holy Office.</p> - -<p>El Nacional's good-heartedness, and his simple soul, quick to feel -indignation, rose up against those rusty irons and those green crosses.</p> - -<p>"Good heavens!... And there are people who say.... By the life of the -dove!... I wish I had some of them here."</p> - -<p>The desire of proselytism made him air his convictions on every -occasion, regardless of his companion's jests, but even in this he -showed himself kind-hearted, as he was never personally bitter. -According to him, those who remained indifferent to the fate of the -country and did not figure on the party register, were "poor victims of -the national ignorance." The salvation of the people depended on their -learning to read and write. For his own part he was obliged modestly to -renounce this regeneration, as he felt himself too thick skulled; but he -made the whole world responsible for his ignorance.</p> - -<p>Very often in summer, when the cuadrilla was travelling from one -province to another, and Gallardo changed into the second-class carriage -where "his lads" were travelling, the door would open and some country -priest or a couple of friars would enter.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p><p>The banderilleros would nudge each others' elbows and wink as they -looked at El Nacional, become even more grave and solemn than usual in -presence of the enemy. The picadors, Potaje and Tragabuches, rough and -aggressive fellows, fond of quarrels and practical jokes, who besides -had an instinctive dislike to the cassocks, egged him on in a low voice.</p> - -<p>"Now you have got him!... Go in at him straight!... Give him one in the -eye in your own fashion."...</p> - -<p>But the maestro, with his authority as chief of the cuadrilla, which no -one dare to contest or discuss, rolled his eyes fiercely as he looked at -El Nacional, who was obliged to observe a silent obedience. But the zeal -of proselytism was stronger in this simple soul than his subordination, -and one insignificant word was sufficient to start him on a discussion -with his fellow travellers, trying to convince them of the truth. But -indeed the truth, according to him, seemed an inextricable and tangled -skein of ranting that he had gathered from Don Joselito.</p> - -<p>His companions looked on with astonishment, delighted that one of their -own set could make head against educated men, and even put them in a -corner, which by the way might not be very difficult, as the Spanish -clergy, as a rule, are not highly educated.</p> - -<p>The priests, bewildered by El Nacional's fiery arguments and the -laughter of the other toreros, ended by appealing to their final -argument. How could men who exposed their lives so frequently not think -of God, and believe such things! Did they not think that at that very -time their wives and their mothers were most probably praying for them?</p> - -<p>The cuadrilla became suddenly silent, a silence of fear, as they thought -of the holy medals and scapularies<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> that their women's hands had sewn -into their fighting clothes before they left Seville. The espada, -wounded in his slumbering superstitions, was furious with El Nacional, -as if the banderillero's impiety would place his own life in danger.</p> - -<p>"Shut up, and stop your blasphemies!... Your pardon, Sirs, I pray you. -He is a good fellow, but his head has been turned by all these lies.... -Shut up, and don't answer me! Curse you!... I will fill your mouth -with...."</p> - -<p>And Gallardo, to appease those gentlemen whom he considered as -depositaries of the future, overwhelmed the banderillero with threats -and curses.</p> - -<p>El Nacional took refuge in a contemptuous silence. "It was all ignorance -and superstition, all from not knowing how to read and write." And -strong in his faith, with the obstinacy of a simple man who only -possesses two or three ideas and clutches hold of them in the face of -the roughest shocks, he would shortly afterwards renew the discussion -regardless of the matador's anger.</p> - -<p>His anti-clericalism did not leave him even in the circus among those -peons and picadors, who having said their prayer in the chapel, entered -the arena, in the hope that the sacred scapularies sewn into their -clothes would guard them from danger.</p> - -<p>When an enormous bull, "of many pounds,"<a name="FNanchor_70_70" id="FNanchor_70_70"></a><a href="#Footnote_70_70" class="fnanchor">[70]</a> as it is called, with a -powerful neck and a black coat arrived at the "turn" of the -banderilleros, El Nacional, with his arms open and the darts in his -hand, would stand a short distance from the animal, shouting -insultingly,—</p> - -<p>"Come along, priest!"</p> - -<p>The "priest" threw himself furiously on El Nacional, who fixed the darts -firmly in his neck as he rushed past, shouting loudly as if he were -proclaiming a victory.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span></p><p>One for the clergy!</p> - -<p>Gallardo ended by laughing at El Nacional's extravagances.</p> - -<p>"You are making me ridiculous. People will notice my cuadrilla, and say -we are nothing but a band of heretics. You know there are some audiences -whom this might not please. A torero ought to be nothing but a torero."</p> - -<p>All the same he was greatly attached to his banderillero, remembering -his devotion, which more than once had reached the point of -self-sacrifice. It signified nothing to El Nacional that he should be -hissed, when he stuck the banderillos into a dangerous bull anyhow, so -as to end the matter more quickly. He did not care for glory, and he -only fought to earn his livelihood. But once Gallardo advanced rapier in -hand towards a savage animal, his banderillero remained close by his -side, ready to assist him with his heavy cloak and his strong arm which -obliged the brute to lower his poll. On two occasions, when Gallardo had -been rolled over in the arena, and was in danger of being gored by the -horns, El Nacional had thrown himself on the beast, forgetful of his -children, his wife, the tavern, everything, intending to die himself in -order to save his master.</p> - -<p>On his entry into Gallardo's dining-room in the evenings he was received -like a member of the family. The Señora Angustias felt that affection -for him so often existing between people of a lower class, when they -find themselves in a higher atmosphere, and which draws them together.</p> - -<p>"Come and sit by me, Sebastian. Won't you really take anything? ... tell -me how the establishment is getting on. Teresa and the children well, I -hope?"</p> - -<p>Then El Nacional would enumerate the sales of the previous day; so many -glasses of wine over the counter,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> so many bottles of country wine -delivered at houses, and the old woman listened with the attention of -one used to poverty and who knows the value of money to the very last -farthing.</p> - -<p>Sebastian spoke of the possibility of increasing his trade. A "bureau de -tabac"<a name="FNanchor_71_71" id="FNanchor_71_71"></a><a href="#Footnote_71_71" class="fnanchor">[71]</a> in his tavern would suit him down to the ground. The espada -could get him this, through his friendship with great people, but -Sebastian felt scruples at asking such a favour.</p> - -<p>"You see, Seña Angustias, the bureau is a thing that depends on the -Government, and I have my principles. I figure on the register of my -party and am also on the committee. What would my co-religionists say?"</p> - -<p>The old woman was indignant at these scruples. What he had to do was to -bring as much bread into the family as he could. That poor Teresa! with -such a lot of children!</p> - -<p>"Don't be foolish, Sebastian, get all these cobwebs out of your -brain.... Now don't answer me. Don't start telling me all sorts of -impieties like the other night; remember I am going to hear Mass at La -Macarena to-morrow morning."</p> - -<p>But Gallardo and Don José, who were smoking the other side of the table, -with a glass of cognac within reach of their hands, and who delighted in -making El Nacional talk so that they could laugh at his ideas, egged him -on by depreciating Don Joselito: an imposter who upset ignorant men like -him.</p> - -<p>The banderillero received his master's jokes meekly enough. To doubt Don -Joselito! Such a patent absurdity could not make him angry. It was as -though some one was hitting at his other idol Gallardo, by saying he did -not know how to kill a bull.</p> - -<p>But when he heard the saddler, who inspired him with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> an unconquerable -aversion, take part in these jests, he lost his calm. Who was that -scamp, living by hanging on to his master, that he should dare to argue -with him? With him!... And then losing all restraint, taking no notice -of the espada's wife and mother, or of Encarnacion, who, imitating her -husband, pursed up her mustachioed lip, looking contemptuously at the -banderillero, the latter launched himself full sail on the exposition of -his ideas, with the same ardour as when he discussed in committee.</p> - -<p>For want of better arguments he overwhelmed the beliefs of others with -insults.</p> - -<p>"The Bible?... Rubbish!<a name="FNanchor_72_72" id="FNanchor_72_72"></a><a href="#Footnote_72_72" class="fnanchor">[72]</a> The creation of the world in six days.... -Rubbish!... The story of Adam and Eve? Rubbish!... The whole of it lies -and superstition."</p> - -<p>And this word rubbish, that he employed, in order not to use one even -more disrespectful, and that he applied to everything which seemed to -him false and ridiculous, took on his lips an astonishing intensity of -contempt.</p> - -<p>The history of Adam and Eve was for him the subject of never-ending -sarcasm; he had reflected much on this point during the hours of quiet -drowsiness, when he was travelling with the cuadrilla, during which time -he had discovered an irrefutable argument, drawn entirely from his own -inner consciousness. "How could it be thought that all human beings were -descended from one only pair?"</p> - -<p>"I call myself Sebastian Venegas, and so it is; and you, Juaniyo, you -call yourself Gallardo; and you, Don José, have also your own name; -every one has his own, and when the names are the same people must be -relations. If then we were all grandchildren of Adam, and Adam's name -was—we will suppose—Perez, we should<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> all be named Perez. That is -quite clear?... Well then if we all have our family names, there must -have been a great many Adams, and so what the priests tell us is all ... -rubbish—retrograde superstition! It is education we want, and the -clergy take advantage of our ignorance.... I think I am explaining -myself!"</p> - -<p>Gallardo, throwing himself back in his chair, screaming with laughter, -greeted the orator with a hurrah, which imitated the bellowing of a -bull—while the manager, with Andalusian gravity, stretched out his hand -congratulating him,—</p> - -<p>"Here, shake it! You have been very good! as good as Castelar!"</p> - -<p>The Señora Angustias was extremely angry at hearing such things in her -house, feeling that as an old woman she must be drawing near to the end -of her life.</p> - -<p>"Shut up, Sebastian. Shut up your infernal mouth, cursed one! or I shall -turn you out of doors. If I did not know that you are an honest man!"</p> - -<p>However, she soon forgave the banderillero, when she thought of his -affection for Juan, and remembered how he had acted in moments of -danger. Besides, it was a great comfort to her and to Carmen, that so -serious and right-minded a man should belong to the cuadrilla with the -other "lads," for the espada, left to himself, was extremely light of -character, and easily drawn away by his desire for admiration from -women.</p> - -<p>The enemy of Adam and Eve held a secret of his master's, which made him -reserved and grave, when he saw him in his own house, between his mother -and Carmen. If those women only knew what he knew!</p> - -<p>In spite of the respect that every banderillero ought to pay his master, -El Nacional had one day ventured to speak to Gallardo, taking advantage -of his seniority in years, and of their very old friendship.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span></p><p>"Listen to me, Juaniyo. All Seville knows about it! Nothing else is -spoken of, and the news will get to your house and cause a ruction that -will singe the good God's hair!... Just think—the Señora Angustias will -put on a face like the Mater Dolorosa, and poor Carmen will get in a -rage. Remember the row about that singer, and that was nothing to -this.... This bicho<a name="FNanchor_73_73" id="FNanchor_73_73"></a><a href="#Footnote_73_73" class="fnanchor">[73]</a> is far more dangerous, so beware."</p> - -<p>Gallardo pretended not to understand, feeling annoyed but flattered at -the same time that all Seville should be aware of the secret of his -amours.</p> - -<p>"But who is this 'bicho?' What are these rows you speak of?"</p> - -<p>"Who should it be! Doña Sol; that great lady who gives every one so much -cause for gossip. The niece of the Marquis de Moraima, the breeder."</p> - -<p>And as the espada remained silent but smiling, delighted to find El -Nacional so well informed, the latter went on like a preacher, -disillusioned of the vanities of life.</p> - -<p>"A married man ought to seek, before everything else, the peace of his -household.... All women are just the same.... Rubbish. One is worth just -as much as the other, and it is a folly to embitter your life by flying -from one to another.... Your servant, for the twenty-five years he has -lived with his Teresa, has never deceived her once even in thought, and -yet I, too, am a torero, and have had my good times and many a girl has -cast sheep's eyes at me."</p> - -<p>Gallardo laughed outright at the banderillero's lecture. He really spoke -like the prior of a convent. And yet it was he who wished to gobble up -all the friars alive!... "Nacional, don't be an idiot! Every one is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> as -he is, and if the women come to us, well then, let them come. One lives -so short a time! And possibly some day I may be carried out of the -circus feet foremost.... Besides, you do not know what a great lady is! -If only you could see that woman!"...</p> - -<p>Presently he added ingenuously as though he wished to disperse the sad -and shocked look on El Nacional's face:</p> - -<p>"I love Carmen dearly, you know it; I love her as much as ever. But I -love the other one too. It is quite another thing.... I cannot explain -it. It is quite another thing, and that is all."</p> - -<p>And the banderillero could get no more out of his interview with -Gallardo.</p> - -<p>Months before, as the end of the bull-fighting season was approaching -with the autumn, Gallardo had had an accidental encounter in the church -of San Lorenzo.</p> - -<p>He rested a few days in Seville before going to La Rinconada with his -family. When this quiet time came round, nothing pleased him better than -to live quietly in his own house, free from those perpetual journeys in -the train. Killing more than a hundred bulls a year, with all the -dangers and exertions of the fight, did not fatigue him half so much as -those journeys lasting so many months from one Plaza to another all over -Spain.</p> - -<p>Those long journeys in full summer, under a burning sun, over scorched -plains, in old carriages of which the roofs seemed on fire were most -exhausting. The large water jar belonging to the cuadrilla which was -filled at every station, utterly failed to quench their thirst. Besides, -the trains were crowded with passengers, country people going to the -towns to enjoy the fairs and see the corridas. Many a time Gallardo, -after killing his last bull in a Plaza, fearing to lose his train, and -still dressed in his gala costume, had rushed down to the station like<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> -a flash of gold and colours, through the crowds of travellers and piles -of luggage. Often he had changed his clothes in the carriage under the -eyes of his fellow passengers, pleased at travelling with such a -celebrity, and had spent a restless night on the cushions, while the -others squeezed themselves together to give him as much room as -possible. These people respected his fatigue, thinking that on the -morrow this man would give them the pleasure of a perhaps tragic -emotion, without the slightest danger to themselves.</p> - -<p>When he arrived wearied out at a town en fête, the streets decorated -with flags and triumphal arches, he had to endure all the torment of -enthusiastic admiration. The amateurs, bewitched by his name, met him at -the station and accompanied him to the hotel. These light-hearted people -who had slept well, and who mobbed him, expected to find him expansive -and loquacious, as if the very fact alone of seeing them, must cause him -the greatest of pleasures.</p> - -<p>Many times there was not only one bull-run. He had to fight on three or -four successive days, and the espada, when night came, exhausted by -fatigue, by want of sleep, and recent emotions, would throw -conventionalities overboard, and sit in his shirt sleeves in front of -his hotel, to enjoy the cool. The "lads" of the cuadrilla who were -lodged in the same hotel remained near their master like schoolboys in -durance vile. Sometimes the boldest spirit would beg leave to take a -turn through the illuminated streets and the fair.</p> - -<p>"To-morrow there are Muira bulls," said the espada. "I know what these -turns mean. You will come back at dawn to-morrow, having taken a few -glasses too much, or done something else which will impair your vigour. -No, no one goes out; you shall have your fill when we have done."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p><p>When their work was ended, if they had a free day before going on to -the next corrida in another town, the cuadrilla would postpone their -journey, then they would indulge in dissolute merriment away from their -families, in company of the enthusiastic amateurs who imagined that this -was the usual way of life of their idols.</p> - -<p>The ill-arranged dates of the corridas obliged the espada to take -ridiculous journeys. He would go from one town to fight at the other end -of Spain, three or four days afterwards he would retrace his steps to -fight in a town close to the first, so that as the summer months were -most abundant in corridas, he virtually spent the whole of them in the -train, travelling in zigzags over every railway in the Peninsula, -killing bulls by day and sleeping in the trains.</p> - -<p>"If all my journeys in the summer were set in a straight line," said -Gallardo, "they would assuredly reach to the North Pole."</p> - -<p>At the beginning of the season he undertook those journeys gaily enough, -thinking of the audiences who had talked of him the whole year, and who -were impatiently expecting his arrival. He thought of the unexpected -acquaintances he might make, of the adventures that feminine curiosity -might bring him, of the life in different hotels, in which the -disturbances, the annoyances, and the diversity of meals made such a -contrast to his placid existence in Seville, or the mountainous solitude -of La Rinconada.</p> - -<p>But after a few weeks of this dizzy life, during which he earned five -thousand pesetas for each afternoon's work, Gallardo began to fret, like -a child away from his family.</p> - -<p>"Ay! for my house in Seville, so cool, and kept like a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> silver cup by -poor Carmen! Ay! for the mother's good stews! so delicious."...</p> - -<p>On his return home, to rest for the remainder of the year, Gallardo -experienced the satisfaction of a celebrated man, who, forgetful of his -honours, can give himself over to the enjoyment of everyday life.</p> - -<p>He would sleep late, free from the worry of railway time-tables, and the -anxiety of thinking about bulls. Nothing to do that day, nor the next, -nor the next! None of his journeys need be further than the Calle de las -Sierpes or the Plaza de San Fernando. The family, too, seemed quite -different, gayer and in better health, now they knew he was safe at home -for several months. He would go out with his felt hat well back, -swinging his gold-headed cane, and admiring the big diamonds on his -fingers.</p> - -<p>In the vestibule several men would be standing waiting for him close to -the wicket, through the ironwork of which could be seen the white and -luminous patio, so beautifully clean. Many of them were sun-burnt men, -reeking of perspiration, in dirty blouses and wide sombreros with ragged -edges. Some were agricultural labourers, moving or on a journey, who on -passing through Seville thought it the most natural thing to come and -ask for help from the famous matador, whom they called Don Juan. Some -were fellow townsmen who addressed him as "thou," and called him -Juaniyo.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, with his wonderful memory for faces, gained by constantly -mixing with crowds, would recognise them; they were school-fellows, or -companions of his vagabond childhood.</p> - -<p>"So, affairs are not going on well, eh? Times are hard for every one."</p> - -<p>And before this familiarity could tempt them to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>further intimacies, he -would turn to Garabato, who held the wicket open.</p> - -<p>"Go and tell the Señora to give each of them a couple of pesetas."</p> - -<p>And he went out into the street, pleased with his own generosity and the -beauty of life.</p> - -<p>At the tavern close by Montañe's children and his customers would come -to the door smiling with their eyes full of curiosity.</p> - -<p>"Good-day, gentlemen!... I thank you for your civility, but I do not -drink."</p> - -<p>And freeing himself from the enthusiast who came towards him glass in -hand, he walked on, being stopped in the next street by two old women, -friends of his mother's. They begged him to stand godfather to the -grandchild of one of them; her poor daughter might be confined at any -moment; but her son-in-law, a furious Gallardist, who had often come to -blows to defend his idol as he came out of the Plaza, had not dared to -ask him.</p> - -<p>"But, confound you! do you take me for a child's nurse? I have already -more godchildren than there are foundlings in the Hospital!"</p> - -<p>In order to get rid of the good ladies he advised them to go and talk it -over with his mother, "hear what she had to say about it"; and he walked -on, never stopping till he got to the Calle de las Sierpes, saluting -some, and allowing others to enjoy the honour of walking by his side, in -proud friendship, under the eyes of the passers-by.</p> - -<p>He looked in for a moment at the Club of the "Forty-Five," to see if his -manager were there; this was a very aristocratic club, and, as its name -indicated, limited as to numbers, in which nothing was talked of save -horses and bulls. It was composed of rich amateurs and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>breeders, among -whom figured as an oracle in the first rank, the Marquis de Moraima.</p> - -<p>During one of these walks on a Friday afternoon, Gallardo, who was going -towards the Calle de las Sierpes, felt a wish to enter the church of San -Lorenzo.</p> - -<p>In the little square were drawn up several sumptuous carriages. All the -best people in the town were going on that day to pray to the miraculous -image of our Father Jesus of Great Power. The ladies descended from -their carriages dressed in black, with rich mantillas, and several men -also went into the church, attracted by the feminine concourse.</p> - -<p>Gallardo also entered. For a torero ought to take advantage of every -opportunity to rub shoulders with people of high position. The son of -Señora Angustias felt a triumphant pride when wealthy men saluted him, -and elegant ladies murmured his name, indicating him with their eyes.</p> - -<p>Besides, he was a devotee of the Lord of Great Power. If he tolerated El -Nacional's opinions about God <i>or</i> Nature without being very much -shocked, it was because for him divinity was something vague and -undecided, something like the existence of a great lord against whom one -may hear every sort of evil-speaking calmly, because one only knows of -him by hearsay. But it was quite another affair with the "Virgin of -Hope" and "Jesus of Great Power"—he had known them since his childhood, -and these, no one should touch.</p> - -<p>His feelings as a rough fellow were touched by the theatrical agony of -Christ, with His cross on His back; the perspiring, agonized and livid -face, reminded him of some of his comrades whom he had seen lying in the -bull-ring infirmary. One must stand well with that powerful Lord; and he -recited fervently several paternosters, as he stood before the image, -the lights of whose wax<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> tapers were reflected like stars on the whites -of his Moorish eyes.</p> - -<p>A rustle among the women kneeling before him, distracted his attention, -greedy of supernatural interventions in his dangerous life.</p> - -<p>A lady was passing through the kneeling devotees and attracting their -attention; she was tall, slight, and of startling beauty, dressed in -light colours, with a dark hat covered with feathers, beneath which -flamed the shining gold of her hair.</p> - -<p>Gallardo recognized her. It was Doña Sol, the niece of the Marquis de -Moraima, the Ambassadress, as she was called in Seville. She passed -through the women, taking no notice of their curiosity, but pleased at -their glances and their murmured words, as if these were a natural -homage due to her wherever she appeared. The foreign elegance of her -dress and the enormous hat, stood out from among the dark mass of -mantillas. She knelt and bent her head for an instant in prayer, and -then her clear eyes of a greenish blue with golden lights wandered -tranquilly through the church as though she were in a theatre seeking -for friends among the audience. Her eyes seemed to smile when they -lighted on a friend, and pursuing their wanderings, they at last met -those of Gallardo fixed on her.</p> - -<p>The espada was not modest. Accustomed to see himself the object of -contemplation by thousands and thousands of eyes on the afternoon of a -corrida, he thought frankly that wherever he was all looks must -necessarily be directed towards himself. Many women, in confidential -hours, had told him of the emotion, the curiosity, and the desire, that -had seized them the first time they had seen him in the circus. Doña -Sol's eyes did not fall as they met those of the torero; on the -contrary, she continued to stare at him with the coldness of a great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> -lady, and it was the matador, always respectful to the rich, who at last -turned his eyes away.</p> - -<p>What a woman! thought he, with his vanity as a popular idol. Will that -gachi<a name="FNanchor_74_74" id="FNanchor_74_74"></a><a href="#Footnote_74_74" class="fnanchor">[74]</a> be for me?</p> - -<p>Outside the church, he felt it impossible to go away, and so as to see -her again he waited by the door. His heart told him something was -happening, as on the afternoons of his greatest successes. It was the -same mysterious heart-throb which made him disregard the protests of the -public, throwing himself daringly into the greatest risks, and always -with splendid results.</p> - -<p>When she in her turn came out, she looked at him again without surprise, -as if she had guessed he would be waiting for her at the door. She -mounted into her carriage, accompanied by two friends, and as the -coachman started the horses, she again turned her head to look at him, -and a slight smile passed over her lips.</p> - -<p>Gallardo felt preoccupied all the afternoon. He thought of his previous -amours, of the triumphs his proud bearing as a torero had given him, -conquests that had filled him with pride, making him think himself -invincible, but that now inspired him with shame. But a woman like this, -a great lady, who after travelling throughout Europe, now lived in -Seville like a queen! That would indeed be a conquest!... To his wonder -at Doña Sol's beauty, he added the instinctive respect of the former -vagabond, who in a country where birth and wealth have such great -prestige, had learned to worship the great from his cradle. If only he -could succeed in attracting the attention of such a woman! What greater -triumph could he have!</p> - -<p>His manager, a great friend of the Marquis de <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>Moraima and well in with -all the best sets in Seville, had sometimes spoken to him of Doña Sol.</p> - -<p>After an absence of some years, she had returned to Seville a few months -previously. After her long stay abroad she was enamoured of all the -habits and popular customs of the country, pronouncing them all very -interesting and very ... artistic. She went to the bull-fights in the -ancient maja costume, imitating the manners and dress of the graceful -ladies painted by Goya. She was a strong woman accustomed to all sports -and a great rider, and the people saw her galloping in the outskirts of -Seville in a dark riding habit, a red cravat, and a white felt hat -poised on the golden glory of her hair. Often too she carried the -garrocha<a name="FNanchor_75_75" id="FNanchor_75_75"></a><a href="#Footnote_75_75" class="fnanchor">[75]</a> across her saddle, and with a party of friends as picadors, -would ride out to the pastures to spear and overthrow bulls, delighting -in this rough sport, so full of danger.</p> - -<p>She was not a girl. Gallardo remembered dimly having seen her in her -childhood, in the gardens of Las Delicias, seated by the side of her -mother, a mass of white frills, while he, poor little wretch, ran -underneath the carriage wheels to pick up cigar ends. No doubt she was -the same age as himself, nearing the thirties; but how magnificent! How -different from all other women!</p> - -<p>Don José was well acquainted with her history.... A little off her head -that Doña Sol!... And her romantic name agreed well with the originality -of her character and the independence of her habits.</p> - -<p>On the death of her mother, she became possessed of a very good fortune. -She had married in Madrid a personage much older than herself who had as -Ambassador, represented Spain at the principal Courts of Europe, a -prospect which could not fail to be attractive to a woman anxious for -splendour and novelty.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span></p><p>"How that woman has amused herself, Juan!" said the manager. "How many -heads she has turned during the ten years she has travelled about -Europe. She must be really a book on geography, with secret notes on -every page. Certainly she must have a fine crop of memories about every -capital in Europe.... And the poor Ambassador! He died, no doubt, from -vexation, as there was nowhere left for him to go to. She flew very -high, too. The good gentleman would be sent to represent us at some -court or other, and before the year was out, the Queen or the Empress -would be writing home to beg for the removal of the Ambassador and his -seductive wife.... Oh! the crowned heads that gachi has turned!... -Queens trembled at her arrival. Finally, the poor Ambassador, finding no -place open to him except the American Republics—and as he was of good -principles and a friend of kings—died. And don't imagine for a moment -that she contented herself only with people living in royal palaces! if -all that is told of her be true!... Everything she does is most extreme, -everything or nothing. Sometimes fixing on the highest, sometimes on the -lowest in the land. I have been told that in Russia she ran after one of -those shaggy-haired fellows who throw bombs, who did not care much for -her because she disturbed his plots, because she followed him -everywhere, till at last his secret society strangled him. Afterwards -she appears to have taken up with a painter in Paris, but possibly these -may be exaggerations. However, it seems quite certain that she was great -friends with some musician in Germany who writes operas. If you could -only hear her play the piano! And when she sings! it is like one of the -sopranos who come to San Fernando's theatre at Eastertide. And she not -only sings in Italian, but in French, German, and English. Her uncle, -the Marquis de Moraima, who, between <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span>ourselves, is just a little rough, -says he even suspects she knows Latin!... What a woman, eh, Juanillo? -What an interesting woman!"</p> - -<p>Don José spoke of Doña Sol with admiration, thinking every act of her -life extraordinary and original, those that were certain as well as -those that were hazy.</p> - -<p>"In Seville," continued he, "she leads an exemplary life, for which -reason I think a great deal that has been said about her is untrue—the -calumnies of certain people who found the grapes were sour. She appears -to have fallen in love with Sevillian life, as though she had never seen -it before! with our warm sunny climate, with our picturesque customs.... -She has been made a member of the charitable brotherhood of the Cristo -de Triana and spends a fortune on Manzanilla for the brothers. Some -nights she fills her house with singers and dancers, who bring their -families and even their most distant relations; they all fill themselves -with olives, sausages and wine, and Doña Sol, seated in an arm-chair -like a queen, spends hours asking for dance after dance. Her servants -who have come with her, dressed in their liveries and as stiff and grave -as lords, hand round trays of wine and sweets to these dancers, who pull -their whiskers and throw the olive stones in their faces!... A most -proper and amusing diversion!... Now, Doña Sol receives every morning an -old gipsy called Lechuzo, who gives her lessons on the guitar...." and -so Don José rambled on, explaining to the matador all Doña Sol's -originalities.</p> - -<p>Four days after Gallardo had seen her in the church of San Lorenzo, the -manager came up to him in a café in the Calle de las Sierpes and said -mysteriously:</p> - -<p>"Gacho, you are the spoiled child of fortune! Who do you think has been -talking to me about you?"</p> - -<p>And putting his mouth close to the torero's ear, he murmured: "Doña -Sol!"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span></p><p>She had been questioning him about "his matador" and had expressed a -wish that he should be presented to her. He was such an original type! -So thoroughly Spanish!</p> - -<p>"She says she has several times seen you kill, once in Madrid, and in -other places which I forget. She has applauded you, and she knows that -you are very brave. Now see, if she took a fancy to you! What an honour! -You would be brother-in-law or something of the sort to all the kings in -Europe."</p> - -<p>Gallardo smiled modestly, dropping his eyes, but at the same time he -drew up his fine figure, as if he did not consider his manager's -hypothesis at all extraordinary or out of the way.</p> - -<p>"But all the same you must have no delusions, Juanillo," continued Don -José. "Doña Sol wants to see a torero close, just as she takes lessons -from old Lechuzo.... Local colour, and nothing more."</p> - -<p>"Bring him with you to Tablada the day after to-morrow," she said. "You -know what that is; a derribo<a name="FNanchor_76_76" id="FNanchor_76_76"></a><a href="#Footnote_76_76" class="fnanchor">[76]</a> of cattle at the Moraima breeding farm, -that the Marquis has arranged for his niece's amusement; we will go -together, for I also am invited."</p> - -<p>Two days afterwards, the maestro and his manager rode out in the -afternoon through the suburb de la Feria, dressed as "garrochistas," -amid the expectant crowd who had assembled at the gate or were loitering -in the streets.</p> - -<p>"They are going to Tablada," they said, "there is a 'derribo' of -cattle."</p> - -<p>Don José riding a bony white mare was in country dress; a rough coat, -cloth breeches with yellow gaiters, and over the breeches those leather -leggings called <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>"zajones." The espada had put on for this festivity the -bizarre costume that the ancient toreros used to wear, before modern -habits had made them dress like every one else. On his head he wore a -small round hat with turned up edges, made of rough velvet, fastened -under the chin by a strap. The collar of his shirt, which had no cravat, -was fastened by two diamonds, and two other larger ones flashed on his -goffered shirt frills. The jacket and waistcoat were of wine coloured -velvet with black tags and braidings. The sash was of crimson silk, the -tight-fitting breeches with dark embroideries showed off to advantage -the torero's muscular thighs, and were tied at the knees by black -garters with large ribbon bows. The gaiters were amber coloured, with -leather fringes hanging the whole length of the opening; his boots of -the same colour were almost hidden in the large Moorish stirrups, -leaving only the large silver spurs visible. On his saddle bow, above -the rich Jerez blanket whose coloured tassels danced right and left on -the horse's back was strapped a grey overcoat with black trimmings and a -scarlet lining.</p> - -<p>The two riders galloped along, carrying the "garrocha" of fine strong -wood, over their shoulders like a lance with a ball at the end to -protect the iron point. They received quite an ovation as they rode -through the suburb. Olé the brave men! And the women waved their hands.</p> - -<p>"May God go with you, fine fellow! Enjoy yourself Señor Juan!"</p> - -<p>They spurred their horses to leave behind the swarm of children running -after them. And the little streets with their blueish pavement and white -walls rang with the rhythm of the horses' hoofs.</p> - -<p>In the quiet street where Doña Sol lived, a street of aristocratic -houses, with curved ironwork gratings and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> large glazed balconies, they -found the other "garrochistas" who were waiting at the door, motionless -in their saddles and leaning on their lances. They were mostly young -men, relations or friends of Doña Sol's, who saluted the torero with -courteous amiability, pleased that he should be of the party. At last -the Marquis de Moraima came out of the house, and mounted his horse -immediately.</p> - -<p>"My niece will be down directly. Women, you know! ... they are never -ready."</p> - -<p>He said this with the sententious gravity with which he always spoke, as -if his words were oracles. He was a tall spare man, with large white -whiskers, but his eyes and mouth preserved an almost childlike -ingenuousness. Courteous and measured in his language, quick in his -gestures, seldom smiling, he was quite a great nobleman of the olden -days: Clad almost always in riding dress he hated town life, bored by -the social obligations that his rank imposed on him when he was in -Seville, longing to range the country with his farmers and herdsmen whom -he treated familiarly as comrades. He had almost forgotten how to write -from want of practice, but when anyone spoke to him of fighting bulls, -of the rearing of horses and bulls, or of agricultural work, his eyes -sparkled with determination, and you recognised at once the great -connoisseur.</p> - -<p>Some clouds passed over the sun, and the golden light faded from the -white walls of the street; some looked up at the sky, to the narrow -strip of blue visible between the two lines of roofs.</p> - -<p>"Do not be uneasy," said the Marquis gravely.... "As I came out of the -house I saw the wind blowing a piece of paper in a direction I know. It -will not rain."</p> - -<p>Every one seemed reassured. It could not rain, as the Marquis had said -it would not. He knew the weather<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> just as well as an old shepherd, and -there was no danger of his being mistaken.</p> - -<p>Then he came up to Gallardo.</p> - -<p>"This year I shall provide you with magnificent corridas. What bulls! We -shall see if you will kill them like good Christians. Last year, you -know, I was not at all pleased, the poor brutes deserved better."</p> - -<p>Doña Sol now appeared, raising with one hand her dark riding habit, -beneath which appeared her high grey leather riding boots. She wore a -man's shirt with a red cravat, a jacket and waistcoat of violet velvet, -and her small velvet Andalusian hat rested gracefully on her curling -hair.</p> - -<p>She mounted lightly, taking her garrocha from a servant. While she -saluted her friends, apologizing for having kept them waiting, her eyes -were watching Gallardo. Don José pricked on his horse to make the -presentation, but Doña Sol was beforehand with him, going up to the -torero.</p> - -<p>Gallardo felt perturbed by the lady's presence. What a woman! What would -she say to him?...</p> - -<p>He saw that she held out a delicate, scented hand, and in his -bewilderment he only knew that he seized and pressed it in the strong -grasp used to overthrowing bulls. But the hand, so white and pink, was -not crushed in the rough involuntary grip, which would have made another -cry out with pain, but after a strong clasp it disengaged itself easily.</p> - -<p>"I thank you much for having come. Delighted to know you."</p> - -<p>And Gallardo, in his flurry, feeling that he must answer something, -stammered as if he were speaking to an amateur:</p> - -<p>"Thanks; and the family, quite well?"</p> - -<p>A little ripple of laughter from Doña Sol was lost in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> the clatter of -the hoofs, in the noise of their first start. The lady put her horse to -a trot, and the cavalcade of riders followed her, Gallardo, unable to -get over his stupefaction, bringing up the rear, feeling dimly that he -had made a fool of himself.</p> - -<p>They galloped through the outskirts of Seville alongside the river -leaving the Torre Del Oro<a name="FNanchor_77_77" id="FNanchor_77_77"></a><a href="#Footnote_77_77" class="fnanchor">[77]</a> behind them and then on through the shady -gardens strewn with yellow sand, till they reached a road bordered on -either side by small taverns and eating-houses.</p> - -<p>When they arrived at Tablada, they saw on the green plain a large -concourse of people and carriages drawn up close to the palisades which -separated the meadow from the animals' enclosure.</p> - -<p>The broad stream of the Guadalquivir rolled along the edge of the -pasture; on the opposite side rose the hill of San Juan de Aznalfarache, -crowned by its ruined castle, and many white country houses peeped out -from among the silver grey of the olive trees. On the opposite side of -the wide horizon, on which a few woolly clouds were floating, lay -Seville, the line of its houses dominated by the imposing mass of the -Cathedral, and the marvellous Giralda, dyed a tender pink in the evening -light.</p> - -<p>The riders advanced with no little trouble among the moving crowd. The -curiosity inspired by Doña Sol's originalities had attracted all the -ladies of Seville. Her friends saluted her as she passed their -carriages, thinking she looked very beautiful in her manly dress. Her -relations, the Marquis's daughters, some unmarried, others accompanied -by their husbands, recommended prudence.</p> - -<p>"For God's sake, Sol! do not risk anything"....</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span></p><p>The "derribadores" entered into the enclosure, being greeted as they -went through the palings by the shouts of the populace, who had come to -see the sport.</p> - -<p>The horses, seeing their enemies and sniffing them from afar, began to -prance, neighing and kicking beneath the firm hands of their riders.</p> - -<p>The bulls were in the centre in a group, some were quietly grazing, -while others lay sleepily ruminating on the grass which was a little -rusted by the winter; others, wilder, trotted towards the river, the old -oxen, the prudent "cabestros"<a name="FNanchor_78_78" id="FNanchor_78_78"></a><a href="#Footnote_78_78" class="fnanchor">[78]</a> immediately starting in pursuit, the -big bells round their necks ringing, while the cowherds assisted them in -collecting the stragglers by slinging stones which struck the tips of -the fugitives' horns.</p> - -<p>The riders remained a long time motionless, holding a council under the -impatient eyes of the crowd who were longing for something exciting.</p> - -<p>The first to ride out was the Marquis accompanied by one of his friends; -the two galloped towards the group of bulls, and when within a short -distance stopped their horses, standing up in their stirrups, waving -their "garrochas" and shouting loudly to frighten them. A black bull -with powerful thighs detached himself from the rest, trotting to the -further end of the enclosure.</p> - -<p>The Marquis had every right to be proud of his herd, composed entirely -of fine animals, carefully selected from judicious crossing. They were -not animals destined only for the production of meat, with rough and -dirty coats, big hoofs, hanging heads, and large and ill-placed horns. -They were animals of nervous vivacity, strong and robust, making the -ground shake as they went along raising clouds of dust under their -hoofs. Their coats were fine and shining like well-groomed horses, their -eyes fiery, the neck broad and proudly carried, their legs<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> short, their -tails long and fine, their horns well shaped, sharp and polished as if -by hand, and their hoofs short, small and round, but hard enough to cut -the grass like a steel.</p> - -<p>The two riders galloped after the animal, attacking him from either -side, barring his way as he tried to make for the river, till the -Marquis, spurring his horse, gained on him, and, nearing the bull with -his garrocha in front of him, drove the iron on to his croup, the -combined impetus of the horse and the rider's arm causing him to lose -his balance, and roll over on the ground belly upwards, his horns stuck -in the ground and his four legs in the air.</p> - -<p>The rapidity and ease with which the breeder had accomplished this feat, -raised shouts of delight from the other side of the paling. Olé for the -old men!... No one understood bulls like the Marquis. He managed them as -if they were his own children, tending them from the day they were born, -till the day they entered the Plazas to die like heroes worthy of a -better fate.</p> - -<p>Immediately other riders wished to go out, and gain the applause of the -crowd, but the Marquis stopped them, giving the preference to his niece. -If she wished to accomplish a "derribo" she had better go out at once, -before the herd got infuriated with the constant attacks.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol spurred her horse, which did not cease rearing, frightened by -the bulls. The Marquis wished to accompany her, but she refused his -escort. No, she preferred having Gallardo, who was a torero. Where was -Gallardo? The matador, still ashamed of his awkwardness, rode up to the -lady's side in silence.</p> - -<p>The two galloped towards the herd, Doña Sol's horse reared up -frequently, refusing to go on, but the strength of the rider forced him -to advance; Gallardo waved his garrocha, giving shouts that were really -bellowings, just<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> as he did in the Plazas when he wished to excite the -animal to attack him.</p> - -<p>It was not difficult to make one animal come out from the rest; a huge -white bull with red spots, an enormous neck and hanging brisket, with -horns of the finest point, soon detached himself. He trotted to the -further end of the enclosure as if he had there his "querencia,"<a name="FNanchor_79_79" id="FNanchor_79_79"></a><a href="#Footnote_79_79" class="fnanchor">[79]</a> -which irresistibly attracted him; Doña Sol galloped after him, followed -by the espada.</p> - -<p>"Take care, Señora!" shouted Gallardo. "This is an old and malicious -bull, he is drawing you on ... take care he does not turn short."</p> - -<p>And so it was. When Doña Sol prepared to make the same stroke as her -uncle, turning her horse obliquely to the bull so as to plant the -garrocha well on his tail and overthrow him, the brute suddenly turned -as if realizing his danger, planting himself menacingly in front of his -attackers. The horse rushed in front of the bull, Doña Sol being unable -to stop him from the impetus of his wild career, and the bull pursued, -the chaser becoming the chased.</p> - -<p>The lady had no thought of flight. Thousands of people were watching her -from afar, she dreaded the laughter of her friends and the pity of the -men, and succeeded at last in checking her horse, and fronting the bull. -She held her garrocha under her arm like a picador, and drove it into -the bull's neck as it rushed forward bellowing with lowered head. Its -enormous poll was covered with a stream of blood, but it rushed on with -an overwhelming impetus, not seeming to care for the wound, till it -drove its horns under the horse's belly, shaking it, and lifting it off -the ground.</p> - -<p>The rider was thrown out of her saddle, while a wild cry of horror went -up from the palisades; the horse,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> freed from the horns, rushed on -madly, its belly stained with blood, the girths broken and the saddle -flapping on its loins.</p> - -<p>The bull turned to follow it, but at the same moment something nearer -attracted its attention. It was Doña Sol who, instead of remaining -motionless on the grass, stood up, picking up her garrocha, and putting -it bravely in rest under her arm to confront the brute afresh. It was a -mad display of courage, but she thought of those who were watching her; -a challenge to death certainly, but far better than compounding with -fear and incurring ridicule.</p> - -<p>No one shouted from the palisade. The crowd were motionless in terrified -silence. The groups of cavaliers were approaching at a mad gallop, but -their help would come too late, the bull was already pawing the ground -with its forefeet, and lowering his head, to attack that slight figure -threatening him with her lance. One simple blow of those horns and all -would be over. But at that instant a ferocious bellowing drew the bull's -attention and something red passed before his eyes like a flame of fire.</p> - -<p>It was Gallardo, who had thrown himself off his horse, dropping his -lance, to seize the overcoat strapped on to his saddle bow.</p> - -<p>"Eeee! Entra!"<a name="FNanchor_80_80" id="FNanchor_80_80"></a><a href="#Footnote_80_80" class="fnanchor">[80]</a>.</p> - -<p>And the bull attacked, running after the red lining of the jacket, -attracted by this adversary so worthy of him, turning his hind quarters -to the figure in the black riding skirt and violet jacket, who still -stood stupefied by the danger, with her lance under her arm.</p> - -<p>"Do not be afraid, Doña Sol, he is mine," said the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> torero, pale with -emotion, but smiling, sure of his dexterity.</p> - -<p>With no other defence but his jacket, he baited the brute, drawing it -away from the lady, and avoiding its furious attacks by graceful -bendings.</p> - -<p>The crowd, forgetting their previous fright, began to applaud -tremendously. What a joy! To have come to see a simple "derribo" and to -see gratuitously an almost regular corrida, with Gallardo fighting!</p> - -<p>The torero, warmed by the impetuosity of the bull's attack, forgot Doña -Sol and everything else, intent only on slipping away from his attacks. -The bull turned again and again, furious at seeing this invulnerable man -slipping away from between his horns, and constantly meeting the red -lining of the coat instead.</p> - -<p>At last he was wearied out, and stood motionless with his head low, and -his muzzle covered with foam; then Gallardo, taking advantage of the -brute's bewilderment, took off his hat and laid it between the horns. An -immense howl of delight arose from the palisade, greeting this exploit.</p> - -<p>Then shouts and bells rang out behind Gallardo, and a crowd of herdsmen -and bell oxen surrounded the brute, and slowly enticed him towards the -main body of the herd.</p> - -<p>Gallardo went in search of his horse, who, accustomed to being near -bulls, had not moved, picked up his garrocha, mounted and then cantered -slowly towards the palisade; prolonging in this way the noisy rounds of -applause from the populace.</p> - -<p>The riders who had escorted Doña Sol greeted the espada with the -greatest display of enthusiasm, his manager winked at him and then -whispered mysteriously:</p> - -<p>"Gacho, you have not been behindhand. Very good: extremely good! Now I -tell you she is yours."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span></p><p>Outside the palisade, Doña Sol was sitting in a landau, with the -Marquis's daughters. Her terrified cousins felt her all over, determined -to find something put out of joint by her fall. They offered her glasses -of Manzanilla to get over her fright, but she, smiling vaguely, received -these evidences of feminine concern with contemptuous indifference.</p> - -<p>As she saw Gallardo pushing his horse through the ranks of people, -between waving hats and outstretched hands, she smiled cordially.</p> - -<p>"Come here to me, Cid Campeador!<a name="FNanchor_81_81" id="FNanchor_81_81"></a><a href="#Footnote_81_81" class="fnanchor">[81]</a> Give me your hand."</p> - -<p>And once again their right hands met, in a long, vigorous clasp.</p> - -<p>That evening the affair of which all Seville was talking, was also much -canvassed in the matador's house. The Señora Angustias was beaming as -after a great corrida. Her son saving one of those great ladies, whom -she, accustomed to years of servitude, had always looked upon with such -deference and admiration! but Carmen remained silent, not knowing quite -what to think of the occurrence.</p> - -<p>Many days passed without Gallardo having any news of Doña Sol. His -manager was out of town, at a hunting party with some of his friends of -the "Forty-Five." But one evening Don José went to seek his matador at a -café in the Calle de las Sierpes, where many amateurs of "the sport" -gathered. He had only returned a couple of hours previously from the -hunting party, and had gone at once to Doña Sol's house, in consequence -of a note which he had found waiting for him.</p> - -<p>"God bless me, man! you are worse than a wolf!" said the manager, -marching his man out of the café. "The lady expected you at her house. -She has stayed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> at home evening after evening thinking you might come at -any moment. Such things are not done. After being presented, and after -what happened you owed her a visit, were it only to enquire after her -health."</p> - -<p>The espada stopped, scratching his head under his felt hat.</p> - -<p>"It is," he murmured uneasily ... "it is ... well I must say it out.... -It frightens me.... Now, Señor, it is said.... Yes, it frightens me. You -know well enough I am no laggard, that I can carry on with most women, -and say a few words to a 'gachi' as well as anyone else. But this -one—no. She is a lady who knows more than Lepe,<a name="FNanchor_82_82" id="FNanchor_82_82"></a><a href="#Footnote_82_82" class="fnanchor">[82]</a> and when I see her -I feel I am an ignorant brute, and keep my mouth shut, as I cannot speak -without putting my foot in it. No, Don José.... I am not going. I ought -not to go!"</p> - -<p>But Don José ended by over persuading him, and finally carried him off -to Doña Sol's house, talking as he went of his interview with that lady. -She seemed rather offended at Gallardo's neglect. All the best people in -Seville had been to see her after her accident, except himself.</p> - -<p>"You know that a torero ought to stand well with people of good -position. It is only a matter of having a little education and showing -that you are not a cowherd brought up in a stable. Just think. A great -lady like that to distinguish you and expect you!... Stuff and nonsense, -I shall go with you."</p> - -<p>"Ah! if you go with me!"</p> - -<p>And Gallardo breathed again, as if freed from the weight of a great -fear.</p> - -<p>The "patio" of Doña Sol's house was in Moorish style, the delicate work -of its coloured arches making one think of the Alhambra. The ripple of a -fountain, in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> whose basin gold fish were swimming, murmured gently in -the evening silence. In the four galleries with ceilings of inlaid -Moorish work,<a name="FNanchor_83_83" id="FNanchor_83_83"></a><a href="#Footnote_83_83" class="fnanchor">[83]</a> which were divided from the patio by marble pillars, -he saw ancient carved panels, dark pictures of saints with livid faces, -ancient furniture with rusty iron mountings, so riddled with worm holes, -that they looked as if they had had a charge of shot.</p> - -<p>A servant shewed them up the wide marble staircase, and there again the -torero was surprised to see retablos with dark figures on gold grounds, -massive virgins, who looked as if they had been cut out with a hatchet, -painted in faded colours and dull gilding; tapestries of soft dead leaf -colour, framed in borders of fruit and flowers, of which one represented -scenes of Calvary, while the other represented hairy, horned, and -cloven-footed satyrs, whom lightly-clad nymphs seemed to be fighting -like bulls.</p> - -<p>"See what ignorance is!" said the matador to Don José. "I thought that -sort of thing was only good for convents! But it seems that these people -also value them."...</p> - -<p>Upstairs, the electric lamps were lighted as they passed, while the -sunset splendours still shone through the windows.</p> - -<p>Gallardo experienced fresh surprises. He, so proud of his furniture -bought in Madrid, all quilted with bright silks, heavily and richly -carved, which seemed to cry out the amount they had cost, could not get -over seeing light and fragile chairs, white or green; tables and -cupboards of simple outline, walls of one colour, with only a few -pictures wide apart hanging by thick cords—a luxury of which the -beautiful polish seemed due only to the finish of the carpenters' work. -He was ashamed of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> his own surprise, and at what he had admired in his -own house as supreme luxury. "See what ignorance is!" And he sat down -with fear, dreading that the chair would break under his weight.</p> - -<p>The entrance of Doña Sol disturbed his reflections. He saw her, as he -had never seen her before, without either hat or mantilla, her head -crowned by that shimmering hair which seemed to justify her romantic -name. Her beautiful white arms showed through the hanging silk sleeves -of a Japanese tunic, which also left uncovered the curve of her -beautiful neck, marked by the two lines called Venus' necklace. As she -moved her hands, stones of all colours, set in curiously shaped rings -which covered her fingers, flashed brilliantly. On her delicate wrists -gold bracelets tinkled, one of Oriental filigree worked with some -mysterious inscription, the others heavy and massive to which were hung -various small charms and amulets, souvenirs of foreign travel. When she -sat down to talk she crossed her legs with masculine freedom, balancing -on her toe a small red golden-heeled papouche, like an embroidered toy.</p> - -<p>Gallardo's ears were buzzing, his eyes were dim, he could scarcely -distinguish the two clear eyes fixed on him with an expression at once -caressing and ironical. To conceal his emotion he smiled, showing his -teeth—the stiff stereotyped smile of a child who wishes to be amiable.</p> - -<p>"No indeed, Señora!... Many thanks.... It is not worth the trouble," was -all he could stammer to Doña Sol's grateful acknowledgment of his -exploit the other evening.</p> - -<p>Little by little Gallardo recovered his calm, and as the lady and his -manager began to speak of bulls he at last gained confidence. She had -seen him kill several times, and remembered the principal incidents -with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> great exactitude. He felt proud to think this woman watched him at -such moments, and had kept the remembrance fresh in her memory.</p> - -<p>She had opened a lacquered box decorated with strange flowers and -offered the two men gold-tipped cigarettes which exhaled a strange and -pungent scent.</p> - -<p>"They have opium in them," she said, "they are very nice."</p> - -<p>She lighted one herself, and with her greenish eyes which in the light -seemed like liquid gold, she followed the waving spirals of smoke.</p> - -<p>The torero, accustomed to strong Havanas, inhaled the smoke of this -cigarette with curiosity. Nothing but straw—a thing to please ladies. -But the strange perfume spread by the smoke seemed slowly to dissipate -his timidity.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol, fixing her eyes on him, questioned him about his life. She -wanted to be behind the scenes of glory, to know the inner lining of -celebrity, the miserable and wandering life of a torero who has not yet -succeeded in gaining the good will of the public, and Gallardo talked -and talked with sudden confidence, telling her of his early days, -dwelling, with proud insistence, on the humbleness of his origin, -although he omitted anything he considered shameful in the story of his -adventurous youth.</p> - -<p>"How very interesting.... How very original" ... said the beautiful -woman.</p> - -<p>Turning her eyes from the torero she seemed lost in the contemplation of -something invisible.</p> - -<p>"The first man in the world!" exclaimed Don José, with rough enthusiasm. -"Believe me, Sol, there are not two men like him. And how impervious to -wounds!"</p> - -<p>As proud of Gallardo's strength as though he were his father, he -enumerated the different wounds that Gallardo<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> had received, describing -them as if he saw them through his clothes. The lady's eyes followed -this anatomical journey with sincere admiration. A real hero, simple, -embarrassed, retiring, like all strong men.</p> - -<p>The manager spoke of going away; it was seven o'clock and he would be -expected at home. But Doña Sol remonstrated with smiling insistence; -they really must both of them stay to dinner; it was an unceremonious -invitation, but that evening she was not expecting anyone, she would be -alone as the Marquis and his family had gone into the country.</p> - -<p>"I shall be quite alone.... Not another word, I command it; you must do -penance with me."</p> - -<p>And as if her commands admitted of no reply, she left the room.</p> - -<p>The manager demurred; he really could not stay; he had already come out -that afternoon and so his family had hardly seen him; besides he had -invited two friends. As far as concerned his matador, it seemed quite -correct and natural that he should stay, for really the invitation was -for him.</p> - -<p>"But you really must stay," said the espada in agony. "Curse it!... You -are never going to leave me alone. I should not know what to do, nor -what to say."</p> - -<p>A quarter of an hour afterwards Doña Sol returned to the room, wearing -now one of those creations of Paquin, which were at once the despair and -the wonder of her friends and relations.</p> - -<p>Don José persisted; he really must go, it was unavoidable, but his -matador would remain, and he undertook to let them know at his house -that they were not to expect him.</p> - -<p>Gallardo made an agonized gesture, but was a little quieted by a look -from his manager.</p> - -<p>"Don't be uneasy," he whispered as he went towards<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> the door. "Do you -think I am a child? I shall say you are dining with some amateurs from -Madrid."</p> - -<p>What torments the torero suffered the first few moments at dinner!... -The grave and seigniorial luxury of the room intimidated him; he and his -hostess seemed lost in it, sitting opposite to each other in the middle -of that big table with its enormous silver candelabra fitted with -electric light and pink shades.</p> - -<p>The imposing servants, stiff and ceremonious, who looked as if nothing -could upset their gravity, inspired him with respect. He was ashamed of -his clothes and of his manners, feeling the great contrast between the -surrounding atmosphere and his own appearance.</p> - -<p>But this first feeling of shyness and timidity soon vanished, and Doña -Sol laughed at his abstemiousness and the dread with which he touched -the plates and glasses. Gallardo looked at her admiringly, certainly the -golden-haired lady had a fine appetite! Accustomed as he was to the -prudery and abstentions of ladies he had known, who thought it bad form -to eat anything, he was astonished at Doña Sol's appetite.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, encouraged by her example, ate, and above all drank, drank -deeply, seeking in the many fine wines a remedy for that nervousness -which had made him so shamefaced, and unable to do anything but smile as -he constantly repeated, "Many thanks."</p> - -<p>The conversation became more lively. The espada began to be talkative -and told her many amusing incidents of bull-fighting life, ending by -telling her of El Nacional's original ideas, of the feats of his picador -Potaje, who swallowed hard-boiled eggs whole, who was half an ear short, -because a companion had bitten it off, who, when he was taken wounded to -the infirmary of a Plaza, fell on the bed with such a weight of iron -armour and muscles that his big spurs pierced the mattress and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> he had -subsequently to be disentangled with extreme difficulty.</p> - -<p>"How very interesting! How very original!"</p> - -<p>Doña Sol smiled as she listened to the anecdotes of these rough men, -always face to face with death, whom she had hitherto only admired from -a distance.</p> - -<p>The champagne ended by bewildering Gallardo, and when they rose from the -table he offered his arm to his hostess, amazed at his own audacity. Did -they not do this in the great world? ... decidedly he was not quite so -ignorant as he had appeared at first sight.</p> - -<p>Coffee was served in the drawing-room, where in a corner Gallardo spied -a guitar, no doubt the one on which Lechuzo gave Doña Sol her lessons. -She offered it to him, asking him to play something.</p> - -<p>"I do not know how!... I am the most ignorant man in the world, except -about killing bulls!"... He much regretted that the Puntillero<a name="FNanchor_84_84" id="FNanchor_84_84"></a><a href="#Footnote_84_84" class="fnanchor">[84]</a> of -his cuadrilla was not there, a lad who drove the women wild with his -beautiful playing.</p> - -<p>There was a long silence, Gallardo sat on a sofa smoking a splendid -Havana, while Doña Sol smoked one of those cigarettes whose perfume -seemed to induce a vague drowsiness. The torero felt sleepy after his -dinner, and scarcely opened his mouth to answer except by a fixed smile.</p> - -<p>Doubtless this silence bored Doña Sol, for she rose and went to the -grand piano, which soon rang under her vigorous touch with the rhythm of -a Malagueña.</p> - -<p>"Olé! That is fine!" said the torero, shaking off his drowsiness! -"Capital.... Very good!"</p> - -<p>After the Malagueñas she played some Sevillanas, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> then some -Andalusian popular songs, all melancholy, with an Oriental ring.</p> - -<p>Gallardo interrupted the singing with his exclamations just as he would -have done before the stage of a café chantant.</p> - -<p>"Well done, the golden hands! Now for another!"</p> - -<p>"Are you fond of music?" enquired the lady.</p> - -<p>"Oh, very," replied Gallardo, who up to now had never asked himself the -question.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol passed slowly from these lively measures to something slow and -more solemn, which Gallardo with his philharmonic learning recognised as -"Church music."</p> - -<p>There were no exclamations now. He felt himself overcome by a delicious -sleepiness; his eyes were closing, and he felt certain that if this -concert went on much longer he should be fast asleep.</p> - -<p>To prevent this catastrophe Gallardo gazed at the beautiful woman who -had turned her back to him. Mother of God! What a beautiful figure, and -he fixed his African eyes on the round white neck, crowned with the -waving curls of golden hair. An absurd idea floated before his confused -mind, keeping him awake with the itching of its temptation.</p> - -<p>"What would that gachi do if I went up softly on tip-toe and kissed that -beautiful neck?"...</p> - -<p>But his thoughts went no further. The woman inspired him with -irresistible respect. He remembered what his manager had said, and how -she managed men as if they were playthings. Still, he looked at that -neck, though the mist of sleep was spreading before his eyes. He knew he -would fall asleep! And he feared that soon a loud snore would interrupt -that music, which although quite incomprehensible to him must be -magnificent. He pinched his thighs and stretched his arms to keep -himself awake, smothering his yawns with his hand.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p><p>A long time passed. Gallardo was not quite sure he had not been asleep. -Suddenly the sound of Doña Sol's voice woke him from his drowsiness; she -was singing in a low voice that trembled with passion.</p> - -<p>The torero pricked up his ears to listen. He could not understand a -word. It was something foreign. Curse it!... Why could she not sing a -tango or something of the sort?... And she expected a Christian to keep -awake!...</p> - -<p>She was singing, as in a waking dream, Elsa's prayer, the lament for the -strong man, the great warrior, so invincible to men, so tender to women. -That tender and strong man! ... that warrior.... Was it possibly the man -behind her.... Why not?...</p> - -<p>He certainly had not the legendary aspect of that other warrior. He was -rough and heavy. Still she remembered clearly the gallantry with which -he had come to her aid the other day, the smiling confidence with which -he had fought the bellowing brute, just as the other heroes fought with -terrifying dragons; yes; he was her warrior!</p> - -<p>She shook from head to foot with voluptuous dread, acknowledging herself -beforehand as conquered. She thought she could feel the sweet danger -which was approaching her from behind. She could see her hero, her -paladin, rise from the sofa, with his Moorish eyes fixed on her; she -could hear his cautious footsteps, she could feel his hands on her -shoulders, and a kiss of fire on her neck, a sign of passion which would -seal her for ever as his slave.... But the romance ended without -anything happening, without her feeling anything on her spine, beyond -the thrill of her own trembling desire.</p> - -<p>Deceived by his respect, she ceased playing and turned round on her -music stool. The warrior was opposite to her, buried in the sofa -cushions, trying for the twentieth<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> time to light his cigar, opening his -eyes wide to overcome his drowsiness.</p> - -<p>When he saw her eyes fixed on him, Gallardo rose. Ay! the supreme moment -was coming! Her hero was coming towards her to clasp her in his -passionate and manly embrace, to conquer her and make her his own.</p> - -<p>"Good-night, Doña Sol.... It is getting late and I am going. You will -wish to rest."</p> - -<p>Between surprise and pique she also stood up, and scarcely knowing what -she did held out her hand.... Tender and strong as a hero!</p> - -<p>Thoughts of feminine conventionality rushed wildly through her mind, all -those restraints which a woman never forgets even in her moments of -greatest self-abandonment. Her longing was not possible. The first time -he had ever entered her house!... And without the slightest show of -resistance!...</p> - -<p>But as she clasped the espada's hand, and saw his eyes, eyes that could -only look at her with passionate intensity, trusting to the mute -expression of his timid desires.</p> - -<p>"Do not go!... Come! Come!!"</p> - -<p>And nothing more was said.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_67_67" id="Footnote_67_67"></a><a href="#FNanchor_67_67"><span class="label">[67]</span></a> Little aunt</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_68_68" id="Footnote_68_68"></a><a href="#FNanchor_68_68"><span class="label">[68]</span></a> Sleeveless coat, generally of sheep or goat skin.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_69_69" id="Footnote_69_69"></a><a href="#FNanchor_69_69"><span class="label">[69]</span></a> Cuadrillas de cartel.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_70_70" id="Footnote_70_70"></a><a href="#FNanchor_70_70"><span class="label">[70]</span></a> Toro de libras.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_71_71" id="Footnote_71_71"></a><a href="#FNanchor_71_71"><span class="label">[71]</span></a> Tobacco is a Government monopoly.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_72_72" id="Footnote_72_72"></a><a href="#FNanchor_72_72"><span class="label">[72]</span></a> Liquido.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_73_73" id="Footnote_73_73"></a><a href="#FNanchor_73_73"><span class="label">[73]</span></a> A not very complimentary term to the lady—a stinging -insect, a dangerous beast.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_74_74" id="Footnote_74_74"></a><a href="#FNanchor_74_74"><span class="label">[74]</span></a> Gachi—uncomplimentary gipsy word, applied to male or -female, generally to a Christian.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_75_75" id="Footnote_75_75"></a><a href="#FNanchor_75_75"><span class="label">[75]</span></a> Iron-tipped lance, used in overthrowing young bulls.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_76_76" id="Footnote_76_76"></a><a href="#FNanchor_76_76"><span class="label">[76]</span></a> Overthrowing—baiting of bulls by overthrowing them with a -spear.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_77_77" id="Footnote_77_77"></a><a href="#FNanchor_77_77"><span class="label">[77]</span></a> An old Moorish tower on the banks of the Guadalquivir -close to the gardens Las Delicias.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_78_78" id="Footnote_78_78"></a><a href="#FNanchor_78_78"><span class="label">[78]</span></a> Heads of the herds—trained to act as leaders and decoys.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_79_79" id="Footnote_79_79"></a><a href="#FNanchor_79_79"><span class="label">[79]</span></a> Pet lair or lurking place.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_80_80" id="Footnote_80_80"></a><a href="#FNanchor_80_80"><span class="label">[80]</span></a> The cry used to incite a bull to attack—lit. enter, come -along, and attack.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_81_81" id="Footnote_81_81"></a><a href="#FNanchor_81_81"><span class="label">[81]</span></a> It is recorded that the Cid tilted at bulls with his -lance.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_82_82" id="Footnote_82_82"></a><a href="#FNanchor_82_82"><span class="label">[82]</span></a> A proverbially learned Bishop.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_83_83" id="Footnote_83_83"></a><a href="#FNanchor_83_83"><span class="label">[83]</span></a> Artesonada.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_84_84" id="Footnote_84_84"></a><a href="#FNanchor_84_84"><span class="label">[84]</span></a> Man who gives the <i>coup de grace</i> to a bull with a dagger, -if the matador has failed to kill it with his sword thrust.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER IV</h2> - -<p>A great satisfaction to his vanity was added to the numerous other -reasons Gallardo had for being proud of his person.</p> - -<p>When he spoke with the Marquis de Moraima he regarded him with an almost -filial affection. That gentleman, dressed as a countryman, a rough -centaur with "Zajones" and a strong garrocha, was an illustrious -personage, who could cover his breast with ribbons and crosses, and in -the king's palace wore an embroidered coat, with a gold key sewn on to -one flap. His remote ancestors had come to Seville with that monarch who -had expelled the Moors, and had received as reward for their great -exploits, immense territories wrested from the enemy, the remains of -which were those vast plains on which the Marquis now reared his cattle. -And this great nobleman, frank and generous, who preserved, -notwithstanding the simplicity of his country life, the distinction of -his illustrious ancestry, was looked upon by Gallardo as in some sort a -near relation.</p> - -<p>The cobbler's son was just as proud as if he had in reality become a -member of the Marquis's family. The Marquis de Moraima was his uncle, -and though he could neither announce it publicly, nor was the -relationship legitimate, he consoled himself by thinking of the -ascendency he exercised over one female of the family, thanks to a love -which seemed to laugh at all prejudices of rank.</p> - -<p>All those gentlemen who up to now had treated him with the rather -disdainful familiarity with which the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> patrons of the sport of rank -treat toreros, were now in some sort his cousins, and he began to treat -them as equals.</p> - -<p>His life and habits had completely changed. He seldom entered the cafés -in the Calle de las Sierpes, where most of the amateurs assembled. They -were good sort of people, simple and enthusiastic, but of little -importance; small tradesmen, workmen who had become employers, small -clerks, nondescripts without profession, who lived miraculously by -strange expedients, apparently having no other business than to talk of -bulls.</p> - -<p>Gallardo passed by the windows of these cafés, saluting his admirers, -who waved frantically to him to come in. "I will return presently"; he, -however, did not return, he went further up the street to a very -aristocratic club, decorated in the Gothic style, where the servants -wore knee breeches, and the tables were covered with silver plate.</p> - -<p>The son of Señora Angustias could not repress a feeling of pride each -time he passed through the rows of servants drawn up on either side like -soldiers, or when a Major-domo, with a silver chain round his neck, came -to take his hat and stick. In one room fencing was practised, in another -they gambled from the early hours of the afternoon till dawn. The -members tolerated Gallardo because he was a "decent" torero, who spent a -good deal of money, and had powerful friends.</p> - -<p>"He is very well educated," said the members gravely, realizing that he -knew just about as much as they did.</p> - -<p>The sympathetic personality of his well-connected manager, Don José, -served the torero as a guarantee in his new existence. Besides, -Gallardo, with the cunning of a former street urchin, knew how to make -himself popular with this brilliant set, among whom he met "relations" -by the dozen.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p><p>He played heavily. It was the best way of drawing closer to his new -friends. He played and lost, with the proverbial ill-luck of a man -fortunate in other undertakings, and his ill-luck became a matter of -pride to the club.</p> - -<p>"Gallardo was cleared out last night," said the members proudly. "He -must have lost at least eleven thousand pesetas."</p> - -<p>The calmness with which he lost his money made his new friends respect -him, but the new passion soon grew upon him, even to the point of making -him sometimes forget his great lady. To play with all the best in -Seville! To find himself treated as an equal by these gentlemen! Thanks -to the fraternity established by loans of money and common emotions!</p> - -<p>One night a large lamp suddenly crashed down on to the green table. -There was sudden darkness and wild confusion, but the imperious voice of -Gallardo rang out:</p> - -<p>"Calm yourselves, gentlemen. Nothing much has happened. Let the game go -on. They are bringing candles."</p> - -<p>And the game went on, his companions admiring him even more for his -energetic speech, than for the way in which he killed his bulls.</p> - -<p>The manager's friends questioned him as to Gallardo's losses. Surely he -would ruin himself: everything he earned by bull-fighting he lost by -gambling. But Don José smiled disdainfully.</p> - -<p>"This year we had more corridas than anyone else. We shall become tired -of killing bulls and piling up money.... Let the lad enjoy himself. He -works for this and is what he is ... the first man in the world."</p> - -<p>In his new existence Gallardo not only frequented this club, but some -afternoons he went to the "Forty-Five," which was a kind of Senate of -tauromachia. The toreros<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> as a rule did not gain easy access to its -precincts, for their absence admitted of the fathers of the "sport" -giving free vent to their various opinions.</p> - -<p>During the spring and summer the members met in the vestibule, and -overflowed into the street, sitting on cane chairs, waiting for -telegrams about the different corridas. They believed very little in the -opinions of the Press; besides it was necessary for them to have the -news before it got into the papers.</p> - -<p>It was an occupation that filled them with pride and elevated them above -their fellow mortals, to sit quietly at the door of their club breathing -the fresh air and knowing exactly, without interested exaggerations, -what had happened that afternoon in the corrida of Bilbao, Coruña, -Barcelona, or Valencia; how many ears one matador had received, how -another one had been hissed, while their fellow-townsmen remained in -complete ignorance, waiting about the streets till the evening papers -were published. When there was "hule" and a telegram came announcing the -terrible wounds of some native torero their feelings and their patriotic -solidarity softened them sufficiently to admit of their imparting the -momentous secret to some passing friend. The news flew instantaneously -through the cafés in the Calle de las Sierpes, and no one could doubt it -for an instant, for was it not a telegram received by the "Forty-Five"?</p> - -<p>Gallardo's manager, with his aggressive and noisy enthusiasm, rather -disturbed the social gravity. They endured it as he was an old friend, -and ended by laughing at his flights. But it was impossible for sensible -men to discuss the merits of the various toreros quietly with Don José. -Often when they alluded to Gallardo as "a very brave fellow, but without -much art" they would look timorously towards the door.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p><p>"Hush! Pepe<a name="FNanchor_85_85" id="FNanchor_85_85"></a><a href="#Footnote_85_85" class="fnanchor">[85]</a> is coming," and Pepe would enter waving a telegram -above his head.</p> - -<p>"Is that news from Santander?"... "Yes! here it is: Gallardo, two -estocades ... two bulls ... and the ear of the second. Just what I said! -The first man in the world."</p> - -<p>The telegrams to the "Forty-Five" often differed, but Don José would -pass it over with a gesture of contempt, breaking out into noisy -protests.</p> - -<p>"Lies! All envy! My wire is the true one. What is in yours is only envy -because 'my lad' has lowered so many chignons."</p> - -<p>All the members laughed at Don José, lifting a finger to their foreheads -and joking about the first man in the world, and his kind manager.</p> - -<p>Little by little Gallardo had succeeded, as an unheard-of privilege, in -introducing himself into this society. The torero would come at first -under pretext of looking for his manager, and ended by sitting down -among the gentlemen, although there were many who were no friends to him -and who had chosen other matadors from among his rivals.</p> - -<p>The decoration of the house, according to Don José, was full of -"character." The lower part of the walls were covered with Moorish -tiles, and on the immaculately white walls hung announcements of ancient -corridas, stuffed bulls' heads, of animals celebrated either for the -number of horses they had killed, or for having wounded some celebrated -torero; together with procession capes and rapiers presented by espadas -who had "cut off their pigtails" and retired from the profession.</p> - -<p>Servants in dress coats served the gentlemen in their country clothes, -or possibly in their shirt sleeves, during the hot summer evenings. -During the Holy Week and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> other great holidays in Seville, when -illustrious enthusiasts from every part of Spain came and paid their -respects to the "Forty-Five," the servants wore knee breeches and -powdered wigs, donned the royal livery of red and yellow, and dressed -thus, like servants of the royal household, handed glasses of Manzanilla -to these wealthy gentlemen, many of whom had even dispensed with their -ties.</p> - -<p>In the evenings when the doyen, the illustrious Marquis de Moraima, came -in, the members in big arm-chairs formed a circle round him, and the -famous breeder in a chair higher than the others presided over the -conversation. For the most part they began by talking of the weather. -Most of them were great breeders or wealthy landed proprietors, whose -living depended on the necessities of the earth, and the variations of -the weather. The Marquis explained the observations that his wisdom had -gathered, during interminable rides over the lonely Andalusian plains, -so immense and solitary, with wide horizons, like the sea, on which the -bulls, slowly moving among the waves of verdure, seemed like basking -sharks. He could generally see some piece of paper blown about the -street which served as a basis to his predictions. The drought, that -cruel scourge of the Andalusian plains, gave them conversation for a -whole afternoon, and when after weeks of anxious expectation the -overcast sky would discharge a few big hot drops, the great country -gentlemen would smile, rubbing their hands, and the Marquis would say -sententiously, as he looked at the great round splashes on the pavement:</p> - -<p>"Glory be to God!... Each drop of this is worth a five duro piece."</p> - -<p>When they were not anxious about the weather, cattle was the subject of -their conversation, and especially bulls, of whom they spoke tenderly, -almost as if there<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> were some relationship between them. The other -breeders listened with deference to the Marquis's opinions, on account -of the advantage given him by his large fortune. The simple -"aficionados" who never left the town admired his skill in producing -fierce animals. What this man knew!... He himself, as he spoke of the -extreme care required by the bulls, seemed quite convinced of the -importance of his occupation. Out of ten calves, at least eight or nine -were fit only for the butcher, after they had been tried to judge of -their fierceness. Only one or two who had shown themselves brave and -ready to charge against the iron of the garrocha were judged fit to pass -as fighting animals; thenceforward these lived apart, with every sort of -care. And what care!</p> - -<p>"A breeding establishment of wild bulls ought not to be a business," -said the Marquis. "It is an expensive luxury. It is true we are paid -four or five times as much for a fighting bull as for the others, but -then, see what it costs to rear!"</p> - -<p>They must be watched constantly, their food and water considered, moved -from one place to another, according to variations of temperature, in -fact every bull costs more than the maintenance of a family, and when at -last they were brought to the highest pitch, they had still to be -carefully watched up to the last moment, in order that they should not -disgrace themselves in the circus, but be fit to do honour to the badge -of the herd which hung round their necks.</p> - -<p>In certain Plazas the Marquis had even fought with the managers and the -authorities, refusing to hand over his animals, because a band was -stationed just over the bulls' entrance. The noise of the instruments -bewildered the noble animals, robbing them of their bravery and their -calmness as they entered the Plaza.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p><p>"They are just like us," said he tenderly, "they only want speech. How -can I say like us? Many are worth more than any of us."</p> - -<p>And he spoke of Lobito,<a name="FNanchor_86_86" id="FNanchor_86_86"></a><a href="#Footnote_86_86" class="fnanchor">[86]</a> the old head of the herd, swearing he would -not sell him if he were offered all Seville, with the Giralda thrown in. -As soon as the Marquis, galloping across the vast plains, came in sight -of the herd to which this treasure belonged, he would instantly respond -to the call of "Lobito."... And leaving his companions would come to -meet the Marquis, rubbing his muzzle against the rider's boots, and this -although he was an immensely powerful animal and the terror of the rest -of the herd. Then the breeder would dismount, and search in his saddle -bags for a piece of chocolate to give to Lobito, who would gratefully -shake his head, armed with those immense horns. Then with one arm round -the bull's neck the Marquis would calmly walk in among the herd of -bulls, made restless and fierce by a man's presence. There was no -danger. Lobito walked like a dog, covering his master with his body, -looking all around him, and imposing respect on his companions with his -fiery eyes. If any one, more venturesome than his comrades, approached -to sniff the intruder they met with Lobito's threatening horns. If -several of them with heavy playfulness joined to bar his way, Lobito -would stretch out his armed head and force them to make way.</p> - -<p>When the Marquis related the great deeds of some of the animals reared -on his pastures his white whiskers and his shaven lips would tremble -with emotion.</p> - -<p>"A bull!... He is the noblest animal in the world. If only men were more -like him things would go on better in the world. There you have a -portrait of poor Coronel. Do any of you remember that jewel?"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span></p><p>As he spoke he pointed to a large photograph finely framed, -representing himself, much younger, in peasant dress, surrounded by -little girls in white, who seemed to be seated in the midst of a meadow, -on a black mound, at one end of which appeared a pair of horns. This -dark and shapeless bank was Coronel. Of enormous size and very fierce to -his comrades in the herd, this beast showed the most affectionate -gentleness to his master and his family. He was like one of those -mastiffs who are so fierce to strangers, but who let the children of the -family pull their ears and tail, and receive all their teazing with -grunts of pleasure. The little girls were the Marquis's daughters; the -beast would sniff at their little white dresses, while they half -frightened at first, clung to their father's legs, but would suddenly -with childish confidence rub his muzzle. "Lie down, Coronel," and -Coronel would lie down with his feet doubled beneath him, while the -children sat on his broad back heaving with his heavy breathing.</p> - -<p>One day, after much hesitation, the Marquis sold him to the Plaza in -Pampeluna, and went himself to assist at the corrida. De Moraima was -deeply moved and his eyes were dim as he recalled the occurrence. Never -in his life had he seen a bull like that one. He rushed gallantly into -the arena, though rather dazed at first by the sudden light after the -darkness of his stall and the roars of thousands of people. But directly -a picador pricked him, he seemed to fill the whole Plaza with his -magnificent onslaughts.</p> - -<p>Soon, there were neither men nor horses nor anything else left! In a -moment all the horses were down and their riders tossed in the air. The -peons ran, and the arena was in disarray, as if a branding<a name="FNanchor_87_87" id="FNanchor_87_87"></a><a href="#Footnote_87_87" class="fnanchor">[87]</a> had been -going<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> on. The audience clamoured for more horses, while Coronel stood -in the middle of the Plaza waiting to turn and rend anyone who came out -against him. The slightest invitation was sufficient to make him attack, -no one had ever seen anything like him for nobility and power, rushing -in to his charge with a grandeur and a dash which drove the populace -mad. When the death signal sounded, he had fourteen wounds in him and a -complete set of banderillas, yet he was as fresh and as brave as if he -had never left his pasture. Then....</p> - -<p>When the breeder reached this point he always stopped to steady his -shaking voice.</p> - -<p>Then ... the Marquis de Moraima, who was in a box, found himself, he -knew not how, behind the barrier, among the excited servants of the -Plaza and close to the matador, who was slowly rolling up his muleta, as -though he wished to put off the moment when he should have to meet so -formidable an enemy. "Coronel!" ... shouted the Marquis, throwing his -body half over the barrier and striking the woodwork with his hands.</p> - -<p>The animal did not move, but he raised his head, as though these shouts -reminded him of the pastures he might never see again. "Coronel!"... -Till, turning his head he saw a man leaning over the barrier calling -him, and rushed straight to attack him. But he stopped half way in his -wild rush, then came on slowly till he rubbed his horns against the arms -stretched out to him. He came with his chest splashed with the streams -of blood from the darts fixed in his neck, and his skin torn by the -wounds which showed the blue muscles beneath.... "Coronel! My son!..." -And the bull, as if he understood these tender words, raised his muzzle -and rubbed the breeder's white whiskers. "Why have you brought me here?" -his fierce blood-shot eyes seemed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> to say; and the Marquis, no longer -knowing what he did, kissed the beast's nostrils, wet with his furious -snorting, again and again.</p> - -<p>"Do not kill him!" some kind soul shouted from the seats, and as though -these words reflected the thoughts of the whole audience, an explosion -of voices shook the Plaza, and thousands of handkerchiefs waved like -white doves. "Do not kill him!" And at that moment the crowd, seized -with a vague tenderness, despised their own amusement, abhorred the -torero in his showy dress with his useless heroism, and admired the -bravery of the brute, to whom they felt themselves inferior; and -recognised that among those thousands of reasoning beings, nobility and -affection were alone represented by this poor animal.</p> - -<p>"I took him away," said the Marquis, almost sobbing. "I returned the -manager his two thousand pesetas. I would have given him my whole -fortune. After a month on the pasture there was not the vestige of a -scar on his neck.... I should have wished him to die of old age, but it -is not always the good who prosper in this world. A sulky bull, who -would not have dared to look him in the face, killed him treacherously -with a blow of his horn."</p> - -<p>The Marquis and his fellow-breeders soon forgot their tender sympathy -for the animals in the pride they felt at their fierceness. You should -have seen the contempt with which they spoke of the enemies of -bull-fighting, and of those who clamoured against this art in the name -of the protection of animals.</p> - -<p>"Follies of foreigners," "Ignorant errors," which confound a butcher's -ox with a fighting bull! The Spanish bull is a wild animal: the bravest -wild beast in the world. And he recalled several fights between bulls -and felines,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> which had always ended triumphantly for the national -beast.</p> - -<p>The Marquis laughed as he remembered another of his animals. A fight was -arranged in a certain Plaza between a bull, and a lion and a tiger -belonging to a celebrated tamer. The breeder sent Barrabas, a vicious -animal, which had to be kept apart at the farm, because he had fought -with and killed several of his companions.</p> - -<p>"I saw this myself," said the Marquis. "There was a huge iron cage in -the middle of the circus and inside it was Barrabas. They loosed the -lion first, and this accursed feline, taking advantage of a bull being -unsuspicious, sprung upon his hind quarters and began to tear him with -teeth and claws. Barrabas bounded furiously in order to dislodge him and -get him within reach of the horns, which are his defence. At last he -succeeded in throwing the lion in front of him and then ... caballeros! -it was just like a game of ball!... He tossed him from one horn to -another, shaking him like a marionette, till at last, as if he despised -him, he threw him on one side, and there lay the so-called king of -animals, rolled into a ball, and lying like a cat who has just been -beaten.... The second affair was much shorter. As soon as the tiger -appeared Barrabas caught him, tossed him in the air, and after shaking -him well, threw him into the corner like the other.... Then Barrabas, -being an evil-minded beast, trotted up and down, with every indecent -display of triumph over his fallen foes."</p> - -<p>These anecdotes always drew shouts of laughter from the "Forty-Five." -The Spanish bull!... The finest wild animal!... It seemed as if the -arrogant bravery of the national animal established the superiority of -the country and the race over all others.</p> - -<p>When Gallardo began to frequent the club, a fresh<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> topic of conversation -had arisen to interrupt the endless talk of bulls and field work.</p> - -<p>The "Forty-Five," like every one else in Seville, were talking of the -exploits of Plumitas, a brigand, celebrated for his audacity, to whom -the useless efforts of his pursuers daily gave fresh fame. The papers -spoke of his kindly disposition, as if he were a national personage. The -Government, who were questioned in the Cortes, promised a speedy -capture, which was never realized. The civil guard were concentrated, -and a perfect army was mobilized to follow and catch him, while -Plumitas, always alone, with no other help but his carbine and his -horse, slipped through those who were following him like a ghost; he -would turn on them, when they were few in numbers, and stretch many -lifeless, but he was reverenced and helped by all the poor peasantry, -wretched slaves of the enormous landed interest, who looked upon the -bandit as the avenger of the starving, a just but cruel justiciary, -after the fashion of the ancient armour-clad knights errant. He exacted -money from the rich, and then with the manner of an actor before an -immense audience, he would assist some poor old woman, or some labourer -with a large family. These generosities were greatly exaggerated by the -gossip of the rural population, who always had the name of Plumitas on -their lips, but who became both blind and dumb when any enquiries were -made by the Government soldiers.</p> - -<p>He went from one province to another like one perfectly acquainted with -the country, and the landed proprietors of Seville and Cordova -contributed largely to his support.... Whole weeks passed and nothing -would be heard of him, then suddenly he would appear in some farm or -village, utterly regardless of danger.</p> - -<p>They had direct news of him in the "Forty-Five," precisely as if he had -been a matador.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p><p>"Plumitas was at my farm the day before yesterday," a rich farmer would -say. "The overseer gave him thirty duros, and he went away after -breakfasting."</p> - -<p>They paid this contribution contentedly, and gave no information except -to friends. Giving information meant making declarations, and every sort -of annoyance. And for what? The civil guard sought him without success, -and had he become incensed against the informers, their goods and -property would have been at his mercy, without any protection whatever -from his vengeance.</p> - -<p>The Marquis spoke of Plumitas and his exploits without being in the -least scandalized by them, and treated them as though they were a -natural and inevitable calamity.</p> - -<p>"They are poor fellows who have had some misfortune, and have taken to -the road. My father (who rests in peace) knew the famous José Maria, and -had twice breakfasted with him. I have run against several of lesser -fame, who went about the neighbourhood doing evil deeds. They are just -the same as bulls, noble and simple creatures. They only attack when -goaded, and their evil deeds increase with punishment."</p> - -<p>He had given orders to all the overseers at his farms and in all his -shepherds' hovels to give Plumitas whatever he asked for; consequently, -as the overseers and cowherds related, the bandit, with the respect of a -country peasant for a kind and generous master, spoke of him with the -greatest gratitude, offering to kill anyone who offended the "Zeno -Marque" in the very slightest degree. Poor fellow! For the wretched -little sums which he demanded, when he made his appearance, wearied and -starving, it was not worth while drawing down on oneself his anger and -revenge.</p> - -<p>The breeder, who was constantly galloping alone over<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> the plains where -his bulls grazed, suspected that he had several times come across -Plumitas. He was probably one of those poor-looking horsemen whom he met -in the solitary plains without so much as a village on the horizon, who -would raise his hand to his greasy sombrero, and say with respectful -civility:</p> - -<p>"Go with God, Zeno Marque."</p> - -<p>The lord of Moraima, when he spoke of Plumitas, looked often at -Gallardo, who declaimed with the vehemence of a novice, against the -authorities for being unable to protect property.</p> - -<p>"Some fine day he will turn up at La Rincona, my lad," said the Marquis, -with his grave Andalusian drawl.</p> - -<p>"Curse him!... But that would not please me, Zeno Marque! God alive! Is -it for this I pay such heavy taxes?"</p> - -<p>No, indeed. It would not please him to run against the bandit during his -excursions at La Rinconada. He was a brave man killing bulls, and in a -Plaza regardless of his own life; but this profession of killing men -inspired him with all the uneasiness of the unknown.</p> - -<p>His family were at the farm. Señora Angustias enjoyed a country life, -after the miseries of an existence spent in town hovels. Carmen also -enjoyed it, and the saddler's children required a change, so Gallardo -had sent his family to La Rincona, promising soon to join them. He, -however, postponed the journey by every sort of pretext, living a -bachelor's life (with no other companion than Garabato), which left him -complete liberty as to his relations with Doña Sol.</p> - -<p>He thought this the happiest time of his life, and he often quite forgot -La Rinconada and its inhabitants.</p> - -<p>He and Doña Sol rode together, mounted on spirited horses, dressed much -the same as on the day when they first met, generally alone, but -sometimes with Don José,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> whose presence was a sop to people's -scandalized feelings. They would go to see bulls in the pastures round -Seville, or to try calves at the Marquis's dairies, and Doña Sol, always -eager for danger, was delighted when, as he felt the prick of the -garrocha, a young bull would turn and attack her, and Gallardo had to -come to her assistance.</p> - -<p>At other times they would go to the station of Empalme, if a boxing of -bulls was announced for the different Plazas which were giving special -corridas at the end of the winter.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol examined this place, which was the most important centre of -exportation of the taurine industry, with great interest. There were -large enclosures alongside the railway siding, and dozens of huge boxes -on wheels with movable doors. The bulls who were to be entrained, -arrived, galloping along a dusty road edged with barbed wire. Many came -from distant provinces, but on getting close to Empalme they were sent -on with a rush, in order to get them into the enclosures with greater -ease.</p> - -<p>In front galloped the overseers and shepherds with their lances on their -shoulders, and behind them the prudent "cabestros" covering the men with -their huge horns. After these came the fighting bulls, well rounded up -by tame bulls who prevented them straying from the road, and followed by -strong cowherds ready to sling a stone at any wandering pair of horns.</p> - -<p>Arrived at the enclosures the foremost riders drew to either side, -leaving the gateway open, and the whole herd, an avalanche of dust, -pawings, snortings and bells, rushed in like an overwhelming torrent and -the gate was immediately closed after the last animal.</p> - -<p>They tore through the first enclosure without noticing that they were -trapped, the "cabestros," taught by <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>experience and obedient to the -shepherds, stood aside to let them pass into the second, where the herd -only stopped on finding a blank wall before them.</p> - -<p>Now the boxing began. One by one they were driven, by shouts, waving -cloths, and blows from garrochas, into a narrow lane, at the end of -which stood the travelling box, with both its side doors lowered. It -looked like a small tunnel, through which the brutes could see a field -beyond, with animals quietly grazing. The suspicious bulls guessed some -danger in this small tunnel, and had to be driven on by clappings and -whistlings and pricks. Finally they would make a dash for the quiet -pasture beyond, making the sloping platform leading to the box shake as -they rushed up it, but as soon as they had mounted this, the door in -front of them was suddenly closed, and then equally quickly the one -behind, and the bull was caught in a cage where he could only just stand -up or lie down comfortably. The box was then wheeled into the railway, -and another one took its place, till all the herd were successfully -entrained.</p> - -<p>When the first intoxication of Gallardo's good fortune had passed off, -he looked at Doña Sol with the utmost astonishment, wondering in the -hours of their greatest intimacy if all great ladies were like this one. -The caprices and fickleness of her character bewildered him. He had -never dared to address her as "tu," indeed she had never invited him to -such a familiarity, and on the one occasion when with slow and -hesitating tongue he had attempted it, he had seen in her golden eyes -such a gleam of anger and surprise, that he had drawn back ashamed, and -had returned to the former mode of speech.</p> - -<p>She, on the other hand, spoke to him as "tu," but only in the hours of -privacy. If she had to write to him asking him not to come, or saying -she was going out<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> with her relations, she always used the ceremonious -"uste" and there were no expressions of affection, only the cold -courtesies that might be written to a friend of an inferior class.</p> - -<p>"Oh! that gachi," murmured Gallardo, disheartened; "it seems as if she -had always lived with rascals who showed her letters to every one. One -would think she cannot believe me to be a gentleman because I am a -matador."</p> - -<p>Some of her eccentricities left the torero frowning and sad. Sometimes -on going to the house one of the magnificent servants would coldly bar -his way. "The Señora was not at home," or "The Señora had gone out," and -he knew that it was a lie, feeling the presence of Doña Sol a short -distance from him, the other side of the curtained doors.</p> - -<p>"The fuel is spent!" said the espada to himself, "I will not return. -That gachi shall not laugh at me."</p> - -<p>But when he did return, she received him with open arms, clasping him -close in her firm white hands, with her eyes wide open and vague, and a -strange light in them which seemed to speak of mental derangement.</p> - -<p>"Why do you perfume yourself?" she said, as if she perceived the most -unpleasant smells. "It is unworthy of you. I should like you to smell of -bulls, of horses. Those are fine scents! Don't you love them? Say yes, -Juanin, my animal."</p> - -<p>One night in the soft twilight of Doña Sol's bedroom, Gallardo felt -something very like fear, hearing her speak, and watching her eyes.</p> - -<p>"I should like to run on all fours. I should like to be a bull, and that -you should stand before me rapier in hand. Fine gorings I would give -you! Here ... and here!"</p> - -<p>And with her clenched fist, to which her excitement<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> gave fresh -strength, she planted several blows on the matador's chest only covered -by his thin silk vest. Gallardo drew back, not wishing to admit that a -woman could possibly hurt him.</p> - -<p>"No, not a bull. I should like to be a dog ... a shepherd's dog ... one -of those with long fangs, to come out and bark at you. Do you see that -fine fellow who kills bulls, and who the public say is so brave? Well, I -shall bite him. I shall bite him like this! Aaaam!"</p> - -<p>And with hysterical delight she fixed her teeth in the matador's arm, -punishing his swelling biceps. Exasperated by the pain the matador swore -a big oath, shaking the beautiful half-dressed woman from him, whose -snake-like golden hair stood up round her head like that of a drunken -bacchante.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol seemed suddenly to awake.</p> - -<p>"Poor fellow! I have hurt you. And it was I!... I who am sometimes mad! -Let me kiss the bite to cure it. Let me kiss all your glorious scars. My -poor little brute, it made you cry out!"</p> - -<p>And the beautiful fury suddenly became tender and gentle, purring round -the torero like a kitten.</p> - -<p>One evening, finding her inclined to be confidential, and feeling some -curiosity as to her past, he questioned her as to the kings and other -great personages, whom report said had crossed her path.</p> - -<p>With a cold stare in her eyes she replied to his curiosity:</p> - -<p>"What does it matter to you? Are you by any chance jealous?... And if it -were true ... what then?"</p> - -<p>She remained silent a long while, with a strange look in her eyes, the -look of madness, which was always accompanied by extravagant thoughts.</p> - -<p>"You must have struck many women," she said, looking at him curiously; -"do not deny it, it interests me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> greatly! No, not your wife, I know she -is very good, but all those that toreros mix with; women who love better -when they are beaten. No? Say truly, have you never struck any one?"</p> - -<p>Gallardo protested with the dignity of a brave man, incapable of hurting -those weaker than himself. Doña Sol showed a certain disbelief in his -asseverations.</p> - -<p>"One day you will have to beat me.... I should like to know what it is" -... she said resolutely....</p> - -<p>But her expression darkened, she frowned, and a steely gleam lit up the -golden light in her eyes.</p> - -<p>"No, my brute, pay no attention to me, and do not attempt it. You would -be the loser."</p> - -<p>The advice was just, and Gallardo had cause to remember it. One day, in -a moment of intimacy, a somewhat rough caress from his fighting hand was -enough to rouse this woman's fury, who was attracted by the man, and yet -hated him at the same time.</p> - -<p>"Take that." And with a fist as hard as a club she gave him a blow on -the jaw from below upwards with a precision, which seemed inspired by a -knowledge of the rules of boxing.</p> - -<p>Gallardo remained bewildered by pain and shame, while the lady, as if -she suddenly realized her unprovoked aggression, endeavoured to justify -herself with cold hostility.</p> - -<p>"It is to teach you better. I know what you toreros are. If I were to -let myself be trampled on once, for ever after you would shake me like a -gipsy of Triana. I am glad I did it. You must keep your distance."</p> - -<p>One evening in early spring, they were returning from a trial of calves -at one of the farms belonging to the Marquis, who with some other -friends was riding home along the road.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol, followed by the espada, turned her horse<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> into the fields, -delighting in the soft sward under their hoofs, which at this season was -carpeted with spring flowers.</p> - -<p>The setting sun dyed everything with crimson, lengthening indefinitely -the shadows of the riders with their long lances over their shoulders, -and the broad river half hidden among the vegetation rolled along one -side of the meadows.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol looked at Gallardo with imperious eyes.</p> - -<p>"Put your arm round my waist."</p> - -<p>The espada obeyed, and so they rode on, their horses close together, the -woman watching their shadows thrown as one by the setting sun on the -grass.</p> - -<p>"It seems as though we were living in another world," she murmured,—"a -legendary world, something like one sees on the tapestries, the loving -knight and the amazon travelling together, their lances on their -shoulders in search of adventures and dangers. But you do not understand -all this—dunce of my heart. Answer truly, you do not understand me?"</p> - -<p>The torero smiled, showing his beautiful strong teeth of luminous -whiteness. She, as if attracted by his rough ignorance, drew closer to -him, laying her head on his shoulder, shivering as she felt his breath -on the back of her neck.</p> - -<p>They rode on in silence. Doña Sol seemed to have fallen asleep on the -torero's shoulder. Suddenly her eyes opened, flashing with that strange -light which was always the precursor of the most extraordinary -questions.</p> - -<p>"Say! Have you never killed a man?"</p> - -<p>Gallardo started, and in his astonishment disengaged himself from Doña -Sol. Who! He?... Never. He had been a good fellow who had followed his -profession without doing harm to anyone. He had scarcely even fought -with his companions at the "capeas," when they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> held on to the peace -because they were the strongest. He had exchanged a few blows with -others of his profession, or fought a round in a café, but the life of a -man inspired him with deep respect. Bulls were another affair.</p> - -<p>"So that you have never felt the slightest wish to kill a man?... And I -who thought that toreros...."</p> - -<p>The sun had set, and the landscape, which before had seemed so -brilliant, now looked dull and grey; even the river had disappeared, and -Doña Sol spurred on her horse without saying another word, or even -appearing to notice if the espada were following her.</p> - -<p>Before the Holy Week holidays Gallardo's family returned to Seville. The -espada was to fight at the Easter corrida. It was the first time he -would kill in Doña Sol's presence since he had come to know her, and it -made him doubtful of his powers.</p> - -<p>Besides, he never could fight in Seville without a certain disquietude. -He could accept an unlucky mischance in any other Plaza in Spain, -thinking he would probably not return there for some time. But in his -own native town, where his greatest enemies lived!...</p> - -<p>"We must see you distinguish yourself," said Don José. "Think of those -who will be watching you. I expect you to remain the first man in the -world."</p> - -<p>On the Saturday of "Gloria,"<a name="FNanchor_88_88" id="FNanchor_88_88"></a><a href="#Footnote_88_88" class="fnanchor">[88]</a> during the small hours of the night, -the enclosing of the cattle for the following day's corrida was to take -place, and Doña Sol wished to assist as picqeur at the operation, which -presented the further delight of taking place in the dark. The bulls had -to be brought from the pastures of Tablada to the enclosures at the -Plaza.</p> - -<p>In spite of Gallardo's wish to accompany Doña Sol<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> he was unable to do -so; his manager opposed it, alleging the necessity of his keeping -himself fresh and vigorous for the following afternoon. At midnight the -road leading from the pastures to the Plaza was as lively as a fair. In -the country villas the windows were lighted up, and shadows passed -before them, dancing to the sound of pianos. In the little inns, whose -open doors threw broad streaks of light across the road, the tinkling of -guitars, the clinking of glasses, and shouts and laughter let it be -known that wine was circulating freely.</p> - -<p>About one in the morning a rider passed along the road at a slow trot. -He was "el aviso,"<a name="FNanchor_89_89" id="FNanchor_89_89"></a><a href="#Footnote_89_89" class="fnanchor">[89]</a> a rough shepherd, who stopped before the taverns -and gay country houses, warning them that the herd would pass in less -than a quarter of an hour, so that lights might be extinguished and -everything be quiet.</p> - -<p>This order, given in the name of the national sport, was obeyed with far -more alacrity than any one given by the authorities. The houses remained -in darkness, the whiteness of their walls confounded with the shadowy -mass of trees. The invisible people, assembled behind the barred and -spiked window gratings, were silent in the expectation of something -extraordinary. In the walks alongside the river the gas lamps were -extinguished one by one as the shepherd advanced shouting the coming of -the herd.</p> - -<p>Everything was absolutely silent. Above the trees the stars were -shining, and below on the ground only the slightest rustle; the faintest -murmur betrayed in the darkness the presence of crowds of people. The -wait seemed very long, till at last in the far distance, the faint sound -of deep bells was heard. "They are coming! They will soon be here!"...</p> - -<p>The clangour of the bells became louder and at last<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> deafening, -accompanied by a confused galloping which shook the ground. First of all -passed several riders, with lances over their shoulders, who appeared -gigantic in the darkness, their horses at full stretch. These were the -shepherds. Then came a group of amateur garrochists, among whom galloped -Doña Sol, delighted at this mad ride through the darkness, in which the -single false step of a horse, or a fall, meant certain death from -trampling beneath the hard hoofs of the fierce herd rushing blindly on -behind in their furious career.</p> - -<p>The herd bells rang wildly; the open mouths of the spectators, hidden by -the darkness, swallowed large gulps of dust, and the furious mob of -cattle rushed by like a nightmare of shapeless monsters of the night, -heavy but at the same time agile, giving horrible snorts, goring at the -shadows with their horns, terrified and irritated by the shouts of the -young shepherds following on foot, and by the galloping of the riders -closing the cavalcade who drove them on with their pikes.</p> - -<p>The transit of this ponderous and noisy troupe only lasted an instant. -There was nothing more to be seen ... and the populace, satisfied by -this fleeting spectacle, came out of their hiding places, and many of -the enthusiasts ran after the herd, hoping to see their entrance into -the enclosures.</p> - -<p>When they arrived near the Plaza the foremost riders drew on one side, -making way for the animals, who, from the impetus of their rush, and -their habit of following the "cabestros," engaged themselves in "la -manga,"<a name="FNanchor_90_90" id="FNanchor_90_90"></a><a href="#Footnote_90_90" class="fnanchor">[90]</a> a narrow lane formed of palisades leading to the Plaza.</p> - -<p>The amateur garrochists congratulated themselves on the good management -of the enclosing. The herd had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> been well rounded up without a single -bull being able to stray, or giving work to picqeurs or peons. They were -all well-bred animals, the best from the Marquis' breeding farms, and a -good day might confidently be expected on the morrow. In this hope the -riders and peons soon dispersed. An hour afterwards the surroundings of -the Plaza were completely deserted, and the fierce brutes, safe in their -enclosures, lay down to enjoy their last sleep.</p> - -<p>On the following morning Juan Gallardo rose early. He had slept badly, -with an anxiety that peopled his dreams with nightmares.</p> - -<p>Why did they make him fight in Seville? In other towns he forgot his -family for the moment; he lived as a bachelor in a room in an hotel -completely strange to him, that contained nothing dear to him, and that -reminded him of nothing. But here—to put on his fighting costume in his -own bedroom, where everything about on the table reminded him of Carmen, -to go out and face the danger from the house that he himself had built, -and which contained all that was dearest to him in life, disconcerted -him, and awoke in him as much trepidation as if he were going to kill -his first bull. Besides, he was afraid of his fellow-townsmen, with whom -he had to live, and whose opinion was more important to him than that of -all the rest of Spain. Ay! and that terrible moment of leaving, after -Garabato had put on his gala dress, and he descended into the silent -courtyard.</p> - -<p>The little children came to look at him, frightened by his brilliant -clothes, touching him admiringly, but not daring to speak. His -mustachioed sister kissed him with a look of terror, as if he were being -taken off to die. His mother hid herself in the darkest room. No, she -did not wish to see him; she felt ill. Carmen, deathly pale,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> was a -little braver, biting her lips white with emotion, blinking her eyes -nervously to keep back the tears, but when she saw him in the courtyard -she immediately raised her handkerchief to her eyes, her whole frame -shaking with the sobs she tried to suppress, and her sister-in-law and -other women had to support her lest she should fall to the ground.</p> - -<p>It was enough to make a coward of even the real Roger de Flor!</p> - -<p>"Curse it all! Come along, man," said Gallardo. "I would not fight in -Seville for all the gold in the world, were it not to give pleasure to -my fellow-townsmen, and to prevent evil speakers from saying I am afraid -of the public in my own town."</p> - -<p>After rising, the espada had wandered about the house, a cigarette in -his mouth, stretching himself to see if his muscular arms still retained -their suppleness. He went into the kitchen and drank a glass of Cazalla, -where his mother, active in spite of years and stoutness, was -superintending the servants, and looking after the proper ordering of -the house.</p> - -<p>Gallardo went out into the patio, so fresh and bright, the birds were -singing gaily in their gilded cages, a flood of sunshine swept over the -marble pavement, and on to the fountain surrounded by plants where the -gold fish swam in the basin.</p> - -<p>The espada saw kneeling on the ground a woman's figure in black, with a -pail by her side, washing the marble floor. She raised her head.</p> - -<p>"Good-day, Señor Juan," she said, with the affectionate familiarity that -all popular heroes inspire, and she fixed on him admiringly the glance -of her solitary eye. The other was lost in a multiplicity of deep -wrinkles which seemed to meet in the hollow black socket.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p><p>The Señor Juan made no reply, but turned away nervously into the -kitchen, calling out to his mother:</p> - -<p>"Little mother, who is that one-eyed woman who is washing the patio?"</p> - -<p>"Who should she be, son? A poor woman with a large family. Our own -charwoman is ill, so I called her in."</p> - -<p>The torero was uneasy, and his look showed both anxiety and fear. Curse -it! Bulls in Seville, and the first person he met face to face was a -one-eyed woman! Certainly those things did not happen to any one else. -Nothing could be of worse augury. Did they want his death?</p> - -<p>The poor woman, shocked by his dismal prognostications and by his -vehement anger, tried to exculpate herself. How could she think of that? -The poor woman wanted to earn a peseta for her children. He must pick up -a good heart and thank God, who had so often remembered them and -delivered them from similar misery....</p> - -<p>Gallardo was softened by her allusion to their former poverty, which -always made him very tolerant to the good woman. All right, let the -one-eyed one remain, and let what God willed happen. And crossing the -patio with his back turned to her so as not to see that terrible eye, -the matador took refuge in his office close to the vestibule.</p> - -<p>The white walls, panelled with Moorish tiles to the height of a man, -were hung with announcements of corridas printed on silks of different -colours and diplomas of charitable societies with pompous titles, -recording corridas in which Gallardo had fought gratuitously for the -benefit of the poor. Innumerable portraits of himself, on foot, seated, -spreading his cape, squaring himself to kill, testified to the care with -which the papers <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>reproduced the gestures and divers positions of the -great man. Above the doorway was a portrait of Carmen in a white -mantilla, which made her eyes appear darker than ever, with a bunch of -carnations fastened in her black hair. On the opposite wall, above the -arm-chair by the writing bureau, was the enormous head of a black bull, -with glassy eyes, highly varnished nostrils, a spot of white hair on the -forehead, and enormous horns tapering to the finest point, white as -ivory at the base and gradually darkening to inky blackness at the tips. -Potaje, the picador, always broke out into poetic rhapsodies as he -looked at those enormous wide-spreading horns, saying that a blackbird -might sing on the point of one horn, without being heard from the point -of the other.</p> - -<p>Gallardo sat down by the beautiful table covered with bronzes, where -nothing seemed out of place save the thick coating of several days' -dust. On the writing bureau, which was of immense size, the ink bottles -ornamented by two metal horses, were clean and empty; the handsome pen -tray, supported by dogs' heads, was also empty, the great man had no -occasion to write, for Don José, his manager, brought him all contracts -and other professional papers to the club in the Calle de las Sierpes, -where on a small table the espada slowly and laboriously affixed his -signature.</p> - -<p>On one side of the room stood the library, a handsome bookcase of carved -oak, through the never-opened glass doors of which could be seen -imposing rows of volumes remarkable for their size and the brilliance of -their bindings.</p> - -<p>When Don José began to call Gallardo "the torero of the aristocracy," -the latter felt he must live up to this distinction, educating himself -so that his rich friends should not laugh at his ignorance, as had -happened to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> sundry of his comrades. So one day he entered a book shop -with a determined air.</p> - -<p>"Send me three thousand pesetas' worth of books."</p> - -<p>When the librarian looked slightly bewildered, as if he did not -understand, the torero proceeded energetically.</p> - -<p>"Books. Don't you understand me? The biggest books, and if you have no -objection, I should like them gilt."</p> - -<p>Gallardo was quite pleased with the look of his library. When anything -was spoken of at the club which he did not understand, he smiled -knowingly, and said to himself:</p> - -<p>"That must be in one of the books I have in the study."</p> - -<p>One rainy afternoon when he felt rather poorly, after wandering -listlessly about the house, not knowing what to do, he had opened the -bookcase and taken out a book, the largest of all. But after a few lines -he gave up the reading, and turned over the pages, looking at the prints -like a child who wants to amuse itself. Lions, elephants, wild horses -with flowing manes and fiery eyes, donkeys striped in colours, regular -as if done by rule.... The torero turned them all over carelessly, till -his eyes fell on the painted rings of a snake. Ugh! The beast! The nasty -beast! And he closed convulsively the two middle fingers of his hand, -throwing out the index and little finger like horns, to exorcise the -evil eye. He went on a little, but all the prints represented horrible -reptiles, till at last with shaking hands he shut the book and returned -it to the bookcase, murmuring: "Lizard, lizard," to dispel the -impression of this evil encounter, and the key of the bookcase remained -thenceforward in a drawer of the bureau, covered with old papers.</p> - -<p>That morning, the time he spent in his study only served to increase his -anxieties and trepidation. Scarcely<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> knowing why, he had been -considering the bull's head, and the most painful episode of his -professional life had vividly recurred to his memory. What a sweating -that brute had given him in the circus at Zaragoza! The bull was as -intelligent as a man; motionless, and with eyes of diabolical -maliciousness, he waited for the matador to approach him, when, not -deceived by the red cloth, he struck underneath it directly at the man's -body. The rapiers were sent flying through the air by his charges -without ever succeeding in wounding him. The populace became impatient, -whistling at and insulting the torero. The latter came behind the bull, -following his every movement from one side of the Plaza to the other, -knowing full well that if he stood straight and square before the animal -to kill, that he himself would be the one to die; until at last, -perspiring and fatigued, he took advantage of an opportunity to finish -him by a treacherous<a name="FNanchor_91_91" id="FNanchor_91_91"></a><a href="#Footnote_91_91" class="fnanchor">[91]</a> side blow, to the great scandal of the mob, who -pelted him with bottles and oranges; a remembrance which made him hot -with shame, and which, returning unluckily at this time, seemed to him -of quite as evil augury as meeting the one-eyed woman, and seeing the -snake.</p> - -<p>He breakfasted alone and ate little as was his habit on the days of a -corrida, and by the time he went up to dress the women had disappeared. -Ay! how they hated that brilliant costume, kept so carefully wrapped up -in linen. Splendid tools which had built up the luxury of the family!</p> - -<p>The farewells were, as usual, disconcerting and troubling for Gallardo. -The flight of the women not to see him come down, Carmen's attempts at -fortitude, accompanying him as far as the door, the wondering curiosity -of the little nephews, everything irritated the torero,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> grown arrogant -and hectoring as he saw the danger approaching.</p> - -<p>"One would think I was being taken to the gibbet! Good-bye for the -present. Calm yourselves. Nothing will happen."</p> - -<p>And he got into the carriage, making way for himself through the friends -and neighbours assembled in front of the house to wish "Señor Juan" good -luck.</p> - -<p>The afternoons when the espada fought in Seville were the most agonizing -for the family. When he fought away from home they were obliged to -resign themselves patiently to wait for the evening telegram. Here, the -danger being close at hand, a desperate anxiety for news awoke, and the -necessity of hearing every few minutes how the corrida was going on.</p> - -<p>The saddler, dressed as a gentleman, in a suit of light flannel and a -silky white felt hat, offered to let the women know what was happening. -After every bull that Juan killed he would send some urchin with news. -All the same he was furious at the incivility of his illustrious -brother-in-law, who had not even offered him a seat in the carriage with -the cuadrilla to drive to the Plaza!</p> - -<p>Gallardo knew the soil he was treading: it was familiar to him and was -in a sense his own. The sand of the different Plazas exercised an -influence on his superstitious temperament. He recalled the large Plazas -of Valencia and Barcelona, with their white sand, the dark sand of the -northern Plazas, and the red sand of the huge circus in Madrid. But the -sand in Seville was different from any other; drawn from the -Guadalquivir it was a bright yellow, like pulverized ochre. The -architecture of the buildings, too, had a certain influence over him, -some built in Roman style, others again Moorish, but the Plaza of -Seville was like a cathedral full of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> memories. There the glorious -inventors of different strokes had brought their art to perfection; the -school of Ronda with its steady and dignified fighting, and the school -of Seville with its light play and mobility which caught the public -fancy; and it was there that he, too, this afternoon would be -intoxicated by the applause, by the sun, by the roar of the crowd, -possibly by the sight of a blue bodice and a white mantilla leaning over -the edge of a box, and he felt capable of the most reckless hardihood.</p> - -<p>Anxious to outshine his companions, and monopolize all the applause, -Gallardo seemed to fill the circus with his agility and boldness. Never -had he been in such form. Don José, after each one of his splendid -strokes, stood up shouting, challenging invisible enemies hidden among -the benches. "Who dares to say anything against him! The first man in -the world!"</p> - -<p>At Gallardo's order, El Nacional, by clever cloak-play brought his -master's second bull in front of the box, where the blue bodice with the -white mantilla was seated. It was Doña Sol, accompanied by the Marquis -and his two daughters.</p> - -<p>Followed by the eyes of the audience Gallardo approached the barrier -holding his rapier and the muleta in one hand. When he arrived opposite -the box he stopped, took off his montera, and offered the bull as homage -to the Marquis' niece. Many people smiled maliciously. "Olé! the lad has -good luck." He gave a half turn, threw his montera behind him when he -had ended the "Brindis," and waited for the bull which the peons were -bringing up to him by dexterous cloak-play.</p> - -<p>Keeping the animal in a very limited space, he prevented it moving away -from that spot, and successfully accomplished his task. He wanted to -kill under Doña Sol's eyes, so that she should see him close at the -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>moment when he defied danger. Every pass from his muleta drew forth -exclamations of enthusiasm and cries of anxiety. The horn seemed to -graze his chest; it seemed impossible that blood should not flow after -the bull's attacks. Suddenly he squared himself, the rapier well in line -forward, and before the public could give its advice, by shouts or -counsels, he had thrown himself swiftly on the bull and for a few -instants man and bull looked as one body.</p> - -<p>When the man disengaged himself, the bull rushed forward with uncertain -step bellowing, its tongue hanging from its mouth, and the red pommel of -the rapier scarcely visible on the crest of its bloody neck. After a few -steps it fell, the spectators rose to their feet as one man and a hail -of applause and furious shouting burst from all parts of the -amphitheatre. There was no one in the world as brave as Gallardo! Had -that man ever felt fear?</p> - -<p>The espada saluted before the box, opening his arms with the rapier and -muleta in either hand, while the white-gloved hands of Doña Sol clapped -feverish applause.</p> - -<p>Then something small was passed down from spectator to spectator, from -the box down to the barrier. It was the lady's handkerchief, the one -which she had held in her hand, a small scented square of lawn and lace, -passed through a diamond ring, which she presented to the torero in -acknowledgment of his "brindis."</p> - -<p>The applause broke out afresh on seeing this recognition, and the -attention of the public, hitherto fixed on the matador, was now turned -on Doña Sol, many turning their backs on the circus to look at her, and -extolling her beauty with the familiarity of Andalusian gallantry. Then -a small hairy and still warm triangle was passed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> up from hand to hand -to the box. It was the bull's ear, sent by the matador in witness of his -"brindis."</p> - -<p>Before the fiesta was ended the news of Gallardo's great triumph had -spread all over the town, and when the espada returned to his house half -the neighbourhood had assembled to applaud him, as though they had all -been at the corrida.</p> - -<p>The saddler, forgetting his annoyance with the espada, admired him even -more for his friendly relations with the nobility than for his exploits -in the bull-ring. He had his eyes fixed on a certain appointment, and he -made very little doubt about getting it, seeing his brother-in-law's -intimacy with the best people in Seville.</p> - -<p>"Show them the ring. My goodness, Encarnacion, what a present! It is -worthy of Roger de Flor!"</p> - -<p>The ring passed from hand to hand, with cries of admiration from the -women. Carmen only pursed up her lips on seeing it. "Yes, it is very -pretty," and she passed it on hurriedly to her brother-in-law, as if it -burnt her fingers.</p> - -<p>After this corrida, the travelling season began. Gallardo had more -engagements than in any previous year. After the corridas in Madrid, he -was to fight in every Plaza in Spain. His manager was nearly distracted -over the railway time tables, making endless calculations for the future -guidance of his matador.</p> - -<p>Gallardo went from triumph to triumph. Never had he been in such good -form! He seemed to have gained fresh strength. Before the corridas, -cruel doubts overwhelmed him, tremors nearly akin to fear, such as he -had never known in his early days, when he was only beginning to make -his name; but as soon as he found himself in the arena, these fears -vanished and an almost savage bravery possessed him, which was always -accompanied by fresh laurels.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p><p>When his work was over in some provincial town, and he returned to the -hotel with his cuadrilla, for they all lived together, he would sit down -perspiring, wearied with the pleasant fatigue of triumph, and before he -could change his gala dress, all the wiseacres in the locality would -come to congratulate him. He had been "colossal." He was the first -torero in the world! That estocada of the fourth bull!...</p> - -<p>"Yes, indeed," said Gallardo, with almost childish pride. "Really I was -not bad in that."</p> - -<p>With the interminable verbosity of all conversations about bulls, the -time passed without either the espada or his friends wearying of talking -about the afternoon's corridas, or about those of previous years. Night -fell, the lights were lit, but still the aficionados did not go. The -cuadrilla, according to bull-fighting discipline, listened silently to -all this babel of talk at the further end of the room. As long as the -master had not given his permission, his "lads" could neither undress -nor sup. The picadors, fatigued by the iron armour on their legs and the -terrible bruises resulting from their falls from horseback, held their -coarse beaver hats between their knees: the banderilleros, their -skintight silk garments, wet with perspiration, were all hungry after -their afternoon's violent exercise; all were thinking the same thing and -casting furious looks at these enthusiasts.</p> - -<p>"When on earth will those tiresome idiots leave? Curse their hearts!"</p> - -<p>At last the matador noticed them. "You may go," he said. And the -cuadrilla escaped, pushing each other like school boys let loose, while -the maestro continued listening to the praises of the connoisseurs, and -Garabato waited silently to undress him.</p> - -<p>On his days of rest, the maestro, free from the excitements of danger -and glory, turned his thoughts towards<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> Seville. Now and then one of -those short little perfumed notes came for him, congratulating him on -his triumphs. Ay! If only Doña Sol were with him!</p> - -<p>There were moments in which he felt compelled to confide his sadness to -El Nacional with that irresistible impulse of confession which all feel -who carry a heavy weight in their hearts.</p> - -<p>Besides, now he was away from Seville, he felt a greater affection for -the banderillero, a kind of reflected tenderness. Sebastian knew of his -loves with Doña Sol; he had seen her, though from afar, and she had -often laughed when Gallardo told her of the picador's originalities.</p> - -<p>Sebastian received his master's confidences with severe looks.</p> - -<p>"What you have got to do, Juan, is to forget this lady. Family peace is -worth more than anything to us who knock about the world, constantly -exposed to danger and liable to be brought home any day feet foremost. -See! Carmen knows a great deal more than you think. She is perfectly -acquainted with everything, and she has even questioned me indirectly as -to your relations with the Marquis' niece. Poor little thing! It is a -shame to make her suffer!... She has a temper, and if you arouse it, it -may give you some trouble."</p> - -<p>But Gallardo, away from his family, and with his thoughts dominated by -the remembrance of Doña Sol, did not seem to understand the dangers of -which El Nacional spoke, and shrugged his shoulders at these sentimental -scruples. He felt the need of speaking of his remembrances, of making -his friend the confidant of his past happiness.</p> - -<p>"You do not know what that woman is! You are an unlucky man, Sebastian, -who does not know what is good. Take all the beautiful women in Seville -together<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span>—they are as nothing. See all those we meet on our -travels—neither are they anything. There is only one—Doña Sol, and -when you know a woman like that, you do not want to know any others. If -you only knew her as I do, gacho! Women of our class reek of health and -clean linen, but this one!... Sebastian, this one!... Picture to -yourself all the roses in the gardens of the Alcazar—No, something -better still—jasmine, honeysuckle, all the bewildering perfumes of the -gardens of Paradise, and those sweet scents seem to belong to her, not -as if she put them on, but as if they were flowering in her veins. -Besides, she is not one of those who once seen are always the same. With -her there is always something still to desire, something to hope for, -something which is never attained. I cannot, Sebastian, express myself -better.... But you do not know what a great lady is; so don't preach any -more, and shut your beak."</p> - -<p>Gallardo no longer received any letters from Seville. Doña Sol was -abroad. He saw her once when he was fighting in San Sebastian. The -beautiful woman was staying in Biarritz and she came over with some -French ladies who wished to know the torero. After that he heard very -little of her; only from the few letters he got, and from the news his -manager collected from the Marquis de Moraima.</p> - -<p>She was at the seaside, then he heard she had gone to England, then to -Germany, and Gallardo despaired of ever seeing her again.</p> - -<p>This possibility saddened the torero, and revealed the ascendancy this -woman had gained both over himself and his will. Never to see her again! -Why then should he expose his life and become famous? Of what use was -the applause of the populace?</p> - -<p>His manager reassured him. She would return: he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> was quite certain. Even -if it were only for a year, for Doña Sol, with all her mad caprices, was -a very practical woman, and knew how to look after what belonged to her. -She needed her uncle's assistance to disentangle the most involved -affairs, both of her own and her late husband's fortune, produced by -their long and expensive stay abroad.</p> - -<p>The espada returned to Seville towards the end of the summer. He had -still a good many corridas for the autumn, but he wanted to take -advantage of a month's rest, during the absence of his family at the -Baths of San Lucar.</p> - -<p>Gallardo shivered with emotion when one day his manager announced the -unexpected return of Doña Sol.</p> - -<p>He went to see her at once, but after the first few words felt -intimidated by her cold amiability and the expression of her eyes.</p> - -<p>She looked at him as if he were different. In her glance a certain -surprise at his rough exterior, at the difference between herself and -this man, the matador of bulls, could be guessed.</p> - -<p>He also felt this gulf which seemed opening between them. He looked at -her as though she were another woman; a great lady of a different race -and country.</p> - -<p>They talked quietly. She seemed to have forgotten the past, and Gallardo -did not dare to remind her of it, nor to make the slightest advance, -fearing one of her outbursts of anger.</p> - -<p>"Seville!" said Doña Sol. "It is very beautiful ... very pleasant. But -there is more in the world! I warn you. Gallardo, that some day I shall -take flight for ever. I guess that I shall be bored to death. My Seville -seems quite changed."</p> - -<p>She no longer "tutoyed" him, and it was many days before the torero -dared during his visits to make the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> slightest allusion to the past. He -confined himself to gazing at her in silence, with his moist and adoring -Moorish eyes.</p> - -<p>"I am bored. Some day I shall go away," she exclaimed at all these -interviews.</p> - -<p>Other times the imposing servant would receive the torero at the wicket -and tell him the Señora was out, when he knew quite certainly that she -was at home.</p> - -<p>Gallardo told her one evening of a short excursion he was obliged to -make to his farm of La Rinconada. He wanted to see some olive yards his -manager had bought for him during his absence, and added to the -property. He wanted also to look after the general work.</p> - -<p>The idea of accompanying the espada on this expedition delighted Doña -Sol. To go to that grange where Gallardo's family spent the greater part -of the year! To enter with the startling scandal of irregularity and sin -into the quiet atmosphere of that country house, where the poor fellow -lived with his belongings!...</p> - -<p>The absurdity of the wish decided her. She also would go. The idea of -seeing La Rinconada interested her.</p> - -<p>Gallardo felt afraid. He thought of all the farm people, of the gossips -who would probably tell his family of this trip, but Doña Sol's glance -beat down all his scruples. Who could tell? ... possibly this trip might -bring on a return of their former intimacy.</p> - -<p>All the same he wished to oppose one obstacle to this wish.</p> - -<p>"How about El Plumitas?... According to what I hear, he is wandering -round La Rinconada."</p> - -<p>"Ah! El Plumitas!" Doña Sol's face, darkened by boredom, seemed to light -up with an inward flame.</p> - -<p>"How curious! I should be so delighted if you could present him to me."</p> - -<p>Gallardo arranged the journey. He had thought of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> going alone, but Doña -Sol's company obliged him to seek an escort, fearing some evil encounter -on the road.</p> - -<p>He looked up Potaje, the picador. He was extremely rough, fearing -nothing in the world but his gipsy wife, who when she was tired of being -beaten would turn and bite him. There would be no need to give him any -explanations, only wine in abundance. Alcohol and his atrocious falls in -the arena seemed to keep him in a perpetual muddle, as if his head were -buzzing, and only permitted his few slow words and a cloudy vision of -everything.</p> - -<p>He ordered also El Nacional to accompany them, he would be one more, and -was of tried discretion.</p> - -<p>The banderillero obeyed from subordination, but he grumbled when he knew -Doña Sol was going with them.</p> - -<p>"By the life of the blue dove! To think of the father of a family mixing -himself up in such ugly doings!... What will Carmen and the Señora -Angustias say of me when they come to hear of it?"</p> - -<p>But when he found himself in the open country, seated by the side of -Potaje, in front of the espada and the great lady, his annoyance -gradually vanished.</p> - -<p>He could not see her well, wrapped up as she was in a large blue veil -which covered her travelling cap, and falling over her yellow silk coat; -but she was very beautiful.... And to hear them talk! What things she -knew!</p> - -<p>Before the journey was half over, El Nacional, in spite of his -twenty-five years of conjugal fidelity, forgave his master's weakness, -and quite understood his infatuation.</p> - -<p>If ever he found himself in a like situation he would do exactly the -same!</p> - -<p>Education!... It was a great thing, capable of infusing respectability -even into the most heinous sins.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_85_85" id="Footnote_85_85"></a><a href="#FNanchor_85_85"><span class="label">[85]</span></a> Diminutive of José.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_86_86" id="Footnote_86_86"></a><a href="#FNanchor_86_86"><span class="label">[86]</span></a> Little wolf.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_87_87" id="Footnote_87_87"></a><a href="#FNanchor_87_87"><span class="label">[87]</span></a> Branding of young bulls on the thighs with a hot iron. An -operation which is not conducted without some commotion.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_88_88" id="Footnote_88_88"></a><a href="#FNanchor_88_88"><span class="label">[88]</span></a> Holy Saturday, so called from a religious ceremony in the -Cathedral during which the "Gloria" is sung.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_89_89" id="Footnote_89_89"></a><a href="#FNanchor_89_89"><span class="label">[89]</span></a> The warner.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_90_90" id="Footnote_90_90"></a><a href="#FNanchor_90_90"><span class="label">[90]</span></a> The sleeve.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_91_91" id="Footnote_91_91"></a><a href="#FNanchor_91_91"><span class="label">[91]</span></a> This is looked upon as "hitting below the belt."</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER V</h2> - -<p>"Let him tell you who he is, or let him go to the devil. Cursed bad -luck.... Can't you let a fellow sleep?"</p> - -<p>El Nacional received this answer through his master's bedroom door, and -passed it on to a farm servant who was waiting on the stairs.</p> - -<p>"Tell him to say who he is; otherwise the master won't get up."</p> - -<p>It was eight o'clock, and the banderillero went to a window to watch the -farm servant, who ran down the road in front of the grange, till he came -to the end of the distant fence which bounded the property. Close to the -entrance through this fence, he saw a rider, who appeared very small in -the distance, both man and horse looking as if they had come out of a -toy box.</p> - -<p>A short time afterwards the labourer returned, having talked with the -rider.</p> - -<p>El Nacional, who seemed interested by these comings and goings, waited -for him at the foot of the staircase.</p> - -<p>"He says he must see the master," mumbled the shepherd, stammering. "He -seems to me up to no good. He says the master must come down at once, as -he has something important to tell him."</p> - -<p>The banderillero returned to knock at his master's door, paying no -attention to his grumbling. He ought to get up, it was a late hour for -the country, and the man might bring some important message.</p> - -<p>"I'm coming," said Gallardo ill-humouredly, without however moving from -his bed.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p><p>El Nacional went again to the window, and saw the rider coming up the -road towards the house.</p> - -<p>The shepherd was going to meet him with the reply. The poor man seemed -uneasy, and in his two dialogues with the banderillero, had stuttered -with an expression of fright and doubt, but had not dared to disclose -his thoughts.</p> - -<p>After rejoining the rider, he listened to him for a few minutes and then -retraced his steps, running towards the farm, but this time very -quickly.</p> - -<p>El Nacional heard him running up the stairs no less quickly, coming up -to him pale and trembling.</p> - -<p>"It is El Plumitas, Seño Sebastian. He says he is Plumitas and that he -must see the master.... My heart beat directly I saw him."</p> - -<p>"El Plumitas!" The shepherd's voice, in spite of being shaking and -breathless, seemed to penetrate throughout the whole house as he -pronounced that name. The banderillero stood dumb with surprise, and -from the espada's room came a volley of oaths, the rustle of clothes, -and the sound of some one throwing himself roughly out of bed. From the -room occupied by Doña Sol other sounds also came which seemed in answer -to this astounding news.</p> - -<p>"Curse him! What does the man want? Why has he come to La Rincona? -especially just now!"...</p> - -<p>Gallardo came quickly out of his room, having only drawn his trousers -and jacket over his night clothes. He ran on before the banderillero, -with the blind impulsiveness of his character, throwing himself in hot -haste down the stairs followed by El Nacional.</p> - -<p>At the entrance of the farm the rider was dismounting. A shepherd held -the horse's reins, and the other labourers gathered in a group at a -short distance, watching the new comer with curiosity and respect.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p><p>The new comer was a man of medium stature, rather short than tall, -plump faced, fair, with short strong limbs. He was dressed in a grey -jacket trimmed with black braid, dark-striped breeches with a large -piece of leather inside the knee, and leather gaiters wrinkled and -cracked by the sun and the rain. Underneath his jacket, his waist seemed -swelled out by the folds of a large silk waist sash, and a cartridge -box, to which were added the thickness of a revolver, and a large knife -passed through his belt. In his right hand he carried a repeating -carbine. His head was covered by a sombrero which had once been white, -but which was now stained and ragged by the inclemency of the weather. A -red handkerchief knotted round his throat was the most showy part of his -dress.</p> - -<p>His broad chubby face had the placidity of a full moon. On his cheeks, -whose whiteness showed through the coat of sunburn, sprouted a red -beard, unshaven for several days. The eyes were the only disquieting -things in this good-humoured face, which looked as if it must belong to -a village sacristan; they were small triangular eyes, sunk in rolls of -fat; little pig eyes, with a malignant dark blue pupil.</p> - -<p>As Gallardo appeared at the door, the man recognized him at once, -raising his sombrero from his round head.</p> - -<p>"God give us a good day, Seño Juan ..." he said with the grave courtesy -of an Andalusian peasant.</p> - -<p>"Good day."</p> - -<p>"Are your family quite well, Seño Juan?"</p> - -<p>"Quite well, thanks. And yours?" enquired the espada automatically from -habit.</p> - -<p>"I believe they are quite well. But it is a long time since I have seen -them."</p> - -<p>The two men were standing close together, examining each other as -naturally as possible, as if they were two<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> wayfarers who had met in the -country. The torero was pale, compressing his lips to hide his feelings. -Did the bandit think he was going to frighten him! Possibly at another -time this visit might have scared him, but now—having upstairs what he -had, he felt capable of fighting him just as if he had been a bull, -directly he declared his evil intentions.</p> - -<p>A few moments passed in silence. All the farm men (about a dozen), who -had not gone out to work in the fields, were looking with almost -childish wonder at this terrible personage, whose very name obsessed -them with its gloomy fame.</p> - -<p>"Can they take the mare round to the stable to rest a little?" enquired -the bandit.</p> - -<p>Gallardo signed to a man, who took the reins and walked away with her.</p> - -<p>"Take good care of her," said Plumitas. "Mia is the best thing I have in -the world and I love her more than wife or children."</p> - -<p>A fresh personage had joined the group, standing in the midst of the -amazed people.</p> - -<p>It was Potaje, the picador, who came out half dressed and stretching -himself, with all the rough strength of his athletic body. He rubbed his -eyes, always bloodshot and inflamed by drink, and approaching the bandit -let one huge hand fall on his shoulder with studied familiarity, as if -he enjoyed feeling him squirm under his grasp and wished at the same -time to express his rough sympathy.</p> - -<p>"How are you, Plumitas?"...</p> - -<p>He saw him for the first time. The bandit drew himself together as if he -intended to resent this rough and unceremonious caress, and his right -hand raised the rifle. However, fixing his little blue eyes on the -picador, he seemed to recognize him.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p><p>"You are Potaje, if I am not mistaken. I saw you spear in Seville at -the last fair. Good Lord how you fell! How strong you are!... One would -think you were made of iron."</p> - -<p>And as if to return the salute, he seized the picador's arm with his -horny hand, feeling his biceps with admiration. The two stood looking at -each other, till the picador gave a deep laugh.</p> - -<p>"Jo! Jo! I thought you were much bigger, Plumitas. But that does not -matter; for in spite of it you are a fine fellow."</p> - -<p>The bandit turned to the espada.</p> - -<p>"Can I breakfast here?"</p> - -<p>Gallardo put on the look of a great nobleman.</p> - -<p>"No one who comes to La Rincona leaves it without breakfast."</p> - -<p>They all entered the farm kitchen, an immense room, with a large wide -open chimney, which was the general gathering place.</p> - -<p>The espada sat down in an arm-chair, and a girl, the overseer's -daughter, busied herself with putting on his boots, for in his hurry he -had run down in his slippers.</p> - -<p>El Nacional, wishing to give signs of his existence, and reassured by -the courteous manner of the visitor, appeared with a bottle of country -wine and some glasses.</p> - -<p>"I know you also," said the bandit, treating him as familiarly as the -picador. "I have seen you fix in banderillas. When you like you can do -well enough, but you must throw yourself on the bull better."</p> - -<p>Potaje and the maestro laughed at this advice. As he took up the glass, -Plumitas found himself embarrassed by his carbine, which he had placed -between his knees.</p> - -<p>"Put it down, man," said the picador. "Do you stick to your weapon when -you are paying a visit?"</p> - -<p>The bandit became suddenly serious. It was all right<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> so, it was his -usual habit. The carbine kept him company everywhere, even when he -slept. This allusion to his weapon which seemed another limb of his -body, made him grave. He looked all round uneasily, and suspiciously, -with the habit of living constantly on the alert, trusting no one, -confiding in nothing but his own endeavours, and feeling danger -constantly all round him.</p> - -<p>A shepherd crossed the kitchen going towards the door.</p> - -<p>"Where is that man going to?"</p> - -<p>As he asked this he sat upright in his chair, drawing his loaded carbine -closer to his breast with his knees.</p> - -<p>He was going to a large field near where the rest of the labourers were -working. Plumitas seemed tranquillized.</p> - -<p>"Listen here, Seño Juan. I have come here for the pleasure of seeing you -and because I know you are a caballero, incapable of breathing a -word.... Besides, you will have heard of Plumitas. It is not easy to -catch him, and he who tries it will pay for it."</p> - -<p>The picador intervened before his master could speak.</p> - -<p>"Don't be a brute, Plumitas. You are here among comrades as long as you -behave well and decently."</p> - -<p>And at once the bandit seemed reassured, and began to speak of his mare, -praising her qualities, and the two men hobnobbed with the enthusiasm of -mountain riders who love a horse far better than a man.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, who still seemed anxious, walked about the kitchen, where some -of the farm women, swarthy and masculine, were preparing the breakfast, -looking sideways at the celebrated Plumitas.</p> - -<p>In one of his turns the espada came up to El Nacional. He must go to -Doña Sol's room, and ask her not to come down. The bandit would most -probably leave after<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> breakfast, and why show herself to that -redoubtable personage?</p> - -<p>The banderillero disappeared, and Plumitas, seeing the maestro apart -from the others, went up to him, inquiring with great interest about the -remaining corridas of the year.</p> - -<p>"I am a Gallardista, you know. I have applauded you oftener than you -could imagine. I have seen you in Seville, in Jaen, in Cordoba ... in -ever so many places."</p> - -<p>Gallardo was astounded. How could he, who had a real army of soldiers -after him, go quietly to a corrida of bulls? Plumitas smiled with -superiority.</p> - -<p>"Bah! I go wherever I like. I am everywhere."</p> - -<p>Then he spoke of the occasions on which he had met the espada on the way -to the farm, sometimes accompanied, at other times alone, passing close -to him on the road, and taking no notice of him, thinking him probably -some poor shepherd riding to deliver a message at some hut close by.</p> - -<p>"When you came from Seville to buy those two mills down there, I met you -on the road. You had then five thousand duros on you. Had you not? Tell -the truth. You see I was well informed.... Another time I saw you in one -of those animals they call automobiles, with another gentleman from -Seville, your manager I believe. You were going to sign the papers for -the Oliver del Cura, and you had a much larger pot of money with you -that time."</p> - -<p>Little by little Gallardo recalled the exactitude of those facts, -looking with wonder at this man, who seemed to be informed about -everything. The bandit, in order to show his generosity to the torero on -those occasions, spoke of the ease with which he surmounted -difficulties.</p> - -<p>"You see, about those automobiles,—it is a trifle! I can stop one of -those 'bichos' with only this," showing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> his carbine. "Once in Cordoba I -had some accounts to settle with a rich gentleman who was my enemy. I -drew up my mare on one side of the road, and when that 'bicho' came -along in a cloud of dust and stinking of petroleum, I shouted 'Halt!' He -did not choose to stop, so I put a ball into one of his wheels. To cut -it short, the automobile stopped a little further on and I galloped up -and settled my accounts with the fellow. A man who can put a ball -wherever he chooses, can stop anything on the road."</p> - -<p>Gallardo felt more and more astonished as he heard Plumitas tell of his -exploits on the road, with quite professional simplicity.</p> - -<p>"I did not wish to stop you. You are not one of those rich men. You are -a poor man like myself, only you have better luck, more than enough in -your profession; if you have made money you have earned it well. I like -you because you are a fine matador, and I have a weakness for brave men. -The two of us are like comrades; we both live by exposing our lives. For -this reason, although you did not know me, I was there, seeing you pass -without even asking a cigarette from you, for fear that some rascal -should take advantage by going on the highway and saying he was -Plumitas; stranger things have happened...."</p> - -<p>An unexpected apparition cut short the bandit's speech, and the torero's -face changed to a look of extreme annoyance. "Curse it! Doña Sol! Had -not El Nacional given his message?"... The banderillero followed the -lady, making various signs from the kitchen door, which meant that all -his prayers and advice had been useless.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol came down in her travelling coat, her golden hair combed and -knotted hurriedly. El Plumitas in the farm: What joy! Part of the night -she had been <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span>thinking of him, proposing on the following morning to -ride about the solitudes around La Rinconada, in the hopes that good -luck would make her run against the interesting bandit. And as if her -thoughts exercised a far distant influence in attracting people, the -bandit had obeyed her wishes and had appeared early in the grange.</p> - -<p>El Plumitas! The name alone called up the full figure of the bandit -before her imagination. She scarcely needed to know him; she would -scarcely feel any surprise. She saw him tall, slim, of dark complexion, -a pointed hat placed over a red handkerchief, from under which appeared -curls of hair as black as jet. She saw an active man, dressed in black -velvet, his slim waist encircled by a purple silk sash, and his legs in -gaiters of a fine date colour—a veritable knight errant of the -Andalusian steppes.</p> - -<p>Her eyes, wide open with excitement, wandered over the kitchen, without -seeing either a pointed hat or a blunderbus. She saw an unknown man, -standing up, a kind of keeper with a carbine, just like any of those she -had so often seen on estates belonging to her family.</p> - -<p>"Good day, Señora Marquesa.... Your uncle, the Marquis, is he quite -well?"</p> - -<p>The looks of every one converging on that man, told her the truth. "Ay! -And that was Plumitas!"...</p> - -<p>He had taken off his hat with clumsy courtesy, abashed by the lady's -presence, and continued standing with his carbine in one hand, and the -old felt hat in the other.</p> - -<p>Gallardo was fairly astounded at the bandit's address. That man seemed -to know every one. He knew who Doña Sol was, and by an excess of -respect, extended to her the titles belonging to her family.</p> - -<p>The lady, recovering from her surprise, signed to him to sit down and -cover himself, but though he obeyed the first, he left the felt hat on a -chair close by.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span></p><p>As if he guessed the question in Doña Sol's eyes, which were fixed on -him, he added:</p> - -<p>"The Señora Marquesa must not be surprised at my knowing her. I have -seen her very often with the Marquis and others going to the trial of -the calves. I have seen also from afar how the Señora attacked the young -bulls with her garrocha. The Señora is very brave and the handsomest -woman I have seen on God's earth. It is a pure delight to see her on -horseback. And men ought to fight for her heavenly blue eyes!"</p> - -<p>The bandit was drawn on quite naturally by his southern warmth to seek -fresh expressions of admiration for Doña Sol.</p> - -<p>She had grown paler, and her eyes were wide open with half pleased -terror; she began to find the bandit decidedly interesting. Had he come -to the farm only for her? Did he propose to carry her off to his hiding -places in the mountains?...</p> - -<p>The torero grew alarmed hearing these expressions of rough admiration. -Curse him! In his own house ... before his very face! If he went on like -this he would go up and fetch his gun, and even though Plumitas were the -other one, they would see which one would carry her off.</p> - -<p>The bandit seemed to understand the annoyance his words had caused, and -went on most respectfully.</p> - -<p>"Your pardon, Señora Marquesa. It is idle talk and nothing more. I have -a wife and four children, who weep for me more than the Virgin of -Sorrows. I am an unhappy man, who is what he is because bad luck has -pursued him."</p> - -<p>As if he were endeavouring to make himself agreeable to Doña Sol, he -broke out into praises of her family. The Marquis de Moraima was one of -the most honourable men in the world.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span></p><p>"If only all rich men were like him. My father worked for him and often -spoke of his kindness. I spent one hot weather in the hut of one of his -shepherds. He knew it and never said a word. He has given orders on all -his farms to give me what I want and to leave me in peace.... These -things are never forgotten. There are so many rich rascals in the -world!... Very often I have met him alone, riding his horse like a young -man, as if years had stood still for him. 'Go with God, Seño Marque.' -'Your health, my lad.' He did not know me; and could not guess who I was -because my companion (touching his carbine) was hidden under my blanket. -And I should have wished to stop him to take his hand, not to shake -it—that no—how could so good a man shake hands with me, who have so -many deaths and mutilations on my soul, but to kiss it as if he were my -father, and to thank him for what he has done for me."</p> - -<p>The vehemence with which he spoke of his gratitude did not move Doña -Sol. And so that was the famous Plumitas!... A poor sort of man, a good -country rabbit whom every one looked on as a wolf, deceived by his fame.</p> - -<p>"There are very bad rich men," went on the bandit. "What some of them -make the poor suffer!... Near my village lives one who lends money on -usury and who is more perverse than Judas. I sent him a notice that he -should not cause trouble to the people, and he, the thief, gave -information to the civil guards to search for me. Result, that I burnt -his hay-rick, and did a few other little things, and he was more than a -year without ever daring to go into Seville for fear of meeting -Plumitas. Another man was going to evict a poor old woman from the house -in which her parents had lived, because she had not paid any rent for a -year. I went<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> to see the gentleman one evening, when he was sitting at -table with his family. 'My master, I am El Plumitas, and I want a -hundred duros.' He gave them to me, and I took them to the old woman. -'Here, granny, take these—pay that Jew what you owe him, and keep the -rest for yourself, and may they bring you luck.'"</p> - -<p>Doña Sol looked at the bandit with more interest.</p> - -<p>"And dead men?" she enquired. "How many have you killed?"</p> - -<p>"Lady, we will not speak of that," said the bandit gravely. "You would -take a dislike to me, and after all I am only an unhappy man, whom they -are trying to trap, and who defends himself as best he can."</p> - -<p>There was a long silence.</p> - -<p>"You cannot imagine how I live, Señora Marquesa," he went on. "The wild -beasts are better off than I am. I sleep where I can, or not at all. I -rise on one side of the province and lie down to rest on the other. I -have to keep my eyes well open and a heavy hand, so that they may -respect me and not sell me. The poor are good, but poverty is a thing -that turns the best bad. If they had not been afraid of me they would -have betrayed me to the civil guards again and again. I have no true -friends but my mare and this (touching his carbine). Now and then I feel -the longing to see my wife and little ones, and I go by night into my -village. All the neighbours who see me shut their eyes. But some day -this will end badly.... There are times when I am weary of solitude and -feel I must see people. I have thought for a long time of coming to La -Rincona. 'Why should I not pay a visit to Seño Juan Gallardo, I who -admire him and who have so often clapped him?' But I have always seen -you with so many friends, or your wife and your mother and the children -who have been at the farm. I know what that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> means. They would have died -of fright at the very sight of Plumitas. But now it is different. When I -saw you come with the Señora Marquesa, I said to myself: 'Let us go and -salute these Señores and have a chat with them.'"</p> - -<p>And the cunning smile which accompanied these words at once established -a difference between the torero's family and that woman, giving them to -understand that Gallardo's relations with Doña Sol were no secret to -him. In the bottom of this rough peasant's heart was a deep respect for -legitimate marriage, and he thought himself free to take greater -liberties with the torero's aristocratic friend than with the poor women -who formed his family.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol took no notice, but she pressed the bandit with questions as to -how he had come to be what he was.</p> - -<p>"It was injustice, Señora Marquesa, one of those misfortunes which fall -upon us poor people. I was one of the sharpest in my village, and the -labourers always put me as spokesman when they had anything to ask from -the rich people. I can read and write, for I became sacristan when I was -quite a boy, and I gained my name of Plumitas from running after the -hens and plucking out their tail feathers for pens."</p> - -<p>A thump from Potaje interrupted him.</p> - -<p>"Comparé, I had already thought since I saw you that you were a church -rat, or something similar."</p> - -<p>El Nacional was silent, without daring to remark on these confidences, -but he smiled slightly. A sacristan turned into a bandit! What would Don -Joselito say when he told him this!</p> - -<p>"I married my wife and our first child was born. One night two civil -guards came to our house, and carried me out of the village, to the -threshing floors.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> Some one had fired some shots at the door of a rich -man, and those good gentlemen made up their minds it was I. I denied it -and they beat me with their carbines. I denied it again, and again they -beat me. To cut it short, till dawn they beat me all over the body, -sometimes with the ramrods, sometimes with the butt-ends, till they got -tired and I became unconscious. They had tied both my hands and my feet, -and beat me as if I were a bundle, saying: 'Are you not the bravest in -your village? Get up and defend yourself, let's see how far your fists -can reach.' It was their mockery I felt the most. My poor wife cured me -as best she could, but I could not rest, I could not live remembering -the blows and the mockery.... To cut it short again: one day one of -those civil guards was found dead on the threshing floor, and I, to save -myself annoyance, fled to the mountains ... and up to now...."</p> - -<p>"Gacho, you did well," said Potaje admiringly. "And the other one?"</p> - -<p>"I know not; I think he must still be alive. He fled from the village; -with all his valour he begged to be removed, but I have not forgotten -him. Some day I shall settle with him. Sometimes I am told he is at the -other end of Spain, and there I go. I would go if it were to hell -itself. I leave the mare and the carbine with some friend to keep for me -and I take the train like a gentleman. I have been in Barcelona, in -Valladolid, in many other places. I stand near the prison and watch the -civil guards who go in and out. 'This is not my man, neither is this -one.' My informants must have been mistaken, but it does not signify. I -have searched for him for years and some day I shall meet him—unless he -be dead, which would be a real pity."</p> - -<p>Doña Sol followed this story with great interest.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> What an original -figure was Plumitas! She had been mistaken in thinking him a rabbit.</p> - -<p>The bandit was silent. He frowned as though he was afraid of having said -too much, and wished to avoid further confidences.</p> - -<p>"With your permission," he said to the espada. "I will go to the stables -and see how they are treating the mare. Are you coming, comrade?... You -will see something good."</p> - -<p>Potaje accepting the invitation, they left the kitchen together.</p> - -<p>When the lady and the torero were left alone his ill humour broke out. -Why had she come down? It was imprudent to show herself to a man like -that: a bandit whose name was the terror of every one.</p> - -<p>But Doña Sol, delighted with the good luck of the meeting, laughed at -the espada's fears. The bandit seemed a good sort of fellow, an -unfortunate man whose evil deeds were exaggerated by the popular -imagination.</p> - -<p>"I had fancied him different, but in any case I am delighted to have -seen him. We will give him some alms when he goes. What an original -country this is! What types!... And how interesting his chase after that -civil guard all over Spain!... With this material one might write a most -delightful feuilleton."</p> - -<p>The farm women were taking the great frying-pans off the fire, which -spread the most excellent smell of pork sausages.</p> - -<p>"To breakfast, caballeros!" shouted El Nacional, who took upon himself -the functions of majordomo, when he was at the matador's farm.</p> - -<p>In the centre of the kitchen stood a large table spread with cloths, -round loaves and bottles of wine. Potaje and Plumitas arrived at the -summons, and various <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span>employés of the farm, the steward, the overseer, -and all those fulfilling the more confidential functions. They proceeded -to sit down on two benches placed alongside the table, while Gallardo -looked undecidedly at Doña Sol. She ought to breakfast upstairs in the -family's rooms. But the lady, laughing at this invitation, sat down at -the head of the table. She enjoyed this rustic life, and she thought it -very interesting to breakfast with these people. She had been born for a -soldier. With masculine free and easiness she made the espada sit down, -sniffing the delicious smell of the sausages with her pretty nose. What -a delicious meal. How hungry she was!</p> - -<p>"This is all right," said Plumitas sententiously, as he looked at the -table. "The masters and the servants eating together, as they are said -to have done in ancient times. But this is the first time I have seen -it."</p> - -<p>He sat down by the picador, still holding his carbine, which he placed -between his knees.</p> - -<p>"Get along further up, my lad," said he, pushing Potaje with his body.</p> - -<p>The picador, who treated him with rough comradeship, replied by another -push, and the two men laughed as they pushed each other, amusing the -whole table with their rough horseplay.</p> - -<p>"But curse you!" said the picador. "Put your gun away from between your -knees. Don't you see it is pointing at me, and an accident might -happen?"</p> - -<p>Certainly the bandit's carbine, standing between his legs, was pointing -its black muzzle towards the picador.</p> - -<p>"Put it down, man!" insisted the latter. "Do you want it to eat with?"</p> - -<p>"It is all right as it is. There is no fear," replied the bandit -shortly, frowning, as if he would not admit of any remark as to his -precautions.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span></p><p>He seized a spoon, took a large piece of bread and looked round at the -others, to make sure, with his rural courtesy, if the proper time for -beginning had arrived.</p> - -<p>"Your health, Señores!" and without more ado he attacked the enormous -dish which had been placed in the middle of the table for him and the -toreros. Another equally large dish smoked further down for the farm -people.</p> - -<p>He soon seemed ashamed of his voracity, and after a few spoonsful -stopped, thinking an explanation necessary.</p> - -<p>"Since yesterday morning I have touched nothing but a scrap of bread and -a drop of milk which they gave me in a shepherd's hut. Good appetite, -gentlemen!"...</p> - -<p>And he again attacked the dish, acknowledging Potaje's jests as to his -voracity by winking and the continued working of his jaws.</p> - -<p>The picador wished to make him drink. Intimidated by his master's -presence, who was afraid of his drunkenness, he looked anxiously at the -flasks of wine placed within reach of his hand.</p> - -<p>"Drink, Plumitas. Dry food is bad; you must wet it."</p> - -<p>But before the brigand could accept his invitation, Potaje drank and -drank again hurriedly. Plumitas only now and then touched his glass, and -even then with great hesitation. He was afraid of wine, and also he had -lost the habit of drinking it. In the country he could not always get -it. Besides, wine was the worst enemy for a man like himself, who had to -live constantly wide awake and on guard.</p> - -<p>"But you are here among friends," said the picador. "Think, Plumitas, -that you are in Seville, beneath the very mantle of the Virgin de la -Macarena. No one would touch you here. And if by any unlucky chance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> the -civil guards did come, I should place myself by your side, seizing a -garrocha, and we would not leave one of the blackguards alive.... It -would take very little to make me a rider of the mountain! ... that has -always attracted me!"</p> - -<p>"Potaje!" ... roared the espada from the other end of the table, fearing -his loquacity and his propinquity to the bottles.</p> - -<p>Although the bandit drank little, his face was flushed and his blue eyes -sparkled with pleasure. He had chosen his seat opposite the kitchen -door, a place from which he enfiladed the entrance of the grange, seeing -also part of the lonely road. Now and again, a cow or a pig or a goat -would cross over the strip of road, their shadows projected by the sun -in front of them. This was quite enough to startle Plumitas, who would -drop his spoon and clutch his rifle.</p> - -<p>He talked with his neighbours at table without ever diverting his -attention from outside, with the habit of always living ready at any -time for resistance or flight, feeling it a point of honour never to be -surprised.</p> - -<p>When he had done eating, he accepted another glass from Potaje, the -last, and remained with his chin on his hand looking out silently and -sleepily.</p> - -<p>Gallardo offered him an Havana cigar.</p> - -<p>"Thanks, Seño Juan. I do not smoke, but I will keep it for a companion -of mine who is also out on the mountain, a poor fellow who appreciates a -smoke even more than food. He is a young fellow who had a misfortune, -and who now helps me when there is work for two."</p> - -<p>He put the cigar away under his jacket, and the remembrance of that -companion, who at that time was certainly wandering not very far off, -made him smile with ferocious glee. The wine had warmed Plumitas, and -his face had become quite different. His eyes had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> an alarming metallic -lustre, and his chubby face was contracted by a spasm which seemed to -alter his usual good-natured expression. One could guess also a desire -to talk, to boast of his exploits, to repay the hospitality received by -astonishing his benefactors.</p> - -<p>"Have any of you heard what I did last month on the road to Fregenal? Do -you really know nothing about it?... I placed myself on the road with my -companion, because we had to stop the diligence, and settle with a rich -man, who remembered me every hour of his life—an important man that, -accustomed to move alcaldes, officials and even civil guards at his -will—what they call in the papers a cacique.<a name="FNanchor_92_92" id="FNanchor_92_92"></a><a href="#Footnote_92_92" class="fnanchor">[92]</a> I had sent him a -message asking for a hundred duros for an emergency, which made him -write to the Governor of Seville, and start a scandal even in Madrid, -making them persecute me more than ever. Thanks to him, I had a brush -with the civiles, in which I got wounded in the leg, and not content -with this, they put my wife in prison, as if the poor woman could know -her husband's doings. That Judas did not dare to leave his village for -fear of meeting Plumitas, but just at that time I disappeared. I went on -one of those journeys I told you about, and our man gained confidence -enough to go to Seville one day on business and to set the authorities -on me. So we waited for the return coach from Seville, and the coach -arrived. The companion, who is a very good hand for anything on the -road, cried 'Halt!' to the driver. I put my head and my carbine in -through the doorway. There were screams from the women, yells from the -children, and the men, who said nothing, were as white as wax. I said to -the travellers: 'I have nothing to do with you, calm yourselves, ladies; -your good health, gentlemen, and pleasant journey.... But make that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> fat -man get out.' And our man, who had hidden himself among the women's -petticoats, had to get out, as pale as death, looking bloodless, and -staggering as though he were drunk. The coach drove off, and we remained -alone in the middle of the road. 'Listen here, I am el Plumitas, and I -am going to give you something to remember me by.' And I gave it. But I -did not kill him at once. I gave it to him in a certain place I know, so -that he should live twenty-four hours, and that he should be able to -tell the civiles when they picked him up that it was Plumitas who had -killed him, so that there should be no mistake and no one else should -take the credit."</p> - -<p>Doña Sol listened, intensely pale, with her lips compressed by terror, -and in her eyes that strange light which always accompanied her -mysterious thoughts.</p> - -<p>Gallardo frowned, annoyed by this ferocious story.</p> - -<p>"Every one knows his own business, Seño Juan," Plumitas continued, as if -he guessed the matador's thoughts. "We both live by killing; you kill -bulls, I kill men. The only difference is that you are rich and carry -off the palm and the beautiful women, and I often rage with hunger, and -if I am careless I shall be riddled with shot, and left in the middle of -a field for the crows to pick. But all the same the business does not -please me, Seño Juan! You know exactly where you have to strike the bull -for him to fall to the ground at once. I also know exactly where to hit -a Christian so that he shall die at once, or that he should last a -little, or that he should spend weeks raging against Plumitas, who -wishes to interfere with no one, but who knows how to treat those who -interfere with him."</p> - -<p>Doña Sol again felt an intense desire to know the number of his crimes.</p> - -<p>"You will feel repugnance towards me, Señora Marquesa; but after all -what does it matter?... I do not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> think I can remember them all, -although I try to recall them. Possibly they might be thirty-three or -thirty-five. I really could not quite say. In this very restless life, -who thinks of keeping exact accounts? But I am an unhappy man, Señora -Marquesa, very unfortunate. The fault lay with those who first harmed -me. These dead men are like cherries, if you pull one, the others come -down by dozens. I have to kill in order to go on living, and if ever one -feels any pity one has to swallow it."</p> - -<p>There was a long silence. The lady looked at the bandit's coarse strong -hands, with their broken nails. But Plumitas took no notice of her, all -his attention was fixed on the espada, wishing to show his gratitude for -having been received at his table, and anxious to dispel the impression -that his words seemed to have caused.</p> - -<p>"I respect you, Seño Juan," he added. "Ever since I saw you fight for -the first time, I said to myself: 'That is a brave fellow.' There are -many aficionados who love you, but not as I do!... Just imagine, that to -see you I have often disguised myself, and have gone into the towns, -exposing myself to the risk of anyone laying hands on me. Isn't that -love of sport?"</p> - -<p>Gallardo smiled, nodding his head. He was flattered now in his artistic -pride.</p> - -<p>"Besides," continued the bandit, "no one can say that I ever came to La -Rincona even to ask for a bit of bread. Many a time I have been -starving, or have wanted five duros when I was passing by here, but -never till to-day have I passed through the fence of your farm. I have -always said, 'Seño Juan is sacred to me—he earns his money by risking -his life just as I do.' We are in a way comrades. Because you will not -deny, Seño Juan, that although you are a personage, and that I am of the -very worst, still we are equal, as we both live by playing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> with death. -Now we are breakfasting together quietly, but some day, if God looses -his hand from us and becomes tired of us, I shall be picked up from the -side of the road, shot like a dog, and you with all your money may be -carried out of the arena feet foremost, and though the papers may speak -of your misfortune for a month or so, it is cursed little gratitude you -will feel towards them when you are in another world."</p> - -<p>"It is true ... it is true ..." said Gallardo, suddenly paling at the -bandit's words.</p> - -<p>The superstitious terror that always seized upon him as the time of -danger approached was reflected in his face. His probable fate seemed to -him just the same as that of this terrible vagabond, who must one day -necessarily succumb in his unequal strife.</p> - -<p>"But do you believe that I think of death? No, I repent of nothing, and -I go on my way. I also have my pleasures and my little prides, just the -same as you, when you read in the papers that you did very well with a -certain bull and were given the ear. Just think that all Spain talks of -el Plumitas, that the papers tell the biggest lies about me, they even -say they are going to exhibit me at the theatres, and in that place in -Madrid, where the deputies meet, they talk daily of my capture. Over and -above this I have the pride of seeing a whole army tracking my -footsteps, to see myself, a man alone, driving thousands mad who are -paid by Government and wear a sword. The other day, a Sunday, I rode -into a village during Mass, and drew up my mare in the Plaza close to -some blind men who were singing and playing the guitar. The people were -lost in admiration before a cartoon carried by the singers, which -represented a fine looking man with whiskers, in a pointed hat, -splendidly dressed and riding a magnificent horse, with a gun across the -saddle bow, and a good looking girl en<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> croupe behind. It was a long -time before I realised that that good looking fellow was Plumitas!... -That did please me. When one goes about ragged and half starving, it is -delightful that people should imagine you something quite different. I -bought the paper they were singing from. I have got it here, the -complete life of Plumitas with many lies, all in verse. But it is a fine -thing. When I lie on the hill-side I read it so as to learn it by heart. -It must have been written by some very clever man."</p> - -<p>The terrible Plumitas showed an almost childish pride in speaking of his -fame. The modest silence with which he had entered the farm had -vanished, that desire that they should forget his personality, and see -in him only a poor wayfarer pressed by hunger. He warmed at the thought -that his name was famous, and that his deeds received at once the -honours of publicity.</p> - -<p>"Who would have known me," he continued, "had I gone on living in my -village?... I have thought a great deal about that. For us of the lower -orders, nothing is open but to eat one's heart out working for others, -or to follow the only career which gives fame and money—killing. I -should be no good at killing bulls. My village is in the mountains where -there are no fierce cattle. Besides, I am heavy, and not very clever.... -So ... I kill people. It is the best thing a poor man can do to make -himself respected and open a way for himself."</p> - -<p>El Nacional, who up to now had been gravely listening to the bandit, -thought it necessary to intervene.</p> - -<p>"What a poor man wants is education—to know how to read and write."</p> - -<p>This was greeted with shouts of laughter by all who knew El Nacional's -mania.</p> - -<p>"Now you have given us your ideas, comrade," said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> Potaje, "let Plumitas -go on with his stories; what he is telling us is capital."</p> - -<p>The bandit received the banderillero's remarks contemptuously, indeed he -thought very little of him owing to his prudence in the circus.</p> - -<p>"I know how to read and write. And what good has it done me? When I -lived in my village it was useful to get me noticed and to make life -seem a little less hard.... What a poor man wants is justice; that he -may have his rights, but if they are not given then let him take them. -One must be a wolf and spread fear. The other wolves will respect you, -and the herds will let themselves be devoured with pleasure. If they -find you cowardly and without strength even the sheep will spit on you."</p> - -<p>Potaje, who was now very drunk, assented delightedly. He did not exactly -understand, still through the mists of drink he seemed to perceive the -brilliancy of supreme wisdom.</p> - -<p>"That is true, comrade. Go on; capital."</p> - -<p>"I have seen what the world is," continued the bandit. "The world is -divided into two classes—the shorn and the shearers. I do not wish to -be shorn. I was born to be a shearer, because I am a man who fears -nothing. The same thing has happened to you, Seño Juan. By struggling we -have risen from the low herd, but your path is better than mine."</p> - -<p>He was silent for some time, considering the espada. At last he went on -in a tone of conviction:</p> - -<p>"I believe, Seño Juan, that we have come into the world too late. What -things men of valour and enterprise, like ourselves, might have done in -former days! You would not have been killing bulls, neither should I be -wandering over the country hunted like a wild beast.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> We might have been -viceroys, archipampanos,<a name="FNanchor_93_93" id="FNanchor_93_93"></a><a href="#Footnote_93_93" class="fnanchor">[93]</a> or something great across the seas. Have -you never heard of Pizarro, Seño Juan?"</p> - -<p>Señor Juan made an indefinable gesture, as he did not wish to admit his -ignorance of this name which he now heard for the first time.</p> - -<p>"The Señora Marquesa knows all about him; I learnt his history when I -was a sacristan, and read the old romances that the priest had. Well, -Pizarro was a poor man like us, who crossed the sea with twelve or -thirteen gachos, as good fighters as himself, and entered a country that -must have been a real paradise, a country in which were the mines of -Potosi: I can't say more. They fought many battles with the inhabitants, -and at last conquered them, seizing their king's treasures, and he who -got least got his house full up to the roof with gold pieces, and there -was not one of them who was not made a Marquis, or a General, or a -Justiciary. Just imagine, Seño Juan, if we had lived then! What you and -I could have done with a handful of brave men like these who are -listening to me!"</p> - -<p>The farm men listened in silence, but their eyes flashed as the bandit -spoke.</p> - -<p>"I repeat, we have been born too late, Seño Juan. The gates are closed -to poor men, the Spaniard does not now know where to go or what to do. -All the places where he might have spread have been appropriated by the -English or other countries. I, who might have been a king in America or -elsewhere, am proclaimed an outlaw, and they even call me a thief. You, -who are a brave man, kill bulls and carry off the palms, still I know -many who look upon a torero's profession as a low one."</p> - -<p>Doña Sol interrupted to ask the bandit why he did not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> become a soldier. -He could go to distant countries where there were wars and utilize his -talents nobly.</p> - -<p>"I might have done so, Señora Marquesa. I have often thought of it. But -when I sleep at a farm, or hide in my house for a few days, the first -time I lie in a bed like a Christian, or have a hot meal at a table like -this, a feeling of comfort pervades my body, but in a short time I get -restless; it seems as if the mountain, with all its miseries, draws me, -and I long once more to sleep on the ground, wrapped in my blanket with -a stone for my pillow.... Yes, I might have been a soldier, and I should -have been a good one. But where to go? Besides, the same things happen -over again in the army as in the world—the shorn and the shearers. You -do some great thing and the Colonel appropriates it, or you fight like a -wild beast and the General is rewarded.... No, I have been born too late -to be a soldier."</p> - -<p>Plumitas remained some time silent with lowered eyes, as if he were -absorbed in the mental contemplation of his misfortune, at finding no -place for himself in the present age.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he stood up grasping his carbine.</p> - -<p>"I am going.... Many thanks, Seño Juan, for your kindness. Good-bye, -Señora Marquesa."</p> - -<p>"But where are you going?" said Potaje, catching hold of him. "Sit down. -You are better here than anywhere else."</p> - -<p>The picador wanted to prolong the bandit's stay, delighted to think he -should be able to describe this interesting meeting in the town.</p> - -<p>"I have been here three hours, and I must go. I never spend so long a -time in so open and unconcealed a place as La Rinconada. Possibly by now -some one has carried the news that I am here."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span></p><p>"Are you afraid of the civiles," enquired Potaje. "They will not come, -or if they do, I am at your side."</p> - -<p>Plumitas made a contemptuous gesture. The civiles! They are men like any -others: some of them brave enough, but they are all fathers of families, -and would manage not to see him. They only came out against him when -chance brought them face to face, and there was no means of avoiding it.</p> - -<p>"Last month I was at the farm of 'the five chimnies' breaking fast as I -am here to-day, though not in such good company, when I saw six civiles -on foot coming. I am quite sure they did not know I was there, and only -came for refreshment. It was an unlucky chance, for neither they nor I -could turn tail in the presence of all the farm people. The owner locked -the gates, and the civiles began to knock for them to be opened. I -ordered him and a shepherd to stand by the two leaves of the door. 'When -I say "now" open them wide.' I mounted my mare, with my revolver in my -hand. 'Now!' The door was opened wide, and I galloped out like the -devil. They fired two or three shots, but did not touch me. I also fired -as I went out, and I understand wounded two of the civiles.... To cut it -short, I fled lying on the mare's neck, so that they should not make a -target of me, and the civiles revenged themselves by thrashing the farm -servants; for which reason, Seño Juan, it is best to say nothing about -my visits. For if you do, down come the three cornered hats, sickening -you with enquiries and declarations, as if they were going to catch me -with those."</p> - -<p>Those of La Rinconada assented mutely. They knew it well enough. They -must hold their tongues to avoid annoyances, as they did in all the -other farms or shepherd's ranches. This general silence was the bandit's -most powerful auxiliary. Besides, all these country<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> peasants were -admirers of Plumitas, looking on him as an avenging hero. They need fear -no harm from him. His menaces only touched the rich.</p> - -<p>"I am not afraid of the civiles," continued the bandit. "Those I fear -are the poor. The poor are good, but poverty is such an ugly thing! I -know that those three cornered hats will not kill me: they have no balls -that can touch me. If anyone kills me, it will be one of the poor. I let -them approach without fear because they belong to my own class, but some -day advantage will be taken of my carelessness. I have enemies, people -who have sworn vengeance on me; for one must have a heavy hand, if one -would be respected. If one kills a man outright his family remain to -avenge him, but if one is good natured and contents oneself with taking -down his trousers and caressing him with a bunch of nettles and thistles -he remembers the jest all his life.... It is the poor, those of my own -class that I fear; besides, in every village there is some fine fellow -who thinks he would like to be my heir—and hopes to find me some day -sleeping in the shade of a tree, and will blow off my head point blank."</p> - -<p>A quarter of an hour later Plumitas came out of the stable into the -courtyard mounted on his powerful mare, the inseparable companion of his -wanderings. The bony animal looked bigger and brighter for her brief -hours of plenty in the Rinconada mangers.</p> - -<p>Plumitas caressed her flanks, pausing as he arranged his blanket on the -saddle-bow. She might indeed be content. She would not often be so well -treated as at Señor Juan Gallardo's farm. And now she must carry herself -well, for the day would be long.</p> - -<p>"And whither are you going, comrade?" asked Potaje.</p> - -<p>"Don't ask me—throughout the world! I myself do not know. Where -anything turns up!"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span></p><p>And putting a foot in his rusty and muddy stirrup with one bound he sat -erect in his saddle.</p> - -<p>Gallardo left Doña Sol's side, who was watching the bandit's -preparations for departure with strange eyes, her lips pale and drawn.</p> - -<p>The torero searched in the inside pocket of his coat, and advancing -towards the rider offered him shamefacedly some crumpled papers that he -held in his hand.</p> - -<p>"What is this?" said the bandit. "Money?... Thanks, Seño Juan. Some one -has told you that it is necessary to give me something when I come to a -farm; but that is for those others, the rich, whose money grows like the -roses. You earn yours by risking your life. We are companions. Keep it -yourself, Seño Juan."</p> - -<p>Señor Juan kept his bank notes, though rather annoyed by the bandit's -refusal, and his persistence in treating him as a comrade.</p> - -<p>"You shall pledge<a name="FNanchor_94_94" id="FNanchor_94_94"></a><a href="#Footnote_94_94" class="fnanchor">[94]</a> me a bull some time or other when we see each -other in a Plaza. That would be worth more than all the gold in the -world."</p> - -<p>Doña Sol now came forward till she was quite close to the rider's foot, -and taking from her breast an autumn rose, she offered it silently, -looking at him with her green and golden eyes.</p> - -<p>"Is this for me?" said the bandit surprised and wondering. "For me, -Señora Marquesa?"</p> - -<p>As she nodded her head, he took the flower shyly, handling it awkwardly, -as if its weight were overpowering, not knowing where to place it, till -at last he passed it through a button-hole in his jacket, between the -two ends of the red handkerchief he wore tied round his neck.</p> - -<p>"This is good, indeed!" his broad face expanding into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> a smile. "Nothing -of the sort has ever happened to me before in my life."</p> - -<p>The rough rider seemed moved and troubled by the womanliness of the -gift. Roses for him!...</p> - -<p>He gathered up his reins.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye to you all, caballeros. Till we meet again.... Good-bye, my -fine fellows. Some time or other I will throw you a cigar if you plant a -good lance."</p> - -<p>He gave a rough clasp of the hand to the picador, who replied by a thump -on the thigh which made the bandit's vigorous muscles jump. That -Plumitas, how "simpatico" he was! Potaje, in his drunken tenderness, -would have liked to go with him to the mountain.</p> - -<p>"Adio! Adio!"</p> - -<p>And spurring his horse, he rode out of the courtyard.</p> - -<p>Gallardo seemed relieved on seeing him depart. He turned towards Doña -Sol; she was standing motionless, following the rider with her eyes as -he grew smaller and smaller in the distance.</p> - -<p>"What a woman!" murmured the espada sadly. "What a woman!"</p> - -<p>It was fortunate that Plumitas was ugly and was dirty and ragged as a -vagabond.</p> - -<p>Otherwise, she would have gone with him.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_92_92" id="Footnote_92_92"></a><a href="#FNanchor_92_92"><span class="label">[92]</span></a> Wealthy yeoman landed proprietor.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_93_93" id="Footnote_93_93"></a><a href="#FNanchor_93_93"><span class="label">[93]</span></a> Word used to express an imaginary dignity.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_94_94" id="Footnote_94_94"></a><a href="#FNanchor_94_94"><span class="label">[94]</span></a> "Brindar"—to pledge or dedicate.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VI</h2> - -<p>"It seems impossible, Sebastian, that a man like you, with a wife and -children, should have lent yourself to this debauchery.... I who -believed you so different and who had such confidence in you when you -went on journeys with Juan! I who felt quite at ease thinking that he -went with a man of good character! Where is all your talk about your -ideas and your religion? Is this what you learn at the meeting of Jews -in the house of Don Joselito, the teacher?"</p> - -<p>El Nacional, terrified by the indignation of Gallardo's mother, and -touched by the tears of Carmen, who was silently weeping, her face -hidden behind a handkerchief, defended himself feebly.</p> - -<p>"Seña Angustias, do not touch my ideas; and if you please, leave Don -Joselito in peace, as he has nothing whatever to do with this. By the -life of the blue dove! I went to La Rincona because my master ordered -me. You know well enough what a cuadrilla is. It is just the same as an -army, discipline and obedience. The matador orders, and we have to obey. -As all this about the bulls dates from the time of the Inquisition, -there is no profession more reactionary."</p> - -<p>"Imposter!" screamed Señora Angustias, "you are fine with all these -fables about the Inquisition and reaction! Between you all you are -killing this poor child, who spends her days weeping like la Dolorosa. -What you want to do is to hide my son's debauchery because he feeds -you."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span></p><p>"You have said it, Seña Angustias, Juaniyo feeds me; so it is. And as -he feeds me, I must obey him.... But look here, Señora, put yourself in -my place. If my matador tells me I am to go to La Rincona ... all right. -If at the time of our departure I find a very pretty woman in the -automobile! ... what am I to do? The matador orders. Besides, I did not -go alone; Potaje also went, and he is a person of a certain age and -respectability, even though he is rough; but he never laughs."</p> - -<p>The torero's mother was furious at this excuse.</p> - -<p>"Potaje! A bad man, whom Juaniyo would not have in his cuadrilla if he -had any shame. Don't speak to me of that drunkard, who beats his wife, -and starves his children."</p> - -<p>"All right; we'll leave Potaje out. I say, when I saw that great lady, -what was I to do? She is the Marquis' niece, and you know that toreros -have to stand well with people of rank if they can. They have to live on -the public. And what harm was there? And then at the farm there was -nothing. I swear it by my own. Do you think I should have countenanced -this dishonour, even if my matador had ordered me? I am a decent man, -Seña Angustias, and you do wrong to call me the bad names you did just -now. I repeat there was nothing. They spoke to each other just as you -and I do; there was not an evil look or word, each spent the night on -their own side; there was decency at all times, and if you wish for -Potaje to come, he will tell you...."</p> - -<p>But Carmen interrupted in a tearful voice cut by sobs.</p> - -<p>"In my house!" she said with a dazed expression. "At the farm! And she -slept in my bed!... I knew it all, too, and I held my tongue, I held my -tongue! But<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> this! Jesus! This. There is not a man in Seville who would -have dared so much!"</p> - -<p>El Nacional interposed kindly.</p> - -<p>"Calm yourself, Señora Carmen. It certainly is of no importance. Only -the visit of a lady to the farm, who is enthusiastic about the maestro -and wished to see how he lived in the country. These ladies who are half -foreign are very capricious and strange! But if you had only seen the -French ladies, when the cuadrilla went to fight at Nîmes and Arles!... -The sum total is—nothing at all. Altogether—rubbish! By the blue dove, -I should like to know the babbler who brought the gossip. If I were -Juaniyo, if it were anyone belonging to the farm, I should turn him out, -and if it were anyone outside I would have him up before the judge and -put in prison as a calumniator and an enemy."</p> - -<p>Carmen still wept as she listened to the banderillero's indignation. But -Señora Angustias seated in an arm-chair, which scarcely contained her -overflowing person, frowned, and pursed up her hairy and wrinkled mouth.</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue, Sebastian, and don't tell lies," cried the old woman. -"That journey to the farm was an indecent orgy—a fiesta of gipsies. -They even say Plumitas, the brigand, was with you."</p> - -<p>El Nacional fairly jumped with surprise and anxiety. He thought he saw, -coming into the patio, trampling the marble pavement, a rider, dirty, -ragged, with a greasy sombrero, who got off his horse, and pointed his -rifle at him as a coward and informer. And immediately after him -followed many civil guards in shining three-cornered hats, whiskered and -enquiring, writing down notes, and then all the cuadrilla in their gala -dresses, roped together on their way to prison. Most certainly he must -deny it all energetically.</p> - -<p>"Rubbish! All rubbish! What are you talking about,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> Plumitas? There was -nothing but decency. God alive! They will be saying next that I, a good -citizen, who can carry a hundred votes from my suburb to the urns, am a -friend of Plumitas!"</p> - -<p>Señora Angustias, who was not quite sure about this last piece of news, -seemed convinced by El Nacional's asseverations. All right; she would -say nothing more about El Plumitas. But as for the other thing! The -journey to the farm with that ... female! And firm in her mother's -blindness, which made the responsibility for all the espada's acts fall -on his companions, she continued pouring blame on El Nacional.</p> - -<p>"I shall tell your wife what you are. Poor thing, working herself to -death in her shop from dawn till dark, while you go to that orgy like a -reprobate. You ought to be ashamed of yourself ... at your age! and with -all those brats!"</p> - -<p>The banderillero fairly fled before the wrath of Señora Angustias, who, -moved by her great indignation, developed the same nimbleness of tongue -as in the days when she was at the tobacco factory. He vowed he would -never again return to his master's house.</p> - -<p>He met Gallardo in the street. The latter seemed out of temper, but -pretended to be bright and smiling when he saw the banderillero, as if -he were in no way troubled by his domestic dissensions.</p> - -<p>"All this is very bad, Juaniyo. I will never return to your house, even -if I am dragged there. Your mother insults me, as if I were a gipsy of -Triana. Your wife weeps and looks at me, as if all the fault were mine. -Man alive, do me the pleasure not to remember me next time. Choose some -other of your associates another time, if you take ladies."</p> - -<p>Gallardo smiled, well pleased. It would be nothing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> at all, these things -passed off quickly. He had often faced worse troubles.</p> - -<p>"What you ought to do is to come to the house. When there are many -people there, there can be no rows."</p> - -<p>"I?" exclaimed El Nacional. "I will be a priest first!"</p> - -<p>After this the espada thought it was no use insisting. He spent the -greater part of the day out of the home, away from the women's morose -silence, interrupted by floods of tears, and when he returned it was -with an escort, availing himself of his manager and other friends.</p> - -<p>The saddler was a great help to Gallardo, who for the first time began -to think his brother-in-law "simpatico," remarkable for his good sense, -and worthy of a better fate. He it was who, during the matador's -absence, undertook to pacify the women, including his own wife, leaving -them like exhausted furies.</p> - -<p>"Let us see," he said. "What is it all about? A woman of no importance. -Every one is as he is, and Juaniyo is a personage who must mix with -influential people. And if this lady did go to the farm, what then? One -must cultivate good friendships, for in that way one can ask favours and -help on one's family. There was nothing wrong. It was all calumny. El -Nacional was there, who is a man of good character.... I know him very -well."</p> - -<p>For the first time in his life he praised the banderillero. Being -constantly in the house he was a valuable auxiliary to Gallardo, and the -torero was not niggardly in his gratitude. The saddler had closed his -shop, as trade was bad, and was waiting for some employment through his -brother-in-law. In the meanwhile the torero supplied all the wants of -the family and finally invited them all to take up their quarters -permanently in his house. In this way poor Carmen would worry less, not -being so much alone.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span></p><p>One day El Nacional received a message from his matador's wife that she -wished to see him. The banderillero's own wife delivered the message.</p> - -<p>"I saw her this morning. She came from San Gil. The poor thing's eyes -looked as though she were constantly crying. Go and see her.... Ay! -those handsome men. What a curse they are!"</p> - -<p>Carmen received El Nacional in the matador's study. They would be alone -there, and there would be no fear of Señora Angustias coming in with her -vehemence. Gallardo was at the club in the Calle de las Sierpes. He was -away from the house most days to avoid meeting his wife; he even had his -meals out, going with some friends to the inn at Eritana.</p> - -<p>El Nacional sat on a divan, with his head bent, twirling his hat in his -hands, scarcely daring to look at his master's wife. How she was -altered! Her eyes were red and surrounded by black hollows. Her dark -cheeks and the end of her nose were also reddened from the constant -rubbing of her handkerchief.</p> - -<p>"Sebastian, you will tell me the whole truth. You are kind, and you are -Juan's best friend. All the little mother said the other day was temper. -You know how really good she is. It was only an outburst, over directly. -Pay no attention to it."</p> - -<p>The banderillero nodded assent, and then hazarded the question:</p> - -<p>"What did Señora Carmen wish to know?"</p> - -<p>"You must tell me all that happened at La Rincona, all you saw, and all -you fancied."</p> - -<p>Ah! Good Nacional! With what noble pride he raised his head, pleased at -being able to do good, and give comfort to that unhappy woman.</p> - -<p>"See?..." He had seen nothing wrong. "I swear it to you by my father. I -swear it ... by my ideas."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span></p><p>He supported his oath without fear by the sacrosanct testimony of his -ideas, for in fact he had seen nothing, and having seen nothing, he -reasoned logically in the pride of his perspicuity and wisdom, that -nothing wrong could have occurred.</p> - -<p>"I think they are nothing more than friends ... now.... If there has -been anything before, I know not.... The people here ... talk. They -invent so many lies. But pay no attention, Señora Carmen. Live happily, -that is the best thing!"</p> - -<p>But she insisted. What had happened at the farm? The grange was her -home, and she was indignant, as, joined to the infidelity, this seemed -to her a sacrilege, a direct insult to herself.</p> - -<p>"Do you think me a fool, Sebastian? I have seen it all along. From the -first moment he began to think of that lady ... or whatever she is, I -have known what Juan was thinking. The day he pledged the bull to her, -and she gave him that diamond ring, I guessed what there was between the -two, and I should have liked to snatch the ring and trample on it.... -Very soon I knew everything. Everything! There are always people ready -to carry rumours because it hurts others. Besides, they have never -hidden themselves, going everywhere like man and wife, in the sight of -every one, on horseback, just like gipsies who ride from fair to fair. -When we were at the farm I had news of everything Juan was doing, and -afterwards in San Lucar also."</p> - -<p>El Nacional interposed, seeing Carmen so upset, and weeping at these -recollections.</p> - -<p>"My good woman, do you believe all this humbug? Do you not see they are -inventions of people who wish you ill? All jealousy, nothing more."</p> - -<p>"No, I know Juan. Do you believe that this is the first? He is as he is, -and cannot be otherwise. Cursed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> profession, which seems to send men -mad! After we had been married two years he fell in love with a handsome -girl in the market, a butcher's daughter. How I suffered when I knew -it.... But I never said a word. Even now he thinks I know nothing. Since -then how many have there been? I do not know how many—dozens—and I -held my tongue, wishing for peace in my home. But this woman is not like -the others, Juan is mad about her; and I know he has lowered himself a -thousand times, remembering that she is a great lady, so that she should -not turn him out, being ashamed of having relations with a torero. Now -she is gone. You did not know it? She is gone because she was bored in -Seville. You see people tell me everything, and she left without saying -good-bye to him. When he went there the other day he found the door -locked. Now he is as wretched as a sick horse, he goes among his friends -with a face like a funeral, and drinks to enliven himself. No, he cannot -forget that woman. He was proud of being loved by a woman of that class, -and now he suffers in his pride that he is abandoned. Ay! what disgust I -feel. He is no longer my husband; he seems like some one else. We -scarcely speak. I am alone upstairs, he sleeps downstairs in one of the -patio rooms. Before, I overlooked everything; they were bad habits -belonging to the profession: the mania of toreros, who think themselves -irresistible to women ... but now I can't bear to see him; I feel -repugnance towards him."</p> - -<p>She spoke energetically, and a flame of hate shone in her eyes.</p> - -<p>"Ay! that woman. How she has changed him!... He is another man! He only -cares now to go with rich people; and the people in the suburbs, and the -poor in Seville, who were his friends and helped him when he first -began, all complain of him; some fine day they will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> start a disturbance -against him in the Plaza to disgrace him. Money comes in here by -bucketsful, and it is not easy to count it. He himself does not know how -much he has, but I see clearly. He plays heavily, so that his new -friends may welcome him; and he loses largely; the money comes in by one -door and goes out by the other. But I say nothing. After all it is he -that earns it. He has had to borrow from Don José for things about the -farm, and some olive yards he bought this year to join to the property -were bought with other people's money. Almost all he earns during the -next season will go to pay his debts. And if he had an accident. If he -found himself obliged to retire like others? He has tried to change me, -as he himself has changed. I know he feels ashamed of us when he returns -from seeing Doña Sol. It is he who has obliged me to put on those -unbecoming hats from Madrid, that make me feel like a monkey dancing on -an organ! And a mantilla is so beautiful! He also it is who has bought -that infernal car, in which I go in fear and which smells like the -devil. If he could he would even put a hat with a cock's tail on the -little mother's head!"</p> - -<p>The banderillero interrupted. No, no, Juan was very kind, and if he did -these things it was because he wished his family to have every comfort -and luxury.</p> - -<p>"Juaniyo may be anything you will, Señora Carmen, but still you must -forgive him a good deal. Remember that many are envious of you! Is it -nothing to be the wife of the bravest torero, with handfuls of money, a -house that is a marvel, and to be absolute mistress of everything, for -the master lets you dispose of all?"</p> - -<p>Carmen's eyes were overflowing, and she raised her handkerchief to wipe -away her tears.</p> - -<p>"I would rather be the wife of a shoemaker. How often have I thought so! -If Juan had only gone on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> with his trade instead of this cursed -bull-fighting! How much happier I should be in a poor shawl taking his -dinner to the doorway where he worked like his father. At least he would -be mine, and no one would want to take him from me; we might want -necessities, but on Sundays, dressed in our best, we should go to -breakfast at some little inn. And then the frights one has from those -horrid bulls. This is not living. There is money, a great deal of money, -but believe me, Sebastian, it is like poison to me. The people about -think I am happy, and envy me, but my eyes follow the poor women who -want everything, but who have their child on their arm, who when they -are unhappy look at the little one and laugh with it. If only I had one! -If Juan could but see a little one in the house that would be all his -own, something more than the little nephews...."</p> - -<p>The banderillero came out from this interview shocked and troubled and -went in search of his master, whom he found at the door of the -"Forty-five."</p> - -<p>"Juan, I have just seen your wife. Things are going worse and worse. Try -and calm her and set yourself right with her."</p> - -<p>"Curse it! life is not worth living. Would to God a bull might catch me -on Sunday and then all would be over! And for what life is worth...."</p> - -<p>He was rather tipsy. The frowning silence he met in his house drove him -to desperation, and even perhaps more still (although he would not -confess it to anyone) Doña Sol's flight, without leaving a single word, -not even a line to bid him farewell. They had sent him away from the -door worse than a servant, and no one knew where that woman had gone. -The Marquis was not much interested in his niece's journey—a most crazy -woman! Neither had he been informed of her intended departure; however, -he did not think on that account<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> that she was lost. She would give -signs of existence from some far country, whither her caprices had -driven her.</p> - -<p>Gallardo could not conceal his despair in his own home. Maddened by the -frowning silence of his wife, who resented all his efforts at -conversation, he would break out:</p> - -<p>"Curse my bad luck! Would to God that on Sunday one of those Muira bulls -would catch me, trample me, and then I could be brought home to you in a -basket!"</p> - -<p>"Don't say such things, evil one!" exclaimed Señora Angustias. "Do not -tempt God; it will bring you bad luck."</p> - -<p>But the brother-in-law interposed sententiously, taking advantage of the -occasion to flatter the espada.</p> - -<p>"Don't worry yourself, little mother. There is no bull that can touch -him; no horn that can gore him!"</p> - -<p>The following Sunday was the last corrida of the year in which Gallardo -was to take part. The morning passed without those vague terrors, and -superstitious anxieties which usually assailed him; he dressed gaily, -with a nervous excitability which seemed to double the strength of his -muscles. What a joy to tread again the yellow sand, to astonish over -twelve thousand spectators with his grace and reckless daring! Nothing -was true but his art, which gained him the applause of the populace, and -money like heaps of corn. Everything else, family and amours were only -complications of life, serving to create worries. Ay! what estocades he -would give! He felt the strength of a giant: he felt another man free -from fears and anxieties. He was even impatient it was not yet time to -go to the Plaza, so contrary to other occasions; and he longed to pour -out on the bulls the concentrated anger caused by his domestic -dissensions and Doña Sol's insulting flight.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span></p><p>When the carriage arrived Gallardo crossed the patio without -encountering as heretofore the emotion of the women. Carmen did not -appear. Bah! those women! ... their only use was to embitter life. His -brother-in-law was waiting, extremely proud of himself in a suit of -clothes that he had filched from the espada, and had altered to his own -figure.</p> - -<p>"You are finer than the real Roger de Flor himself!" said he gaily. -"Jump into the coach, and I will take you to the Plaza."</p> - -<p>He sat down beside the great man, swelling with pride that all Seville -should see him sitting among the torero's silk capes and splendid gold -embroideries.</p> - -<p>The Plaza was crammed. It was an important corrida, the last one of the -autumn, and consequently it had attracted an immense audience, not only -from the town but from the country. On the benches of the sunny side -were crowds of people from surrounding villages.</p> - -<p>From the first Gallardo showed a feverish activity. He stood away from -the barrier, going to meet the bull, amusing it with his cape play, -while the picadors waited for the time when the brute would turn on -their miserable horses.</p> - -<p>A certain predisposition against the torero could be noticed. He was -applauded the same as ever, but the demonstrations were far warmer and -more prolonged on the shady side, from the symmetrical rows of white -hats, than from the lively and motley sunny side, where many stood in -their shirt sleeves under the heat of the scorching sun.</p> - -<p>Gallardo understood the danger. If he had the least bad luck, half the -circus would rise up against him vociferating and reproaching him for -his ingratitude towards those who had first started him.</p> - -<p>He killed his first bull with only moderate good <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span>fortune. He threw -himself with his usual audacity between the horns, but the rapier struck -on a bone. The enthusiasts applauded, because the estocade was well -placed, and the inutility of the endeavour was no fault of his. He put -himself again in position to kill, but again the sword struck on the -same place, and the bull, butting at the muleta, jerked it out of the -wound, throwing it to some distance. Taking another rapier from -Garabato's hand, he turned again towards the beast, who waited for him, -firm on his feet, his neck dripping with blood and his slavering muzzle -almost on the sand.</p> - -<p>The maestro, spreading his muleta before the brute's eyes, quietly moved -aside with his sword the banderillas which were falling across his poll. -He wished to execute the "descabello."<a name="FNanchor_95_95" id="FNanchor_95_95"></a><a href="#Footnote_95_95" class="fnanchor">[95]</a> Leaning the point of the -blade on the top of the head, he sought for a suitable spot between the -two horns; he then made an effort to drive in the rapier, the bull -shivered painfully, but still remained on foot, and threw out the steel -with a rough movement of its head.</p> - -<p>"One!" shouted mocking voices from the sunny side.</p> - -<p>"Curse them! Why did the people attack him so unjustly?"</p> - -<p>Again the matador struck in the steel, succeeding this time in finding -the vulnerable spot, and the bull fell suddenly with a crash, his horns -sticking into the sand, his belly upward and his legs rigid.</p> - -<p>The people on the shady side applauded from a class feeling, but from -the sunny side came a storm of whistling and invectives.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></p><p>Gallardo, turning his back to these insults, saluted his partizans with -the muleta and the rapier.</p> - -<p>The insults of the populace, who had up to now been so friendly, -exasperated him, and he clenched his fists.</p> - -<p>What do those people want? The bull did not admit of anything better. -Curse them! It is got up by my enemies.</p> - -<p>He spent the greater part of the corrida close to the barrier, looking -on disdainfully at his companions' actions, accusing them mentally of -having promoted this display of dissatisfaction, and he launched -maledictions against the bull and the shepherd who reared him. He had -come so well prepared to do great things, and then to meet with a bull -like this! All the breeders who sent in such animals ought to be shot.</p> - -<p>When he took his killing weapons for his second bull, he gave an order -to El Nacional and to another peon to bring the bull by their cloak play -to the popular side of the Plaza.</p> - -<p>He knew his public. You must flatter those "citizens of the sun," a -tumultuous and terrible demagogy, who brought class hatred into the -Plaza, but who would change their whistling into applause with the -greatest ease, if a slight show of consideration flattered their pride.</p> - -<p>The peons, throwing their capes in front of the bull, endeavoured to -attract him towards the sunny side of the circus. The populace saw this -manœuvre and welcomed it with joyful surprise. The supreme moment, -the death of the bull, would be enacted under their eyes instead of at a -distance for the convenience of the wealthy people on the shady side.</p> - -<p>The brute, being alone for a moment on that side of the Plaza, attacked -the dead body of a horse. It buried its horns in the open belly, lifting -on its horns like a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> limp rag the miserable carcass which spread its -entrails all round. The body fell to the ground almost doubled up, while -the bull moved off undecidedly; but it soon turned again to sniff it, -snorting and burying its horns in the cavity of the stomach, while the -populace laughed at this stupid obstinacy, seeking for life in an -inanimate body.</p> - -<p>"Go it.... What strength he has!... Go on, son!... I'm looking at you!"</p> - -<p>But suddenly the attention of the audience was turned from the furious -brute to watch Gallardo, who was crossing the Plaza with light step, -bending his figure, carrying in one hand the folded muleta, and -balancing the rapier in the other like a light cane.</p> - -<p>All the populace roared with delight at the torero's approach.</p> - -<p>"You have gained them," said El Nacional, who had placed himself with -his cloak in readiness close to the bull.</p> - -<p>The multitude, clapping their hands, called the torero: "Here! here!" -every one wishing to see the bull killed in front of his own bench so as -not to lose a single detail, and the torero hesitated between the -contradictory calls of thousands of voices.</p> - -<p>With one foot on the step of the barrier, he was considering the best -place to kill the bull. He had better take him a little further on. The -torero felt embarrassed by the body of the horse, whose miserable -remains seemed to fill all that side of the arena.</p> - -<p>He was turning to give the order to El Nacional to have the body -removed, when he heard behind him a voice he knew, and though he could -not at once recall to whom it belonged, it made him turn round suddenly.</p> - -<p>"Good evening, Seño Juan! We are going to applaud 'the truth.'"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span></p><p>He saw in the first rank, below the rope of the inside barrier, a -jacket folded on the line of the wall; on it were crossed a pair of arms -in shirt sleeves, on which rested a broad face, freshly shaved, with the -hat pulled down to its ears. It looked like a good-natured countryman -come in from his village to see the corrida.</p> - -<p>Gallardo recognized him; it was Plumitas.</p> - -<p>He had fulfilled his promise; there he was, audaciously among twelve -thousand people who might recognise him, saluting the espada, who felt -pleased and grateful for this mark of confidence.</p> - -<p>Gallardo was astounded at his temerity. To come down into Seville, to -enter the Plaza, far away from the mountains, where defence was so easy, -without the help of his two companions, the mare and the rifle, and all -to see him kill bulls! Truly, of the two, which was the braver man?</p> - -<p>He thought, furthermore, that in his farm he was at Plumitas' mercy, in -the country life which was only possible if he kept on good terms with -that extraordinary person. Certainly this bull must be for him.</p> - -<p>He smiled at the bandit, who was placidly watching him. He took off his -montera, shouting towards the heaving crowd, but with his eyes on -Plumitas.</p> - -<p>"This bull is for you!"</p> - -<p>He threw his montera towards the benches, where a hundred hands were -outstretched, fighting to catch the sacred deposit.</p> - -<p>Gallardo signed to El Nacional, so that with opportune cape play he -should bring the bull towards him.</p> - -<p>The espada spread his muleta, and the beast attacked with a deep snort, -passing under the red rag. "Olé!" roared the crowd, once more bewitched -by their old idol, and disposed to think everything he did admirable.</p> - -<p>He continued giving several passes to the bull, amid the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> exclamations -of the people a few steps from him, and who seeing him close were giving -him advice. "Be careful, Gallardo! The bull still has his full strength. -Don't get between him and the barrier. Keep your retreat open."</p> - -<p>Others more enthusiastic excited his audacity by more daring advice.</p> - -<p>"Give him one of your own!... Zas! Strike and you pocket him!"</p> - -<p>But the brute was too big and too mistrustful to be put in anybody's -pocket. Excited by the proximity of the dead horse, he constantly -returned to it, as though the stench of the belly intoxicated him.</p> - -<p>In one of his evolutions, the bull fatigued by the muleta, stood -motionless. It was a very bad position, but Gallardo had come out of -worse corners victorious.</p> - -<p>He wanted to take advantage of the brute's quiescence, the public -incited him to action. Among the men standing by the inside barrier, -leaning their bodies half over it so as not to lose a single detail of -the supreme moment, he recognised many amateurs of the people, who had -begun to turn from him, and who were now again applauding him, touched -by his show of consideration for the populace.</p> - -<p>"Take advantage of it, my lad.... Now we shall see the truth.... Strike -truly."</p> - -<p>Gallardo turned his head slightly to salute Plumitas, who stood smiling, -with his moon face leaning on his arms over the jacket.</p> - -<p>"For you, comrade!"...</p> - -<p>And he placed himself in profile with the rapier in front in position to -kill, but at the same instant he thought that the ground was trembling -beneath him, that he was flung to a great distance, that the Plaza was -falling down on him, that everything was turning to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> deep blackness, and -that a furious hurricane was raging round him. His body vibrated -painfully from head to foot, his head seemed bursting, and a mortal -agony wrung his chest; then he seemed falling into dark and endless -space, plunging into nothingness.</p> - -<p>At the very moment that he was preparing to strike, the bull had reared -unexpectedly against him, attracted by his "querencia" for the horse -which was behind him.</p> - -<p>It was a terrific shock, which made the silk and gold clad man roll and -disappear beneath the hoofs. The horns did not gore him, but the blow -was horrible, crushing, as head, horns, and all the frontal of the brute -crashed down on the man like a blow from a club.</p> - -<p>The bull, who only saw the horse, was going to charge it again, but -feeling some obstacle between his hoofs, he turned to attack the -brilliant figure lying on the ground, lifted it on one horn, shaking it -for a few seconds, and then flinging it away to some distance; again a -third time it turned to attack the insensible torero.</p> - -<p>The crowd, bewildered by the quickness of these events, remained silent, -their hearts tightened. The bull would kill him! Perhaps he had killed -him already! But suddenly a yell from the whole multitude broke the -agonizing silence. A cape was spread between the bull and his victim, a -cloth almost nailed on to the brute's poll by two strong arms, -endeavouring to blind the beast. It was El Nacional who, impelled by -despair, had thrown himself on the bull, choosing to be gored himself if -only he could save his master. The brute, bewildered by this fresh -obstacle, turned upon it, turning his tail towards the fallen man. The -banderillero engaged between the horns, moved backwards with the bull, -waving his cape, not knowing how to extricate himself from this perilous -position, but satisfied all the same, at having drawn the ferocious -brute away from Gallardo.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span></p><p>The public absorbed by this fresh incident, almost forgot the espada. -El Nacional would fall also; he could not get out from between the -horns, and the brute carried him along as if he were already impaled.</p> - -<p>The men shouted as if their cries could have been of any assistance, the -women sobbed, turning their heads aside and wringing their hands, when -the banderillero, taking advantage of a moment when the brute lowered -his head to gore him, slipped from between the horns to one side, while -the bull rushed blindly on, carrying away the ragged cape on his horns.</p> - -<p>The tense feeling broke out into deafening applause. The unstable crowd, -only impressed by the danger of the moment, acclaimed El Nacional. It -was the finest moment of his life, and in their excitement they scarcely -noticed the inanimate body of Gallardo, who with his head hanging down -was being carried out of the Plaza between the toreros and arena -servants.</p> - -<p>In Seville that night nothing was spoken of but Gallardo's accident, the -worst he had ever had. In many towns special sheets had already been -published, and the papers all over Spain gave accounts of the affair, -which was wired in all directions, as if some political personage had -been the victim of an attempt.</p> - -<p>Terrifying news flew about the Calle de las Sierpes, coloured by the -vivid southern imagination. Poor Gallardo had just died, he who brought -the news had seen him lying on a bed in the infirmary of the Plaza, as -white as paper, with a crucifix between his hands, so it must be true. -According to others less lugubrious, he was still alive, though he might -die at any moment. All his bowels were torn, his heart, his loins, -everything, the bull had made a perfect sieve of his body.</p> - -<p>Guards had been placed around the Plaza to prevent the mob anxious for -news from storming the infirmary.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> Outside, the populace had assembled, -asking every one who came out as to the espada's state.</p> - -<p>El Nacional, still in his fighting dress, came out several times, -frowning and angry, as the preparations for his master's removal were -not ready.</p> - -<p>Seeing the banderillero, the mob forgot the wounded man in their -congratulations.</p> - -<p>"Señor Sebastian, you were splendid!... Had it not been for you!..."</p> - -<p>But he refused all congratulations. What did it signify what he had -done? Nothing at all ... rubbish. The important thing was Juan's -condition, who was in the infirmary struggling with death.</p> - -<p>"And how is he, Seño Sebastian?" asked the people, returning to their -first interest.</p> - -<p>"Very bad. He has only just recovered consciousness. He has one leg -broken to bits: a gore underneath the arm, and what besides, I know -not!... The poor fellow is to me like my own saint.... We are going to -take him home."</p> - -<p>When the night closed in, Gallardo was carried out of the circus on a -litter. The crowd walked silently after him. Every few moments El -Nacional, carrying the cape on his arm, and still wearing his showy -torero's dress amongst the common clothes of the people, leaned over the -cover of the litter and ordered the porters to stop.</p> - -<p>The doctors belonging to the Plaza walked behind and with them the -Marquis de Moraima, and Don José, the manager, who seemed ready to faint -in the arms of some friends of the "Forty-five," one common anxiety -mixing them up with the ragged crew, who also followed the litter.</p> - -<p>The crowd were horrified; it was a sad procession, as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> though some -national disaster had occurred which levelled all beneath the general -misfortune.</p> - -<p>"What a misfortune, Seño Marque!" said a chubby-faced, red-haired -peasant, who carried his jacket on his arm, to the Marquis de Moraima.</p> - -<p>Twice this man had pushed aside some of the porters of the litter, -wishing to assist in carrying it. The Marquis looked at him -sympathetically. He must be one of those country peasants who were -accustomed to salute him on the roads.</p> - -<p>"Yes, a great misfortune, my lad."</p> - -<p>"Do you think he will die, Seño Marque?"</p> - -<p>"It is to be feared, unless a miracle saves him. He is ground to -powder."</p> - -<p>And the Marquis, placing his right hand on the shoulder of the unknown -man, seemed pleased by the sorrow expressed on his countenance.</p> - -<p>Gallardo's return to his house was most painful. Inside the patio were -heard cries of despair, and outside other women, friends and neighbours -of Juaniyo, were screaming and tearing their hair, thinking him already -dead.</p> - -<p>The litter was carried into a room off the patio, and the espada with -the greatest care was lifted on to a bed. He was wrapped in bloody -cloths and bandages smelling of antiseptics, of his fighting dress he -retained nothing but one pink stocking, and his under garments were all -torn or cut with scissors.</p> - -<p>His pigtail hung unplaited and entangled on his neck, and his face was -as pale as a wafer. He opened his eyes slightly, feeling a hand slipped -into his, and saw Carmen, a Carmen as pale as himself, dry-eyed and -terrified.</p> - -<p>The friends of the torero prudently intervened. She must remember the -wounded man had only received<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> first aid, and a great deal remained for -the doctors to do.</p> - -<p>The wounded man made a sign with his eyes to El Nacional, who leaned -over him to catch the slight murmur.</p> - -<p>"Juan says," he murmured, going out into the patio, "he would like -Doctor Ruiz sent for."</p> - -<p>"It is already done," said the manager, pleased with his prevision. He -had telegraphed at once when he knew the importance of the accident, and -he had no doubt but that Doctor Ruiz was already on the way and would -arrive on the following morning.</p> - -<p>After their first bewilderment, the doctors were more hopeful. It was -possible he might not die. He had such a splendid constitution and such -energy. What was most to be dreaded was the terrible shock, which would -have killed most men instantaneously, but he had recovered -consciousness, although the weakness was great. As far as the wounds -were concerned, they did not think them dangerous. That on the arm was -not much, though it was possible the limb might be less agile than -before. The hurt on the leg did not offer equal hopes, the bones were -fractured, and probably Gallardo would be lame.</p> - -<p>Don José, who had endeavoured to keep calm, when hours before he had -thought the espada's death inevitable, quite broke down. His matador -lame! Then he would no longer be able to fight!</p> - -<p>He was furious at the calm with which the doctors spoke of the -possibility of Gallardo becoming useless as a torero.</p> - -<p>"That could not be. Do you think it logical that Juan should live and -not fight?... Who would fill his place? I tell you, it cannot be! The -first man in the world!... And you want him to retire!"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span></p><p>He spent the night watching with the men of the cuadrilla and -Gallardo's brother-in-law, and next morning early he went to the station -to meet the Madrid express. It arrived and with it Dr. Ruiz. He came -without any luggage, as carelessly dressed as ever, smiling behind his -yellowish beard, bobbing along in his loose coat, with the swinging of -his little short legs and his big stomach like a Buddha.</p> - -<p>As he entered the house, the torero, who seemed sunk in the extreme of -weakness, opened his eyes, reviving with a smile of confidence. After -Ruiz had listened in a corner to the other doctors' opinions and -explanations, he approached the bed.</p> - -<p>"Courage, my lad; this will not finish you! You have good luck!"</p> - -<p>And then he added, turning to his colleagues:</p> - -<p>"See what a magnificent animal this Juanillo is! Another one by now, -would not be giving us any work."</p> - -<p>He examined him very carefully; it was a "cogida" which required great -care. But he had seen so many!... Bull-fighting wounds were his -spécialité, and in them he always expected the most extraordinary cures, -as if the horns gave at the same time the wound and its remedy.</p> - -<p>"You may almost say that he who is not killed outright in the Plaza is -saved. The cure becomes then only a matter of time."</p> - -<p>For three days Gallardo endured tortures, his weakness preventing the -use of anæsthetics, and Doctor Ruiz extracted several splinters of bone -from the broken leg.</p> - -<p>"Who has said you would be useless for fighting?" exclaimed the Doctor, -satisfied with his own cleverness. "You will fight, my son. The public -will still have to applaud you."</p> - -<p>The manager agreed with this. Exactly what he had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> thought; how could -that lad, who was the first man in the world, end his life in that -fashion?</p> - -<p>By order of Doctor Ruiz, the torero's family were moved to Don José's -house. The women drove him wild, and their proximity was intolerable -during the hours of the operations. A groan from the torero would -instantly be answered from every part of the house by the howls of his -mother and sister, and Carmen struggled like a mad woman to go to her -husband.</p> - -<p>Sorrow had changed the wife, making her forget her rancour. "The fault -is mine," she would often say despairingly to El Nacional. "He said very -often he wished a bull would end him once for all. I have been very -wrong; I have embittered his life."</p> - -<p>In vain the banderillero recalled all the details to convince her that -the misfortune was accidental. No; according to her, Gallardo had wished -to end it for ever, and had it not been for El Nacional he would have -been carried dead out of the arena.</p> - -<p>When the operations were over the family returned to the house, and -Carmen paid her first visit to the sick man.</p> - -<p>She entered the room quietly, with cast down eyes, as if she were -ashamed of her former hostility, and taking Juan's hand in both hers she -asked:</p> - -<p>"How are you?"</p> - -<p>Gallardo seemed shrunk by pain, pale and weak, with an almost childish -resignation. Nothing remained of the proud and gallant fellow who had -delighted the populace with his audacity. He seemed daunted by the -terrible operations endured in full consciousness, all his indifference -to pain had vanished and he moaned at the slightest discomfort.</p> - -<p>After ten days stay in Seville, the Doctor returned to Madrid.</p> - -<p>"Now, my lad," he said to the sick man, "you don't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> require me any -longer, and I have a great deal to do. Now don't be imprudent, and in a -couple of months you will be well and strong. It is possible you may -feel your leg a little, but you have a constitution of iron, and it will -go on getting better."</p> - -<p>Gallardo's cure progressed, as Doctor Ruiz had foretold. At the end of a -month the leg was liberated from its enforced quiet, and the torero, -weak and limping slightly, was able to sit in a chair in the patio, and -receive his friends.</p> - -<p>During his illness, when fever ran high, and gloomy nightmares troubled -him, one thought always remained steadfast in his mind, in spite of all -restless wanderings—the remembrance of Doña Sol. Did that woman know of -his accident?</p> - -<p>While he was still in bed, he had ventured to question the manager about -her when they chanced to be alone.</p> - -<p>"Yes, my man," said Don José, "she has remembered you. She sent me a -wire from Nice, enquiring after you, two or three days after the -accident. Most probably she saw it in the papers. They spoke about you -everywhere, as if you were a king."</p> - -<p>The manager had replied to the telegram, but had not heard subsequently -from her.</p> - -<p>Gallardo appeared satisfied for some days with this explanation, but -afterwards asked again, with a sick man's persistence, had she not -written? Had she not enquired again after him?... The manager tried to -excuse Doña Sol's silence, and console him. He must remember she was -always moving about. Goodness knows where she might be at that time.</p> - -<p>But the torero's despair, thinking himself forgotten, forced Don José to -pious lies. Some days before, he had received a short letter from Italy, -in which Doña Sol inquired after him.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span></p><p>"Let me see it!" said the espada anxiously.</p> - -<p>And, as the manager made some excuse, pretending to have left it at -home, Gallardo implored this comfort.</p> - -<p>"Do bring it to me. I long to see her letter, to convince myself that -she remembers me."</p> - -<p>To avoid further complications in his pretences, Don José invented a -correspondence that did not pass through his hands, but was directed to -others. Doña Sol had written (according to him) to the Marquis about her -money matters, and at the end of every letter she enquired after -Gallardo. At other times the letters were to a cousin, in which were the -same remembrances of the torero.</p> - -<p>Gallardo listened quietly, but at the same time shook his head -doubtfully. When would he see her! Should he ever see her again? Ay! -what a woman to fly like that without any motive, except the caprices of -her strange character.</p> - -<p>"What you ought to do," said the manager, "is to forget all about -women-kind and attend to business. You are no longer in bed, and you are -almost cured. How do you feel as to strength? Say, shall we fight or no? -You have all the winter before you to recover strength. Shall we accept -contracts, or do you decline to fight this year?"</p> - -<p>Gallardo raised his head proudly, as though something dishonouring was -being proposed to him. Renounce bull-fighting?... Spend a whole year -without being seen in the circus? Could the public resign themselves to -such an absence?</p> - -<p>"Accept them, Don José. There is plenty of time to get strong between -now and the Spring. You may promise for the Easter corrida. I think this -leg may still give me some trouble, but, please God, it will soon be as -strong as iron."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p><p>He longed for the time to return to the circus. He felt greedy of fame -and the applause of the populace, and in order to get quite strong he -decided to spend the rest of the winter with his family at La Rinconada. -There, hunting and long walks would strengthen his leg. Besides, he -could ride about to overlook the work, and visit the herds of goats, the -droves of pigs, the dairies and the mares grazing in the meadows.</p> - -<p>The management of the farm had not been good, everything cost him more -than it did other landlords, and the receipts were less. His -brother-in-law, who had established himself at the farm as a kind of -dictator to set things right, had only succeeded in disturbing the -routine of the work, and rousing the labourers' anger. It was fortunate -that Gallardo could count on the certain incomings from the corridas, an -inexhaustible source of wealth, which would over and above recoup his -extravagances and bad management.</p> - -<p>Before leaving for La Rinconada, Señora Angustias wished her son to -fulfil her vow of kneeling before the Virgin of Hope. It was a vow she -had made that terrible night when she saw him stretched pale and -lifeless on the litter. How many times she had wept before La Macarena, -the beautiful Queen of Heaven, with the long eye-lashes and swarthy -cheeks, imploring her not to forget Juanillo!</p> - -<p>The ceremony was a popular rejoicing. All the gardeners of the suburb -were summoned to the church of San Gil, which was filled with flowers, -piled up in banks round the altars, and hanging in garlands between the -arches and from the chandeliers.</p> - -<p>The ceremony took place on a beautiful sunny morning. In spite of its -being a working day, the church was filled with people from the suburb. -Stout women with black eyes, wearing black silk dresses, and lace -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span>mantillas over their pale faces, workmen freshly shaved, and the -beggars arrived in swarms, forming a double row at the church door.</p> - -<p>A Mass was to be sung, with accompaniment of orchestra and voices; -something quite out of the way, like the opera in the San Fernando -theatre at Easter. And afterwards the priests would intone a Te Deum of -thanksgiving for the recovery of Señor Juan Gallardo, the same as when -the king came to Seville.</p> - -<p>The party arrived, making their way through the crowd. The espada's -mother and wife walked first, among relations and friends, dressed in -rustling black silks, smiling beneath their mantillas. Gallardo came -after, followed by an interminable escort of toreros and friends, all -dressed in light suits, with gold chains and rings of extraordinary -brilliancy, their white felt hats contrasting strangely with the women's -black clothes.</p> - -<p>Gallardo was very grave. He was a good believer. He did not often -remember God, though he often swore by Him blasphemously at difficult -moments, more by habit than anything else; but this was quite another -affair, he was going to return thanks to the Santisima Macarena, and he -entered the church reverently.</p> - -<p>They all went in except El Nacional, who leaving his wife and children, -remained in the little square.</p> - -<p>"I am a freethinker," he thought it necessary to explain to a group of -friends. "I respect all beliefs; but that inside there is for me ... -rubbish. I do not wish to be wanting in respect to La Macarena, nor to -take away any credit which is hers, but, comrades, suppose I had not -arrived in time to draw away the bull when Juaniyo was on the -ground!"...</p> - -<p>Through the open doors came the wail of instruments, the voices of the -singers, a sweet and flowing melody,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> accompanied by the perfume of the -flowers and the smell of wax.</p> - -<p>When the party came out, all the poor people scrambled and quarrelled -for the handfuls of money thrown to them. There was enough for -everybody, for Gallardo was liberal, and Señora Angustias wept with joy, -leaning her head on a friend's shoulder.</p> - -<p>The espada appeared at the church door radiant and magnificent, giving -his arm to his wife, and Carmen smiling, with a tear on her eyelashes, -felt as if she were being married to him a second time.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_95_95" id="Footnote_95_95"></a><a href="#FNanchor_95_95"><span class="label">[95]</span></a> The "descabello" is a <i>coup de grace</i> given to a bull -already pierced by a rapier—the stroke consists in driving the rapier -straight down behind the skull so as to pierce the spinal marrow—if it -is badly delivered the animal only gets a slight wound—and it is -considered very unskilful and rouses the indignation of the populace.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VII</h2> - -<p>When the Holy Week came round, Gallardo gave his mother a great -pleasure.</p> - -<p>In previous years as a devotee of "Our Father Jesus of Great Power" he -had walked in the procession of the parish of San Lorenzo, wearing the -long black tunic, with high pointed hood and mask, which only left the -eyes visible.</p> - -<p>It was the aristocratic brotherhood, and when the torero found himself -on the high road to fortune he had entered it, avoiding the popular -brotherhood, whose devotion was generally accompanied by drunkenness and -scandal.</p> - -<p>He spoke with pride of the serious gravity of this religious -association. Everything was well ordered and strictly disciplined as in -a regiment. On the night of Holy Thursday, as the clock of San Lorenzo -struck the second stroke of two in the morning, the church doors would -be suddenly opened, so that the crowd massed on the dark pavement -outside could see the interior of the church, resplendent with lights -and the brotherhood drawn up in order.</p> - -<p>The hooded men, silent and gloomy, with no sign of life but the flash of -their eyes through the black mask, advanced slowly two by two, each -holding a large wax taper in his hand, and leaving a wide space between -each pair for their long sweeping trains.</p> - -<p>The crowd, with southern impressionability, watched the passing of this -hooded train, which they called<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> "Nazarenos," with deepest interest, for -some of these mysterious masks might be great noblemen whom traditional -piety had induced to take part in this nocturnal procession.</p> - -<p>The brotherhood, obliged to keep silence under pain of mortal sin, were -escorted by municipal guards to prevent them being molested by the -drunken rabble, who began their Holy Week holiday on Wednesday night by -visits to every tavern. It happened now and then that the guards relaxed -their vigilance, which enabled these impious tipplers to place -themselves alongside of the silent brothers, and whisper atrocious -insults against their unknown persons, or their equally unknown -families. The Nazarene suffered in silence, swallowing the insults, -offering them as a sacrifice to the "Lord of Great Power." The rascals -emboldened by this meekness would redouble their insults, till at last -the pious mask, considering that if silence was obligatory inaction was -not, would lift their wax tapers and thrash the intruders, which -somewhat upset the holy meditations of the ceremony.</p> - -<p>In the course of the procession, when the porters of the "pasos"<a name="FNanchor_96_96" id="FNanchor_96_96"></a><a href="#Footnote_96_96" class="fnanchor">[96]</a> -required rest, and the huge platforms hung round with lanthorns on which -the figures stood, halted, a slight whistle was enough to stop the -hooded figures, who turned facing each other, resting their large tapers -on their feet, looking at the crowd through the mysterious slit of the -mask. Above the pointed hoods floated the banners of the brotherhood, -squares of black velvet with gold fringes, on which were embroidered the -Roman letters S.P.Q.R., in commemoration of the part played by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> the -Procurator of Judea in the condemnation of the Just One.</p> - -<p>The paso of "Our Father Jesus of Great Power" stood on a heavy platform -of worked metal, trimmed all round with hangings of black velvet which -fell to the ground, concealing the twenty half-naked and perspiring -porters. At each of the four corners hung groups of lanthorns and golden -angels, and in the centre stood Jesus, crowned with thorns and bending -under the weight of His cross; a tragical, dolorous, blood-stained -Jesus, with cadaverous face and tearful eyes, but magnificently dressed -in a velvet tunic, covered with gold flowers, which only showed the -stuff as a slight arabesque between the complicated embroideries.</p> - -<p>The appearance of the Lord of Great Power drew sighs and groans from -hundreds of breasts.</p> - -<p>"Father Jesus!" murmured the old women, fixing their hypnotised eyes on -the figure—"Lord of Great Power! Remember us!"</p> - -<p>As the paso stopped in the middle of the Plaza with its hooded escort, -the devotion of this Andalusian people, which confides all its thoughts -to song, broke out in bird-like trills and interminable laments.</p> - -<p>A childish voice of trembling sweetness broke the silence. Some girl -pushing her way to the front would send a "saeta"<a name="FNanchor_97_97" id="FNanchor_97_97"></a><a href="#Footnote_97_97" class="fnanchor">[97]</a> to Jesus, the -three verses of which celebrated the Lord of Great Power, "The most -divine sculpture," and the artist Montañes, a companion of the artists -of the golden age, who had carved it. The hooded brothers listened -motionless, till the conductor of the paso, thinking the pause had been -long enough, struck a silver bell on the front of the platform. "Up with -it," and the Lord of Great Power, after many oscillations, was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> hoisted -up, while the feet of the invisible porters began to move like tentacles -on the ground.</p> - -<p>After this came the Virgin, Our Lady of the Greatest Sorrow, for all the -parishes sent out two pasos. Under a velvet canopy her golden crown -trembled in the surrounding lights. The train of her mantle, which was -several yards long, hung down behind the paso, being puffed out by a -frame-work of wood, which displayed the splendour of its rich, heavy and -splendid embroideries, which must have exhausted the skill and patience -of a whole generation.</p> - -<p>To the roll of the drums a whole troup of women followed her, their -bodies in the shadow, and their faces reddened by the glare of the -tapers they carried in her hands. Old barefooted women in mantillas, -girls wearing the white clothes which were to have served them as -shrouds, women who walked painfully, as if they were suffering from -hidden and painful maladies, an assembly of suffering humanity saved -from death by the goodness of the Lord of Great Power and His Blessed -Mother.</p> - -<p>The procession of the pious brotherhood, after having slowly walked -through the streets, with long pauses during which they sang hymns, -entered the Cathedral, which remained all night with its doors open. -With their lighted tapers they wound through the gigantic naves, -bringing out of the darkness the immense pillars hung with velvet -trimmed with gold, but their light was unable to disperse the darkness -gathered in the vaults above. Leaving this crypt-like gloom they came -out again under the starlight, and the rising sun ended by surprising -the procession still wandering about the streets.</p> - -<p>Gallardo was an enthusiast about the Lord of Great Power and the -majestic silence of the brotherhood. It was a very serious thing! One -might laugh at the other pasos for their disorder and want of devotion. -But to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> laugh at this one!... Never! Besides, in this brotherhood one -rubbed against very great people.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, this year the espada decided to abandon the Lord of Great -Power, to go out with the brotherhood of la Macarena, who escorted the -miraculous Virgin of Hope.</p> - -<p>Señora Angustias was delighted when she heard his decision. He owed it -to the Virgin, who had saved him after his last "cogida." Besides, this -flattered her feelings of plebeian simplicity.</p> - -<p>"Every one with his own, Juaniyo. It is all right for you to mix with -gentlefolk, but you ought to think that the poor have always loved you, -and that now they are speaking against you, because they think you -despise them."</p> - -<p>The torero knew it but too well. The turbulent populace who sat on the -sunny side of the Plaza were beginning to show a certain animosity -against him, thinking themselves forgotten. They criticised his constant -intercourse with wealthy people, and his desertion of those who had been -his first admirers. Gallardo wished therefor to take advantage of every -means of flattering those whose applause he wanted. A few days before -the procession, he informed the most influential members of la Macarena -of his intention to follow in it. He did not wish the people to know it, -it was purely an act of devotion, and he wished his intention to remain -a secret.</p> - -<p>All the same, in a few days the suburb was talking of nothing else, it -was the pride of the neighbourhood. "Ah! we must see la Macarena this -year," said the gossips as they spoke of the torero's intention. "The -Señora Angustias will cover the paso with flowers, it will cost at least -a hundred duros. And Juaniyo will hang all his jewellery on the Virgin. -A real fortune!"</p> - -<p>And so it was. Gallardo gathered together all the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> jewellery in the -house, both his own and his wife's, to hang on the image. La Macarena -would wear on her ears those diamond ear-rings which the espada had -bought for Carmen in Madrid, which had cost the proceeds of many -corridas. On her breast she would wear a large double gold chain -belonging to the torero, on which would hang all his rings and the large -diamond studs that he wore on his shirt front.</p> - -<p>"Jesus! How smart our Morena<a name="FNanchor_98_98" id="FNanchor_98_98"></a><a href="#Footnote_98_98" class="fnanchor">[98]</a> will be," said they often, speaking of -the Virgin. "Seño Juan intends to pay for everything. It will make half -Seville rage!"</p> - -<p>When the espada was questioned about it, he smiled modestly. He had -always felt a deep devotion for la Macarena. She was the Virgin of the -suburb in which he was born, besides his poor father had never failed to -walk in the procession as an armed man. It was an honour of which the -family was proud, and had his own position admitted of it he would have -been delighted to put on the helmet and carry the lance, like so many -Gallardos, his forebears, who were now underground.</p> - -<p>This religious popularity flattered him: he was anxious that every one -in the suburb should know about his following the procession, but at the -same time he dreaded the news spreading about the town. He believed in -the Virgin, and he wished to stand well with her, in view of future -dangers; but he trembled when he thought of the derision of his friends -assembled in the cafés and clubs of the Calle de las Sierpes.</p> - -<p>"They will turn me into ridicule if they recognize me," said he. "All -the same, I must try and stand well with everybody."</p> - -<p>On the night of Holy Thursday he went with his wife to the Cathedral to -hear the Miserere. The immensely high Gothic arches had no light but -that of a few wax<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> tapers hung on to the pillars, just sufficient for -the crowd not to be obliged to feel their way. All the people of better -social position were seated in the side chapels behind the iron -gratings, anxious to avoid contact with the perspiring masses pouring -into the nave.</p> - -<p>The choir was in complete darkness, except for a few lights looking like -a starry constellation, for the use of the musicians and singers. The -Miserere of Eslava was sung in this atmosphere of gloom and mystery. It -was a gay and graceful Andalusian Miserere like the fluttering of doves' -wings, with tender romances like love serenades, and choruses like -drinkers' rounds, full of that joy of life, which made the people -forgetful of death, and rebel against the gloom of the Passion.</p> - -<p>When the voice of the tenor had ended its last romance, and the wails in -which he apostrophised "Jerusalem! Jerusalem!" were lost in the vaults, -the crowd dispersed, much preferring the liveliness of the streets, as -gay as a theatre, with their electric lights, and the rows of chairs on -the pavements, and wooden stages in the Plazas.</p> - -<p>Gallardo returned home quickly to put on his Nazarene dress. Señora -Angustias had prepared his clothes with a tenderness which carried her -back to her youthful days. Ay! her poor dear husband! who on that night -would don his bellicose array, and shouldering his lance, would leave -the house, not to return till the following day, his helmet knocked in, -his "tonelete"<a name="FNanchor_99_99" id="FNanchor_99_99"></a><a href="#Footnote_99_99" class="fnanchor">[99]</a> a mass of filth, having camped with his brethren in -every tavern in Seville.</p> - -<p>The espada was as careful of his underclothing as a woman, and he put on -his "Nazarene" dress with the same scrupulous care as he did his -fighting costume. First he put on his silk stockings and patent leather -shoes, then the white satin robe his mother had made<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> for him, and above -this the high pointed hood of green velvet, which fell over his -shoulders and face like a mask, and hung down in front like a chasuble -as far as his knees. On one side of the breast the coat of arms of the -brotherhood was delicately embroidered in variegated colours. The torero -having put on his white gloves took the tall staff which was a sign of -dignity in the brotherhood. It was a long staff covered with green -velvet, with a silver top, and pointed at the end with the same metal.</p> - -<p>As Gallardo took his way through the narrow street on his way to San Gil -he met the company of "Jews," that is to say, of armed men, fierce -soldiers, their faces framed by their helmets' metal chin strap, wearing -wine-coloured tunics, flesh-coloured cotton stockings and high sandals, -round their waists was fastened the Roman sword, and over their -shoulders, like a modern gun strap, was the cord which supported their -lances. These soldiers, young and old, marched to the roll of drums and -carried a Roman banner with the senatorial inscription.</p> - -<p>An imposingly magnificent personage swaggered sword in hand at the head -of this troup. Gallardo recognised him as he passed.</p> - -<p>"Curse him!" said he, laughing beneath his mask. "No one will pay any -attention to me. This 'gacho' will carry off all the palms to-night."</p> - -<p>It was Captain Chivo, a gipsy singer, who had arrived that morning from -Paris, faithful to his military discipline, to put himself at the head -of his soldiers.</p> - -<p>To fail in this duty would have been to forfeit the title of Captain, -which El Chivo ostentatiously displayed on every music-hall placard in -Paris, where he and his daughters danced and sang. These girls were as -lively as lizards, graceful of movement, with large eyes, and a delicacy -of colouring and suppleness of figure which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> drove men mad. The eldest -had had the good fortune to run away with a Russian prince, and the -Parisian papers for days were full of the despair "of that brave officer -of the Spanish army," who intended to avenge his honour by shooting the -fugitives. In a theatre on the boulevards a piece had been hastily -mounted, on the "Flight of the Gipsy," with dances of toreros, choruses -of friars, and other scenes of faithful local colouring. El Chivo soon -compromised with his left-handed son-in-law in consideration of -pocketing a good indemnity, and continued dancing in Paris with the -other girls in hopes of another Russian prince. His rank as Captain made -many foreigners, well informed as to what was going on in Spain, -thoughtful. Ah! Spain! ... a decadent country which does not pay its -noble soldiers, and forces its hidalgos to send their daughters on the -stage.</p> - -<p>On the approach of Holy Week, Captain Chivo could no longer bear his -absence from Seville, so he took farewell of his daughters with the air -of a severe and uncompromising "pére noble."</p> - -<p>"My children, I am going.... Mind that you are good ... observe -propriety and decency.... My company is waiting for me. What would they -say if their Captain failed them?"</p> - -<p>He thought with pride as he travelled from Paris to Seville of his -father and grandfather, who had been captains of the Jews of la -Macarena, and that to himself fresh glory accrued through this -inheritance from his forefathers.</p> - -<p>He had once drawn a prize of ten thousand pesetas in the National -Lottery, and the whole of this sum he had spent on a uniform suitable to -his rank. The gossips of the suburb rushed to have a look at the -Captain, dazzling in his gold embroideries, wearing a burnished metal<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> -corselet, a helmet over which flowed a cascade of white feathers, and -whose brilliant steel reflected all the light of the procession. It was -the fantastic magnificence of a red skin; a princely dress, of which a -drunken Auracanian might have dreamt. The women fingered the velvet -kilt, admiring its embroideries of nails, hammers, thorns, in fact all -the attributes of the Passion. His boots seemed trembling at every step -from the flashing brilliancy of the spangles and paste jewels which -covered them. Below the white plumes of the helmet, which seemed to make -his dark Moorish colouring darker still, the gipsy's grey whiskers could -be seen. This was not military. The Captain himself nobly admitted it. -But he was returning to Paris, and something must be conceded to art.</p> - -<p>Turning his head with warlike pride and fixing his eyes on the legionary -eagle, he shouted:</p> - -<p>"Attention! let no one leave the ranks! ... observe decency and -discipline!"</p> - -<p>The company advanced, marching slowly, stiffly and solemnly to the -rubadub of the drum. In every street were many taverns, and before their -doors stood boon companions, their hats well back, and their waistcoats -open, who had lost count of the innumerable glasses they had drunk in -commemoration of the Lord's death.</p> - -<p>As they saw the imposing warrior come along they hailed him, holding up -from afar glasses of fragrant amber-coloured wine. The Captain -endeavoured to conceal his inward perturbation, turning his eyes away, -and holding himself up even more rigidly inside his metal corselet. If -only he had not been on duty!...</p> - -<p>Some friends more pressing than the others, crossed the street to push -the glass under the plumed helmet; but the incorruptible centurion drew -back, presenting the point of his sword. Duty was duty. This year at -all<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> events it should not be as other years, in which the company had -fallen into disorder and disarray almost as soon as they had started.</p> - -<p>The streets soon became real Ways of Bitterness for Captain Chivo. He -was so hot in his armour, surely a little wine would not destroy -discipline; so he accepted a glass, and then another, and soon the -company were moving along with gaps in their ranks, strewing the way -with stragglers, who stopped at every tavern they passed.</p> - -<p>The procession marched with traditional slowness, waiting hours at every -crossway. It was only twelve at night, and la Macarena would not have to -return home till twelve the following day; it took her longer to go -through the streets of Seville than it took to go from Seville to -Madrid.</p> - -<p>First of all advanced the paso of "The Sentence of our Lord Jesus -Christ," a platform covered with figures, representing Pilate seated on -a golden throne, surrounded by soldiers in coloured kilts and plumed -helmets, guarding the sorrowful Jesus, ready to march to execution, in a -tunic of violet velvet with resplendent embroideries, and three golden -rays, representing the three Persons of the Trinity, appearing above His -crown of thorns. But this paso in spite of its many figures and the -richness of its decoration did not rivet the attention of the crowd. It -seemed dwarfed by the one following it, that of the Queen of the popular -suburbs, the miraculous Virgin of Hope, la Macarena.</p> - -<p>When this Virgin with her pink cheeks and long eye-lashes appeared, -beneath a canopy of velvet, which swayed with every step of the -concealed carriers, a deafening acclamation rose from the populace -assembled in the Plaza. Ah! how beautiful she was; the Queen of Heaven! -A beauty which never aged!</p> - -<p>Her splendid mantle, of immense length, with a wide<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> reticulated gold -border like the meshes of a net, extended a long way behind the paso, -like a gigantic peacock's folded tail. Her eyes shone, as if they were -moistened with tears at the joyous welcome of the faithful. The image -was covered with flashing jewels, like a brilliant armour over the -velvet dress. They were in hundreds, possibly thousands! She seemed -covered with shining rain drops, flaming with every colour of the -rainbow. From her neck hung rows of pearls, gold chains on which -hundreds of rings were strung, and all the front of her dress was plated -with gold watches, pendents of emeralds and brilliants, and ear-rings as -large as pebbles. All the devotees lent their jewels for the Santisima -Macarena to wear on her progress, and the women showed their -unornamented hands on that night of religious mourning, delighted that -the Mother of God should be wearing those jewels which were their pride. -The public knew them, for they saw them every year; they could tell all -the tale of them, and point out any novelties; and they knew that the -ornaments the Virgin wore on her breast hanging on a gold chain belonged -to Gallardo the torero.</p> - -<p>Gallardo himself, with his face covered, leaning on the staff of -authority, walked in front of the paso with the dignitaries of the -brotherhood. Others carried long trumpets hung with gold-fringed green -banners. Now and again they put them to their lips through a slit in -their masks, and a heart-rending funereal trumpeting broke the silence. -But this horrifying roar woke no echo in the hearts of the people, the -soft Spring night with its perfume of orange flowers was too sweet and -smiling; in vain the trumpets roared funereal marches, or the singers -wept as they sang the sacred verses, or the soldiers marched frowning -like veritable executioners, the Spring night smiled, spreading the -perfume of its thousand flowers, and no one thought of death.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span></p><p>The inhabitants of the suburbs swarmed in disorder round the Virgin, -small shopkeepers, with their dishevelled wives, dragging tribes of -children along by the hand on this excursion which would last till dawn; -young men with their black curls flattened over their ears flourishing -sticks as if some one intended to insult la Macarena, and their strong -arms would be required for her protection, crowds of men and women -flattening themselves between the enormous paso and the walls in the -narrow streets. "Olé! La Macarena!... The first Virgin of the world!"</p> - -<p>Every fifty paces the saintly platform was stopped. There was no hurry, -the night was long. In many cases the Virgin was stopped so that people -could look at her at their ease; every tavern keeper also requested a -halt in front of his establishment.</p> - -<p>A man would cross the road towards the leaders of the paso.</p> - -<p>"Here! Hi! Stop!... Here is the first singer in the world who wants to -sing a 'saeta' to the Virgin."</p> - -<p>The "first singer in the world," leaning on a friend, with unsteady legs -and passing on his glass to some one else, would, after coughing, pour -forth the full torrent of his hoarse voice, of which the roulades -obscured the clearness of the words. Before he had half ended his slow -ditty another voice would begin, and then another, as if a musical -contest were established; some sang like birds, others were hoarse like -broken bellows, others screamed with piercing yells, most of the singers -remained hidden in the crowd, but others proud of their voice and style -planted themselves in the middle of the roadway in front of la Macarena.</p> - -<p>The drums beat and the trumpets continued their gloomy blasts, everybody -sang at once, their discordant voices mixing with the deafening -instruments, but no<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> one ever got confused, each one sang straight -through his saeta without hesitation as if they were all deaf to other -sounds, keeping their eyes steadily fixed on the image.</p> - -<p>In front of the paso walked barefoot a young man dressed in a purple -tunic and crowned with thorns. He was bending beneath the weight of a -heavy cross twice as high as himself, and when the paso resumed its way -after a long pause, charitable souls helped him to readjust his burden.</p> - -<p>The women groaned with compassion as they saw him. Poor fellow! with -what holy fervour he fulfilled his penance. All in the suburb remembered -his criminal sacrilege! That cursed wine which was men's undoing.</p> - -<p>Three years before on the morning of Good Friday, when la Macarena was -on her way back to her church, this poor sinner, who in point of fact -was a very good sort of fellow, after wandering about the streets all -night with his friends, had stopped the procession in front of a tavern -in the market place. He sang to the Virgin, and then fired by holy -enthusiasm broke out into compliments. Olé! the beautiful Macarena! He -loved her more than his sweetheart! In order to display his devotion he -wished to throw at her feet what he held in his hand, thinking that it -was his hat, but unfortunately it was a glass which smashed itself on -the Virgin's face.... He was carried off weeping to prison. He did love -la Macarena just as if she were his mother! It was all that cursed wine -which took men's wits away! He trembled at the thought of the years of -jail awaiting him for this disrespect to religion, and he wept so -effectually that even those who were most indignant with him ended by -pleading in his favour, and everything was settled on his giving a -promise to perform some extraordinary penance as a warning to other -sinners.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span></p><p>He dragged along the cross, perspiring and gasping, shifting the place -of the heavy weight when his shoulders became bruised by the sorrowful -burden. His comrades pitied him, and offered him glasses of wine, not by -way of mockery of his penance, but from sheer compassion. He was -fainting from fatigue, he ought to refresh himself.</p> - -<p>But he turned his eyes from the longed-for refreshments towards the -Virgin, taking her as witness of his martyrdom. Never mind, he would -drink well, without fear, next day when la Macarena was safely lodged in -her church.</p> - -<p>The paso was still in the suburb of la Feria, while the head of the -procession had reached the centre of Seville. The green-hooded brothers -and the company of armed men marched forward with warlike astuteness. It -was a question of occupying la Campana, and so gaining possession of the -entrance to the Calle de las Sierpes,<a name="FNanchor_100_100" id="FNanchor_100_100"></a><a href="#Footnote_100_100" class="fnanchor">[100]</a> before any other brotherhood -could present itself. Once the vanguard were in possession of this point -they could wait quietly for hours till the Virgin arrived, enjoying the -angry protests of other brotherhoods, quite inferior people, whose -images could in no way compare with their Macarena, and who were -therefore obliged to take up a humble position behind her.</p> - -<p>Often the rabble escorting the different pasos came to blows, heads were -broken, and one or two lads were hurried off to prison or to the nearest -chemist's shop. Meanwhile Captain Chivo had executed his great strategic -movement, occupying la Campana up to the entrance of the Calle de las -Sierpes, to the noisy and triumphant<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> roll of his drums. There is no -thoroughfare here! Long live the Virgin of la Macarena!</p> - -<p>The Calle de las Sierpes was turned into a saloon, its balconies were -full of people, electric lights hung across it from house to house, all -the cafés and shops were illuminated, heads filled every window, and -crowds of people sat on the rows of chairs placed against the walls, on -which they stood up whenever a roll of drums or the blast of trumpets -announced the coming of any paso.</p> - -<p>That night no one in the town slept, even old ladies of regular habits -waited now till dawn to watch the innumerable processions.</p> - -<p>Although it was now three in the morning, nothing indicated the lateness -of the hour. People were feasting in the cafés and taverns, succulent -odours escaped through the doors of the fried fish shops; in the centre -of the street itinerant sellers of drinks and sweets had established -themselves, and many families, who only came out on great holidays, had -been there since two o'clock on the previous afternoon, waiting to watch -the endless passing of Virgins of bewildering magnificence, whose velvet -mantles several yards long drew forth cries of admiration, of Redeemers -with golden crowns and tunics of brocade: a whole world of absurd images -in theatrical splendour, about which there was nothing religious beyond -their cadaverous and bloody faces.</p> - -<p>The Sevillians in front of the cafés pointed out the pasos by name to -the foreigners who had come to see this strange Christian ceremony, as -lively as a pagan holiday.</p> - -<p>They enumerated the paso of the Holy Decree, of the Holy Christ of -Silence, of Our Lady of Bitterness, of Jesus with the Cross on His -shoulder, of Our Lady of the Valley, of Our Father Jesus of the Three -Falls, of Our Lady of Tears, of the Lord of a Holy Death, of Our<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> Lady -of the Three Necessities, and all these images were accompanied by their -special Nazarenes, black or white, red, green, blue or violet, all -masked, and preserving their mysterious personality beneath their -pointed hoods.</p> - -<p>The heavy pasos advanced slowly and laboriously through the narrow -streets, but when they emerged into the Plaza de San Francisco, opposite -the boxes raised in front of the Palace of the Ayuntamiento, the pasos -gave a half turn, so that the images might face the seats, and by a -genuflexion performed by their porters salute the illustrious strangers -or Royal personages who had come to see the fiesta.</p> - -<p>Alongside of the pasos walked lads carrying jars of water. As soon as -the platform halted, a corner of the velvet hangings was raised, and -twenty or thirty men appeared, perspiring, half naked, purple with -fatigue, with kerchiefs tied round their heads and the look of exhausted -savages. These were the Gallicians,<a name="FNanchor_101_101" id="FNanchor_101_101"></a><a href="#Footnote_101_101" class="fnanchor">[101]</a> the strong porters, for any of -that calling were merged in that nationality; they drank the water -greedily, and if there were a tavern at hand mutinied against the -conductor of the paso to obtain wine or food.</p> - -<p>The crowd surged restlessly with eager curiosity in the Calle de las -Sierpes as the pasos of the Macarenos ramp along in a compact procession -accompanied by bands of music. The drums redoubled their beating, the -trumpets roared furiously, all the tumultuous crew from the suburb -shouted and yelled, and every one got up on the chairs in order to see -better this slow but noisy cortége.</p> - -<p>At the door of a café, El Nacional with all his family stood watching -the passing of the brotherhood—"Retrograde superstition!"... But all -the same, he came<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> every year to watch this noisy invasion of the Calle -de las Sierpes by the Macarenos.</p> - -<p>He immediately recognized Gallardo from his magnificent stature, and the -elegance with which he wore the inquisitorial garments.</p> - -<p>"Juanillo," cried he, "make the paso stop. Here are some foreign ladies -who would like to see it close."</p> - -<p>The holy platform stood still, the band broke out into a spirited march, -one of those which delighted the public at the bull-fights, and -immediately the hidden porters of the paso began to lift first one foot -then the other, executing a dance which made the platform sway with -violent oscillations, throwing the surrounding people against the walls. -The Virgin, with all her load of jewels, flowers, lanthorns, and even -the heavy canopy danced up and down to the sound of the music. This was -a spectacle which required immense practise, and of which the Macarenos -were extremely proud. The strong young men of the suburb, holding on to -each side of the paso supported it, following its violent swaying, -while, fired by this display of strength and dexterity, they shouted -"All Seville should see this!... This is splendid! Only the Macarenos -can do this!"</p> - -<p>The brotherhood continued their triumphal march, leaving deserters in -every tavern and fallen all along the streets. When the sun rose it -found them at the extreme opposite end of Seville from their own parish, -and the image and its remaining supporters looked like a dissolute band -returning from an orgy.</p> - -<p>Close to the market place the two pasos stood deserted, while all the -procession took their morning draft in the adjacent taverns, -substituting large glasses of Cazalla aguardiente for country wine.</p> - -<p>Of the brilliant Jewish army nothing remained but miserable relics, as -if they were straggling home after<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> a defeat. The Captain walked with a -sad stagger, his feathery plumes hanging down limp over his livid face, -and his sole idea seemed to be to preserve his magnificent costume from -dirty handling. Respect the uniform!</p> - -<p>Gallardo left the procession soon after sunrise. He thought he had done -quite enough in accompanying the Virgin throughout the night, and -assuredly she would lay it to his account. Besides, this last part of -the fiesta was by far the most trying, till the Macarena returned to her -church about mid-day. The people who got up fresh after a good night's -sleep laughed at the hooded brothers, who looked ridiculous by daylight, -and who moreover bore traces of the drunkenness and dirt of the night. -It would not be prudent for a torero to be seen with this band of -tipplers waiting for them at tavern doors.</p> - -<p>Señora Angustias was waiting for her son in the patio to assist the -Nazarene in removing his garments. He must rest now he had accomplished -his duties towards the Virgin. On Easter Sunday there was a corrida, the -first since his accident. Cursed profession! In which ease of mind was -impossible. And the poor women, after a period of tranquillity, saw all -their anguish and terrors revive.</p> - -<p>Saturday and the morning of Sunday the torero spent in receiving visits -of enthusiastic amateurs who had come to Seville for the Holy Week and -the fair. They all smiled, confident in his future exploits.</p> - -<p>"We shall see how you fight! The 'aficion' has its eyes on you! How are -you with regard to strength?"</p> - -<p>Gallardo did not distrust his vigour. Those winter months in the country -had made him quite robust. He was now quite as strong as before his -"cogida." The only thing that reminded him of his accident when he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> was -shooting at the farm was a slight weakness in the broken leg. But this -was only noticeable after long walks.</p> - -<p>"I will do my best," murmured Gallardo, with feigned modesty. "I hope I -shall not come out of it badly."</p> - -<p>The manager intervened with the blindness of his faith.</p> - -<p>"You will fight like an angel!... You will put all the bulls in your -pocket!"</p> - -<p>Gallardo's admirers, forgetting the corrida for a moment, spoke about a -piece of news flying round the town.</p> - -<p>On a mountain in the province of Cordoba the civil guards had found a -decomposed body, with the head almost blown to pieces, apparently by a -point blank shot. It was impossible to recognize it, but its clothes, -the carbine, everything in short, made them think it must be Plumitas.</p> - -<p>Gallardo listened silently. He had not seen the bandit since his -accident, but he kept a kindly remembrance of him. His farm people had -told him that twice while he was in danger, Plumitas had called at the -farm to enquire about him. Afterwards, while he was staying there -himself, on several occasions his shepherds and workmen had spoken -mysteriously of Plumitas, who, knowing he was at la Rinconada, had asked -for news of Señor Juan when he met them on the road.</p> - -<p>Poor fellow! Gallardo pitied him as he remembered his predictions. The -civil guards had not killed him. He had been murdered during his sleep; -probably he had been shot by one of his own class, some amateur who -wished to follow in his footsteps.</p> - -<p>His departure for the corrida on Sunday was even more painful than on -former occasions. Carmen did her best to be calm and help Garabato to -dress his <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span>master, and Señora Angustias hovered outside the room longing -to see Juanillo once more as if she were going to lose him.</p> - -<p>When Gallardo came out into the patio with his montera on his head, and -his beautiful cape thrown over one shoulder, his mother threw her arms -round his neck and dissolved in tears. She did not utter a word, but her -noisy sighs revealed her thoughts. He was going to fight for the first -time since his accident, and in the same Plaza where it had happened! -The superstitions of this woman of the people rose up against such -imprudence!... Ay! when would he retire from this cursed profession? Had -they not yet money enough?</p> - -<p>But his brother-in-law interfered in his capacity of family adviser.</p> - -<p>Now then, little mother, it was not such a great thing after all, it was -only a corrida like any other. The best they could do was to leave Juan -in peace, and not upset his calmness by this snivelling just as he was -going to the Plaza.</p> - -<p>Carmen was braver, she did not cry, and accompanied her husband to the -door, wishing to encourage him. Now that, in consequence of his -accident, love had revived, and they lived quietly together, she could -not believe that any accident would occur to disturb them. That accident -was God's work, who often brings good out of evil. Juan would fight as -on other occasions and would return home safe and sound.</p> - -<p>"Good luck to you!"</p> - -<p>She watched the departure of the carriage with loving eyes as it drove -away, followed by a crowd of little ragamuffins, delighted at the sight -of the torero's golden clothes. But when the poor woman was alone she -went up to her room, and lighted the tapers before an image of the -Virgin of Hope.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span></p><p>El Nacional rode in the coach, frowning and gloomy. That Sunday was the -day of the elections, and none of his companions of the cuadrilla had -taken any notice of it. They would do nothing but talk of the death of -Plumitas and the approaching bull-fight. It was too bad to have his -functions as a good citizen, interrupted by this corrida, preventing him -carrying off several friends to the voting urn, who would not go unless -he took them. Don Joselito had been imprisoned, with other friends, on -account of his eloquence on the tribunes, and El Nacional, who wished to -share his martyrdom, had been obliged to put on his gala costume instead -and go off with his master. Was this assault on the liberty of citizens -to remain unnoticed? Would not the people rise?...</p> - -<p>As the coach drove along through la Campana, the toreros saw a large -crowd of people, apparently shouting seditiously and waving their -sticks. The police agents were charging them sword in hand, and a free -fight seemed in progress.</p> - -<p>El Nacional rose from his seat trying to throw himself out of the -carriage. Ah! At last! The moment has come!... The revolution! Now the -populace is rising!</p> - -<p>But his master half laughing, half angry, seized him and pushed him back -in his seat.</p> - -<p>"Don't be an idiot, Sebastian! You only see revolutions and hobgoblins -everywhere!"</p> - -<p>The rest of the cuadrilla laughed as they guessed the truth. The noble -people, being unable to obtain tickets for the corrida at the office in -la Campana were trying to take it by storm, and set fire to it, being -prevented by the police. El Nacional bent his head sorrowfully.</p> - -<p>"Reaction and ignorance! All the want of knowing how to read and write!"</p> - -<p>A noisy ovation awaited them as they arrived at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> Plaza, and frantic -rounds of clapping greeted the procession of the cuadrilla. All the -applause was for Gallardo. The public welcomed his reappearance in the -arena, after that tremendous "cogida" which had been talked of all over -the Peninsula.</p> - -<p>When the time came for Gallardo to kill his first bull, the explosions -of enthusiasm recommenced. Women in white mantillas followed him with -their opera-glasses. He was applauded and acclaimed on the sunny side, -just as much as on the shady side. Even his enemies seemed influenced by -this current of sympathy. Poor fellow! He had suffered so much!... The -whole Plaza was his. Never had Gallardo seen an audience so completely -his own.</p> - -<p>He took off his montera before the presidential chair to give the -"brindis." "Olé! Olé!" Nobody heard a word, but they all yelled -enthusiastically. The applause followed him as he went towards the bull, -ceasing in a silence of expectation as he approached it.</p> - -<p>He unfolded his muleta, standing in front of the animal, but at some -distance, not as in former days, when he fired the people by spreading -the red rag almost on its muzzle. In the silence of the Plaza there was -a movement of surprise, but no one uttered a word. Several times -Gallardo stamped on the ground to excite the beast, who at last attacked -feebly, passing under the muleta, but the torero drew himself on one -side with visible haste. Many on the benches looked at each other. What -did that mean?</p> - -<p>The espada saw El Nacional by his side and a few steps further back -another peon, but he did not shout as formerly, "Every one out of the -way!"</p> - -<p>From the benches arose the sound of sharp discussions. Even the torero's -friends thought some explanation necessary.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span></p><p>"He still feels his wounds. He ought not to fight. That leg! don't you -see it?"</p> - -<p>The capes of the two peons helped the espada in his passes; the beast -was restless, bewildered by the red cloths, and as soon as it charged -the muleta, some other cape attracted it away from the torero.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, as if he wished to get out of this disagreeable situation, -squared himself with his rapier high, and threw himself on the bull.</p> - -<p>A murmur of absolute stupefaction greeted the stroke. The blade entering -only a third of its length trembled, ready to fly out. Gallardo had -slipped out from between the horns, without driving the blade in up to -the hilt as in former days.</p> - -<p>"The stroke was well placed all the same!" shouted the enthusiasts, -clapping as hard as they could, so that their noise should supply the -place of numbers.</p> - -<p>But the connoisseurs smiled with pity. That lad was going to lose the -only merit he possessed, his nerve and daring. They had seen him -instinctively shorten his arm at the moment of striking the bull with -the rapier, and they had seen him turn his face aside, with that -shrinking of fear which prevents a man looking danger full in the face.</p> - -<p>The rapier rolled on the ground, and Gallardo, taking another, turned -again towards the bull accompanied by his peons. El Nacional's cape was -constantly spread close to him to distract the beast, and the -banderillero's bellowing bewildered it, and made it turn, whenever it -approached Gallardo too closely.</p> - -<p>The second estocade was scarcely more fortunate than the first, as more -than half the blade remained uncovered.</p> - -<p>"He does not lean on it!" They began to shout from the benches. "The -horns frighten him."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span></p><p>Gallardo opened his arms like a cross in front of the bull, to show the -public behind him, that the bull had had enough and might fall at any -moment. But the animal still remained on foot, moving its head about -uneasily from side to side.</p> - -<p>El Nacional, exciting him with the rag, made him run, taking advantage -of every opportunity to hit him heavily on the neck with his cape with -all the strength of his arm. The populace, guessing his intention, began -to abuse him. He was making the brute run in order that the sword should -fix itself in firmer, and his heavy blows with the cape were to drive it -in deeper. They called him a thief, abusing his mother and other -relations, threatening sticks were flourished on the sunny side, and a -shower of bottles, oranges and any missiles to hand showered down on the -arena, with the intention of striking him, but the good fellow bore all -the insults as if he were blind and deaf, and he continued following up -the bull, happy in fulfilling his duties and saving a friend.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a stream of blood gushed from the brute's mouth, and he quietly -bent his knees, remaining motionless, but still with his head high as if -he intended to rise again and attack. The puntillero came up anxious to -finish him as quickly as possible and get the espada out of the -difficulty. El Nacional helped him by leaning furtively on the sword and -driving it in up to the hilt.</p> - -<p>Unluckily the populace on the sunny side saw this manœuvre and rose -to their feet transported with rage, howling:</p> - -<p>"Thief! Assassin!"</p> - -<p>They were furious in the name of the poor bull, as if he had not to die -in any case, and they shook their fists threateningly at El Nacional, as -if he had committed some crime under their very eyes, and the -banderillero, ashamed, ended by taking refuge behind the barriers.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p><p>Gallardo in the meanwhile walked towards the president's chair to -salute, while his unreasoning partizans accompanied him with applause as -noisy as it was ill supported.</p> - -<p>"He had no luck," said they, proof against all disillusions. "The -estocades were well placed! No one can deny that."</p> - -<p>The espada stood for a few moments opposite the benches where his most -fervent partizans were seated, and leaning on the barrier he explained, -"It was a very bad bull. There had been no means of making a good job of -it."</p> - -<p>The partizans, with Don José at their head, assented. It was just what -they had thought themselves.</p> - -<p>Gallardo remained the greater part of the corrida by the step of the -barrier, plunged in gloomy thought. It was all very well making these -explanations to his friends, but he felt a cruel doubt in his own mind, -a distrust of his own powers that he had never felt before.</p> - -<p>The bulls seemed to him bigger, and endowed with a "double life," which -made them refuse to die, whereas formerly they had fallen under his -rapier with miraculous facility. Indubitably they had loosed the worst -of the herd for him, to do him an evil turn. Some intrigue of his -enemies most probably.</p> - -<p>Other suspicions, too, rose confusedly from the depths of his mind, but -he scarcely dared to drag them out of their darkness and verify them. -His arm seemed shorter at the moment when he presented the rapier in -front of him; formerly it had reached the brute's neck with the -quickness of lightning, now there seemed a fearful and interminable -space that he knew not how to cover. His legs too seemed different. They -seemed to be free and independent of the rest of his body. In vain his -will ordered them to remain calm and firm as in former days,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> but they -did not obey. They seemed to have eyes which saw the danger, and leapt -aside with exceeding lightness as soon as they felt the brute charging.</p> - -<p>Gallardo turned against the public the rage he felt at his failure, and -his sudden weakness. What did those people want? Was he to let himself -be killed for their pleasure?... Did he not carry marks enough of his -mad daring on his body? He had no need to prove his courage. That he was -still alive was a miracle and owing to celestial intervention, because -God is good, and had listened to the prayers of his mother and his poor -wife. He had seen the fleshless face of Death closer than most people, -and he now knew better than any one the value of living.</p> - -<p>"If you think you are going to have my skin!" he said to himself as he -looked at the crowd.</p> - -<p>In future he would fight much as his companions did. Some days he would -do well, some days ill. After all bull-fighting was only a profession, -and once one had got into the front rank the most important thing was to -live, carrying out one's engagements as best one could.</p> - -<p>When the time came for him to kill his second bull his cogitations had -brought him into a calmer frame of mind. There was no animal that could -kill him! All the same, he would do what he could not to get within -reach of the horns.</p> - -<p>As he went towards the bull, he carried himself with the same proud -bearing as on his best afternoons.</p> - -<p>"Out of the way, everybody!"</p> - -<p>The audience rustled with a murmur of satisfaction. He had said ... "Out -of the way, everybody!" He was going to repeat one of his old strokes.</p> - -<p>But what the public hoped for did not happen, neither did El Nacional -cease to follow him with his cape on his arm, guessing with the -knowledge of an old peon,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> accustomed to the bombast of matadors, the -theatrical hollowness of that order.</p> - -<p>Gallardo spread his cape at some distance from the bull, and began the -passes with visible apprehension, always helped by Sebastian's cape.</p> - -<p>Once when the muleta remained low for an instant, the bull moved as if -intending to charge; he did not, but the espada, over and above alert, -deceived by this movement, took a few steps back, which were real -bounds, flying from an animal which did not intend to attack him.</p> - -<p>This unnecessary retreat placed him in a very ridiculous position, and -the crowd laughed with surprise, and many whistles were heard.</p> - -<p>"Hey! he's catching you!" ... yelled an ironical voice.</p> - -<p>"Poor dear!" cried another in comically feminine tones.</p> - -<p>Gallardo crimsoned with anger. This to him! And in the Plaza of Seville! -He felt the proud heart-throb of his early days, a mad desire to fall -wildly on the bull, and let what God would happen. But his limbs refused -to obey. His arms seemed to think, his legs to see the danger.</p> - -<p>But with a sudden reaction at these insults, the audience themselves -came to his assistance and imposed silence. What a shame to treat a man -like this, who was only just convalescent from his serious wounds! It -was unworthy of the Plaza of Seville! At least let them observe decency!</p> - -<p>Gallardo took advantage of this expression of sympathy to get out of the -difficulty. Approaching the bull sideways he gave him a treacherous and -crossways stroke. The animal fell like a beast at the shambles, a -torrent of blood rushing from his mouth. Some <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span>applauded, others -whistled, but the great mass remained gloomily silent.</p> - -<p>"They have loosed you treacherous curs!" cried his manager from his -seat, in spite of the corrida being supplied from the Marquis' herds. -"These are not bulls! We shall see a difference when they are noble -'bichos,' bulls 'of truth.'"</p> - -<p>As he left the Plaza, Gallardo could gauge the discontent of the people -by their silence. Many groups passed him, but not a salutation, not an -acclamation, such as he had always received on his lucky days.</p> - -<p>The espada tasted for the first time the bitterness of failure. Even his -banderilleros were frowning and silent like defeated soldiers. But when -he got home and felt his mother's arms round his neck, and the caresses -of Carmen and the little nephews, his sadness vanished. Curse it all!... -The really important thing was to live that the family should be quiet -and happy, and to earn the public's money without any foolhardiness, -which must lead to death.</p> - -<p>On the following days he recognized the necessity of showing himself, -and of talking with his friends in the people's cafés and in the clubs -of the Calle de las Sierpes. He thought that his presence would impose a -courteous silence on evil speakers, and cut short commentaries on his -fiasco. He spent whole afternoons amid the poorer aficionados whom he -had neglected for so long, while he cultivated the friendship of the -richer class. Afterwards he went to the "Forty-five," where his manager -was enforcing his opinions by shouts and thumps, maintaining as ever the -superiority of Gallardo.</p> - -<p>Excellent Don José! His enthusiasm was immutable, bomb proof. It never -could occur to him that his matador could possibly cease to be as he had -always been. He did not offer a single criticism on his fiasco; on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> -contrary, he himself endeavoured to find excuses, mingling with them the -comfort of his good advice.</p> - -<p>"You still feel your 'cogida.' What I say is: 'You will all see him, -when he is quite cured, and then you will give me news of him.' Do as -you did formerly. Go straight to the bull with that courage which God -has given you, and Zas! plunge the blade in up to the cross ... and you -put him in your pocket."</p> - -<p>Gallardo assented with an enigmatic smile.... Put the bulls in his -pocket! He wished for nothing better. But ay! lately they had become so -big and so intractable! They had grown so enormously since he last trod -the arena!</p> - -<p>Gambling was Gallardo's consolation, making him forget his anxieties for -the moment; and with fresh energy he returned to the green table to lose -his money, surrounded by his former friends, who did not care in the -least about his failures as long as he was an "elegant" torero.</p> - -<p>One night they all went to supper at the inn at Eritana, a festivity -given in honour of some foreign ladies of gay life, with whom some of -the young men had become acquainted in Paris. They had come to Seville -in order to see the festival of the Holy Week and the fair, and were -anxious to see all that was most picturesque in the place.</p> - -<p>Consequently they wished to become acquainted with the celebrated -torero, the most elegant of all the espadas, that Gallardo whose -portrait they had so often admired in popular prints and on the tops of -match-boxes.</p> - -<p>The gathering was held in the large dining-room of Eritana, a pavilion -in the gardens, decorated in extremely bad taste with vulgar imitations -of the Moorish splendours of the Alhambra.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span></p><p>Gallardo was greeted as a demigod by these three women, who, ignoring -their other friends, quarrelled for the honour of sitting beside him. In -a way they reminded him of the absent one, with their golden hair and -elegant dresses, and their all-pervading perfumes produced a kind of -bewilderment.</p> - -<p>The presence of his friends helped to make the remembrance still more -vivid. All were friends of Doña Sol, many even belonged to her family, -and he had come to look on these as relations.</p> - -<p>They all ate and drank with that almost savage voracity usual at -nocturnal feasts, where every one goes with the fullest intention of -exceeding in everything, a gipsy band stationed at the further end of -the room intoning their somewhat melancholy songs, varied by sprightly -dance music, added to the general hilarity.</p> - -<p>By midnight all were more or less tipsy, but Gallardo in his cups was -sad and gloomy. Ay! for that other one ... for the real gold of her -hair! The golden hair of these women was artificial, their skin was -thick and coarse, hardened by cosmetics, and through all their perfumes -his imagination detected an atmosphere of innate vulgarity. Ay! for that -other one ... that other one.</p> - -<p>Gallardo drank deeper and deeper, and the women who had quarrelled for a -place by his side, finding him dull and unresponsive, now turned their -backs with insulting taunts on his gloom. The guitarists scarcely played -any longer, but, overcome with wine, bent drowsily over their -instruments.</p> - -<p>The torero was also nearly falling asleep on a bench, when one of his -friends offered to give him a lift home in his carriage; he was obliged -to leave early so as to be home before the old Countess, his mother, -arose to hear Mass, as she did daily, at dawn.</p> - -<p>The night wind did not disperse the torero's <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span>drunkenness. When his -friend dropped him at the corner of his own street, Gallardo turned with -unsteady steps towards his house. Close to the door he stopped, leaning -against the wall with both hands, resting his head on his arms as though -he could no longer endure the weight of his thoughts.</p> - -<p>He had completely forgotten his friends, the supper at Eritana, and the -painted strangers, who had begun by quarrelling for him and who had -ended by insulting him. Some memory of the other one still floated -through his mind, that always! ... but vaguely, and at last that, too, -faded. Now his thoughts, by one of the capricious turns of drunkenness, -were entirely filled by memories of the bull-ring.</p> - -<p>He was the first Matador in the world. Olé! so his manager and his -friends declared, and it was the truth. His enemies would see a fine -sight when he returned to the Plaza. What had happened the other day was -only an accident, a trick that bad luck had played him.</p> - -<p>Proud of the overpowering strength that the excitement of wine had -momentarily given him, he imagined all the Andalusian and Castillian -bulls to be like feeble goats that he could overthrow with a single blow -from his hand.</p> - -<p>What had happened the other day was really nothing. Rubbish!... As El -Nacional said, "From the best singer there sometimes escapes a -cock-crow."</p> - -<p>And this proverb, heard from the lips of many venerable patriarchs of -his profession on days of disaster, inspired him with an irresistible -desire to sing, to fill the silence of the street with his voice.</p> - -<p>With his head still leaning on his arms, he began to croon a verse of -his own composition, one of overweening praise of his own merit.</p> - -<p>"I am Juaniyo Gallardo....</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span></p><p>Who has more c ... c ... courage than God," and being unable to -improvise more in his own honour, he repeated the same words again and -again in a hoarse and monotonous voice, which disturbed the silence, and -made an invisible dog at the end of the street bark.</p> - -<p>It was the paternal inheritance springing up afresh in him; that singing -mania which had always accompanied Señor Juan in his weekly outbreaks.</p> - -<p>The door of the house opened, and Garabato pushed out his sleepy head, -to have a look at the toper whose voice he thought he recognised.</p> - -<p>"Ah! is that you?" said the espada, "wait a bit while I sing the last."</p> - -<p>And he repeated several times the incomplete ditty in honour of his own -bravery, till at last he made up his mind to go into the house.</p> - -<p>He felt no desire to go to bed. Guessing his condition he put off the -time when he would have to go up to his own room, where Carmen would -probably be awake and waiting for him.</p> - -<p>"Go to sleep, Garabato; I have a great many things to do."</p> - -<p>He did not know what they were, but he was attracted by the look of his -office, with its decoration of life-like portraits, frontals won from -bulls, and placards proclaiming his fame.</p> - -<p>When the electric light was turned on and the servant moved away, -Gallardo stood swaying unsteadily on his legs in the middle of the room, -casting admiring glances over the walls, as though he were contemplating -for the first time this museum of his triumphs.</p> - -<p>"Very good. Very good, indeed!" he murmured. "That handsome fellow is -me, and that other one too, all of them! And yet some people say of -me.... Curse<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> it all! I am the first man in the world. Don José says so, -and he speaks the truth."</p> - -<p>He threw his sombrero on to a divan, as if he were divesting himself of -a glorious crown which oppressed his brow, and went staggering to lean -with both hands on the writing bureau, fixing his eyes on the enormous -bull's head which decorated the further end of the office.</p> - -<p>"Hola! Good night, my fine fellow!... What are you doing here?... Muu! -Muu!"</p> - -<p>He saluted the head with bellowings, imitating childishly the lowing of -the bulls on their pastures and in the Plaza. He did not recognize it; -he could not remember why the shaggy head with its threatening horns -should be there. But by degrees the memory came back to him.</p> - -<p>"I know, you rascal.... I remember how you made me rage that afternoon. -The crowd whistled at me and pelted me with bottles ... they even -insulted my poor mother, and you! ... you were so pleased!... How you -did enjoy it! Eh, shameless one?"...</p> - -<p>His drunken glance thought he saw the brightly varnished muzzle twitch, -and the glass eyes flash with peals of concentrated laughter; he even -thought that the horned head was nodding an acknowledgment to his -question.</p> - -<p>The drunken man up to now smiling and good humoured, suddenly felt his -anger rise at the remembrance of that afternoon's disgrace. And was that -evil beast still laughing at it?... Those bulls with perverse minds, so -cunning and reflective, were the evil causes of a worthy man being -insulted and turned into ridicule. Ay! how Gallardo hated them! What a -glance of hatred was his as he fixed it on the glassy eyes of the horned -head.</p> - -<p>"Are you still laughing, you son of a dog? Curse you,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> rascal! Cursed be -the dam that bore you, and the thief your master who grazed you on the -pastures! Would to God he were in jail.... Are you still laughing? Still -making grimaces at me?"</p> - -<p>Impelled by his ungovernable rage, he leant over the desk, and -stretching out his arm opened a drawer. Then he drew himself up erect, -and raised one hand towards the head.</p> - -<p>Pum! Pum ... two revolver shots.</p> - -<p>In the twinkling of an eye one of the electric globes was smashed to -fragments, and in the bull's forehead a round black hole appeared -surrounded by singed hair.</p> - -<blockquote><p>N.B.—This anecdote is related as true of Frascuelo.</p></blockquote> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_96_96" id="Footnote_96_96"></a><a href="#FNanchor_96_96"><span class="label">[96]</span></a> Large platforms with life-size figures carved in wood and -magnificently dressed, representing scenes from the life of Jesus—or -the Virgin Mary, or the Apostles. Each parish sends two. The figures are -ancient and often by eminent artists.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_97_97" id="Footnote_97_97"></a><a href="#FNanchor_97_97"><span class="label">[97]</span></a> Lit.—an arrow, a song of three verses sometimes -improvised.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_98_98" id="Footnote_98_98"></a><a href="#FNanchor_98_98"><span class="label">[98]</span></a> Dark one.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_99_99" id="Footnote_99_99"></a><a href="#FNanchor_99_99"><span class="label">[99]</span></a> Ancient armour, from the waist to the knees.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_100_100" id="Footnote_100_100"></a><a href="#FNanchor_100_100"><span class="label">[100]</span></a> The Calle de las Sierpes is a broad paved street through -which there is no vehicular traffic; it leads out of la Campana, which -is the upper end of the long straggling Plaza de San Francisco.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_101_101" id="Footnote_101_101"></a><a href="#FNanchor_101_101"><span class="label">[101]</span></a> A class like the French-Auvergnat water-carriers.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2> - -<p>In the middle of spring the temperature suddenly fell, with the violent -extremes of the uncertain and fickle Madrid climate.</p> - -<p>It was very cold. A grey sky poured down torrents of rain, mingled with -flakes of snow, and people who were already dressed in their light -clothes, opened boxes and cupboards in search of cloaks and wraps.</p> - -<p>For two weeks there had been no function in the Plaza de Toros. The -Sunday corrida had been fixed for the first weekday on which it should -be fine. The manager, the employés of the Plaza and the innumerable -amateurs whom this enforced inaction put out of temper, watched the sky -with the anxiety of peasants who are fearing for their harvest. A slight -rent in the sky or the appearance of a few stars as they left their -cafés at midnight raised their spirits.</p> - -<p>"The weather is lifting.... We shall have a corrida the day after -to-morrow."</p> - -<p>But the clouds rolled together again, and the leaden sky continued to -pour down its torrents. The aficionados were furious with the weather, -which seemed to have set itself against the national sport. Horrid -climate! which made even corridas impossible.</p> - -<p>Gallardo had, therefore, a fortnight of enforced rest. His cuadrilla -complained bitterly of the inaction. In any other town in Spain the men -would have resigned themselves to the detention, because the espada paid -all their hotel expenses in every place but Madrid. It was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> a bad custom -initiated by former maestros living near the capital. It was supposed -that the proper domicile of every real torero was in la Corte,<a name="FNanchor_102_102" id="FNanchor_102_102"></a><a href="#Footnote_102_102" class="fnanchor">[102]</a> and -the poor peons and picadors, who lodged in a boarding-house kept by the -widow of a banderillero, eked out their existence by all sorts of petty -economies, smoking but little, and standing outside the café doors. They -thought of their families with the avarice of men who only receive a few -coins in exchange for their blood. By the time these two corridas had -come off they would already have devoured their earnings in -anticipation.</p> - -<p>The espada was equally ill-humoured in the solitude of his hotel, not on -account of the weather, but on account of his ill luck.</p> - -<p>He had fought his first corrida in Madrid with deplorable results, and -the public were quite different to him. He still had many partizans of -unquenchable faith, who rose in arms for his defence, but even those -enthusiasts, so noisy and aggressive the previous year, now showed a -certain reserve, and when they found occasion to applaud him they did so -timidly. On the other hand, his enemies and the great mass of the -populace always anxious for danger and death, how unjust they were in -their judgments!... How ready to insult him!... What was tolerated in -other matadors seemed vetoed for him.</p> - -<p>They had seen him full of courage, throwing himself blindly into danger, -and so they wished him to be always, till death should cut short his -career. He had played almost suicidally with fate, when he was anxious -to make a name for himself, and now people could not reconcile -themselves to his prudence. Insults were always hurled at any attempt at -self preservation. As certainly as he spread the muleta at a certain -distance from the bull, so certainly the protests broke forth. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> did -not throw himself on the bull! He was afraid! And it was sufficient for -him to throw himself one step back for the people to greet this -precaution with filthy insults.</p> - -<p>The news of what had happened in Seville at the Easter corrida seemed to -have circulated throughout Spain. His enemies were taking their revenge -for long years of envy and jealousy. His professional companions whom he -had often forced into danger from a feeling of emulation now babbled -with hypocritical expressions of pity about Gallardo's decadence. His -courage had given out! His last cogida had made him over prudent. And -the audience, influenced by these rumours, now fixed their eyes on the -torero as soon as he entered the Plaza, predisposed to find anything he -did bad, just as previously they had applauded even his faults.</p> - -<p>The fickleness so characteristic of mobs had much to say to this change -of opinion. The people were tired of watching Gallardo's courage, and -now they enjoyed watching his fear—or his prudence—as if it made -themselves the braver.</p> - -<p>The public never thought he was close enough to his bull. He must throw -himself better on it! And when he, overcoming by sheer strength of will -that nervousness which longed to fly from danger, had succeeded in -killing a bull as in former days, the ovation was neither so prolonged -nor so vehement. He seemed to have broken the current of enthusiasm -which had formerly existed between himself and the populace. His scanty -triumphs only served to make the people worry him with lectures and -advice. That was the way to kill! You ought always to kill like that! -Great cheat!</p> - -<p>His faithful partizans recognized his failures, but they excused them, -speaking of the former exploits performed by the espada on his lucky -afternoons.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span></p><p>"He is somewhat over careful," they said. "He seems tired. But when he -wishes!"...</p> - -<p>Ay! but Gallardo always wished. Why could he not do well and gain the -applause of the populace? But his successes, that the aficionados -thought a caprice of his will, were really the work of chance or of a -happy conjunction of circumstances, of that heart-throb of the olden -days which now he so very seldom felt.</p> - -<p>In many of the provincial Plazas he had been whistled, the people on the -sunny side insulted him by the tooting of horns and the ringing of cow -bells whenever he delayed in killing a bull, by giving it half-hearted -estocades which did not make it bend its knees.</p> - -<p>In Madrid the people waited for him "with their claws," as he said. As -soon as the spectators of the first corrida saw him pass the bull with -the muleta, and enter to kill, the row broke out. That lad from Seville -had been changed! That was not Gallardo; it was some one else. He -shortened his arm, he turned away his face; he ran with the quickness of -a squirrel, putting himself out of reach of the bull's horns, without -the calmness to stand quietly and wait for him. They noted a deplorable -loss of courage and strength.</p> - -<p>That corrida was a fiasco for Gallardo, and in the evening assemblies of -the aficionados the affair was much canvassed. The old people who -thought everything in the present day was bad spoke of the cowardice of -modern toreros. They presented themselves with mad daring, but as soon -as they felt the touch of a horn on their flesh ... they were done for!</p> - -<p>Gallardo, obliged to rest in consequence of the bad weather, waited -impatiently for the second corrida, with the fullest intention of -performing great exploits. He was much pained at the wound inflicted on -his amour-propre by the ridicule of his enemies; if he returned to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span> the -provinces with the bad reputation of a fiasco in Madrid he was a lost -man. He would master his nervousness, vanquish that dread which made him -shrink and fancy the bulls larger and more formidable. He considered his -strength quite equal to accomplish the same deeds as before. It was true -there still remained a slight weakness in his arm and in his leg, but -that would soon pass off.</p> - -<p>His manager suggested his accepting a very advantageous contract for -certain Plazas in America, but he refused. No, he could not cross the -seas at present. He must first show Spain that he was the same espada as -heretofore. Afterwards he would consider the propriety of undertaking -that journey.</p> - -<p>With the anxiety of a popular man who feels his prestige broken, -Gallardo frequented the places where all the aficionados assembled. He -went often to the Café Ingles, which the partisans of the Andalusian -toreros frequented, thinking his presence would silence all unpleasant -remarks. He himself, modest and smiling, began the conversation, with a -humility that disarmed even the most irreconcilable.</p> - -<p>"It is quite certain I did not do well, I quite recognize it. But you -will see at the next corrida, when the weather clears.... I will do what -I can."</p> - -<p>He did not dare to enter certain cafés in the Puerta del Sol, where -aficionados of a lower class assembled. They were thorough-going -Madrileños, inimical to Andalusian bull-fighting, and resentful that all -the matadors came from Seville and Cordoba, while the capital seemed -unable to produce a glorious representative. The remembrance of -Frascuelo, whom they considered a son of Madrid, lived everlastingly in -those assemblies. Many of them had not been to the Plaza for years, not -in fact since the retirement of "El Negro." Why should<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span> they? They were -quite content to read the reports in the papers, being convinced that -since Frascuelo's death there were neither bulls nor toreros, Andalusian -lads and nothing more, dancers who made grimaces with their capes and -their bodies, but did not know how to stand and "receive" a bull with -dignity.</p> - -<p>Now and again a slight breath of hope revived them. Madrid was soon -going to have its own great matador. They had discovered in the suburbs -a "novillero," who had already done good work in the Plazas of Vallecas -and Tetuan, and had fought in the Madrid Plaza at the cheap Sunday -afternoon corridas.</p> - -<p>His name was becoming popular. In all the barbers' shops the greatest -triumphs were predicted for him, but somehow or other those prophecies -were never fulfilled, either the aspirant fell a victim to a mortal -"cogida" or dropped into being one of the loafers in the Plaza del Sol, -who aired their pigtails while they waited for imaginary contracts, and -the aficionados were free to turn their attention to other rising stars.</p> - -<p>Gallardo did not dare to approach the tauromachic demagogy, whom he knew -had always hated him and were rejoicing at his decadence. Most of them -would not go to see him in the circus, nor admire any torero of the -present day. Their expected Messiah must arrive before they returned to -the Plaza.</p> - -<p>In order to distract his mind Gallardo would wander in the evenings -through the Puerta del Sol, and allow himself to be accosted by those -bull-fighting vagabonds who assembled there, boasting of their exploits; -they were all smart, well dressed, with a marvellous display of -imitation jewellery. They all saluted him respectfully as "Maestro" or -"Seño Juan"; some were honest fellows enough, who hoped to make a name -for themselves, and maintain their families by something more than<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> -workmen's wages, others were less scrupulous, but all ended by borrowing -a few pesetas from him.</p> - -<p>In addition to the amusement offered by those would-be toreros, he was -much diverted by the importunity of an admirer who pestered him with his -projects. This man was a tavern-keeper at Las Ventas, a rough Galician -of powerful build, short-necked and high-coloured, who had made a little -fortune in his shop where soldiers and servants went to dance on -Sundays.</p> - -<p>He had only one son, small of stature, and feeble in constitution, whom -his father destined to be one of the great lights of tauromachia. The -tavern-keeper, a great admirer of Gallardo and of all celebrated -espadas, had quite made up his mind to this.</p> - -<p>"The lad is worth something," he said. "You know, Señor Juan, that I -understand something about these matters, and I am quite willing to -spend a bit of money to give him a profession ... but he wants a -'padrino'<a name="FNanchor_103_103" id="FNanchor_103_103"></a><a href="#Footnote_103_103" class="fnanchor">[103]</a> if he is to be pushed, and there could be no one better -than yourself. If you would only arrange a novillada in which the -youngster could kill! Crowds of people would go, and I would bear all -the expenses."</p> - -<p>This readiness to "bear all the expenses" to help the lad on in his -career had already caused the tavern-keeper heavy losses. But he still -persisted, being supported by that commercial spirit which made him -overlook the failures, in the hope of the enormous gains his son would -make when he was a full-fledged matador.</p> - -<p>The poor boy, who in his early years had shown a passion for -bull-fighting, like most boys of his class, now found himself a prisoner -to his father's tyrannical will. The latter had thoroughly believed in -his vocation, thinking the boy's want of dash, laziness; and his fear, -want of enterprise. A cloud of parasites, low class amateurs,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> obscure -toreros whose only remembrances of the past were their pigtails, who -drank gratuitously at the tavern-keeper's expense, and begged small -loans in return for their advice, formed a kind of deliberative -assembly, whose object was to make known to the world this bull-fighting -star, now lying hidden in Las Ventas.</p> - -<p>The tavern-keeper, without consulting his son, had organized corridas in -Tetuan and Vallecas, always "bearing all the expenses." These outlying -Plazas were open to all those who wished to be gored or trampled by -bulls, under the eyes of a few hundred spectators. But those amusements -were not to be had for nothing. To enjoy the pleasure of being rolled -over in the sand, to have his breeches torn to rags, and his body -covered with blood and dirt, it was necessary to pay for all the seats -in the Plaza, the diestro or his representative undertaking to -distribute the tickets.</p> - -<p>The enthusiastic father filled all the places with his friends, -distributing the entrances amongst comrades of the guild, or poor -amateurs of the sport. Moreover, he paid those who formed his son's -cuadrilla lavishly, all vagabonds, peons and banderilleros, recruited -from among the loafers in the Puerta del Sol, who fought in their -everyday clothes, whereas the youngster was resplendent in his gala -costume. Anything for the lad's career!</p> - -<p>"He has a new gala dress made by the best tailor, who dresses Gallardo -and the other matadors. Seven thousand reals it cost me. I think he -ought to be fine in that!... But I would spend my last peseta to get him -on. Ah! if others had a father like me!..."</p> - -<p>The tavern-keeper stood between the barriers during the corrida, -encouraging the espada by his presence, and by the flourishing of a big -stick. Whenever the youngster came to rest by the wall the fat red face -of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> his father and the big knob of that terrible stick would appear like -terrifying phantoms.</p> - -<p>"Do you think I am spending my money for this? Why are you here giving -yourself airs and graces like a young lady? Have some dash and -enterprise, rascal. Go out into the middle and distinguish yourself. Ay! -if I were only your age and not so stout...."</p> - -<p>When the poor lad stood opposite the novillo, the muleta and rapier in -his hands, with pale face and trembling legs, his father followed all -his evolutions from behind the barrier. He was always before the boy's -eyes like a threatening master, ready to chastise the slightest fault in -the lesson.</p> - -<p>What the poor diestro, dressed in his suit of gold and red silk, most -feared, was his return home on the evenings when his father was frowning -and dissatisfied.</p> - -<p>He would enter the tavern wrapping himself in his rich and glittering -cape, to hide the rags of shirt protruding through rents in his -breeches, all his bones aching with tosses the young bulls had given -him. His mother, a rough, coarse-faced woman, upset by her afternoon's -anxious wait, would run to meet him open armed.</p> - -<p>"Here's this coward!" roared the tavern-keeper. "He is worse than a -'maleta.' And it is for this that I have spent money!"</p> - -<p>The terrible stick was raised furiously, and the golden suited lad, who -just before had murdered two poor little bulls, endeavoured to run away, -shielding his face with his arm, while his mother interposed between the -two.</p> - -<p>"Don't you see he is wounded?"</p> - -<p>"Wounded!" exclaimed the father bitterly, regretting it was not the -case. "That is for 'true' toreros. Put a few stitches in his rags, and -see they are washed.... Just see how they have served the cheat!"</p> - -<p>But in a few days the tavern-keeper had recovered his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> equanimity. -Anybody might have a bad day. He had seen famous matadors in just as bad -case before the public as his boy. And he forthwith arranged fresh -corridas in Toledo and Guadalajara, he, as before, "paying all the -expenses."</p> - -<p>His novillada in the Madrid Plaza was, according to the tavern-keeper, -one of the most splendid on record. The espada, by a lucky accident, had -killed two young bulls moderately well, and the public, who for the most -part had entered free, applauded the tavern-keeper's son.</p> - -<p>As he came out of the Plaza his father appeared at the head of a noisy -troup of loafers, whom he had collected from all round the -neighbourhood. The tavern-keeper was an honest man in his dealings, and -he had promised to pay them fifty centimes a head if they would shout -"Vive El Manitas"! till they were hoarse, and carry the glorious -novillero on their shoulders as soon as he came out of the circus.</p> - -<p>"El Manitas," still trembling from his recent perils, found himself -surrounded, seized and lifted on to the shoulders of the noisy loafers, -and carried in triumph from the Plaza to Las Ventas, through the Calle -de Alcala, followed by the inquisitive looks of the people on the -tramways, which remorselessly cut through the glorious manifestation. -The father walked along with his stick under his arm, pretending to have -nothing to do with it, but whenever the shouting slackened he forgot -himself and ran to the head of the crowd, like a man who does not think -he is getting his money's worth, himself giving the signal, "Viva -Manitas," when the ovation would recommence with tremendous shouting.</p> - -<p>Many months had passed, and the tavern-keeper was still excited as he -remembered the affair.</p> - -<p>"They brought him back to the house on their shoulders, Señor Juan, just -the same as they have often <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span>carried you; forgive me the comparison. You -will see if the youngster is not worth something.... He only wants a -push, for you to give him a helping hand."...</p> - -<p>So Gallardo, to free himself, answered, promising vaguely; possibly he -might manage to direct the novillada, but they could settle that later -on, there was still plenty of time before winter.</p> - -<p>One evening at dusk, as the torero was entering the Calle de Alcala -through the Puerta del Sol he gave a start of surprise. A fair-haired -lady was getting out of a carriage at the door of the Hotel de Paris.... -Doña Sol! A man who looked like a foreigner gave her his hand to -descend, and after speaking a few words walked away, while she entered -the hotel.</p> - -<p>It was Doña Sol. The torero could have no doubt on that point; neither -could he have any doubt as to the relations subsisting between her and -the stranger. So she had looked at him, so she had smiled on him in -those happy days when they rode together over the lonely country in the -crimson light of the setting sun. Curse him!</p> - -<p>He spent an uncomfortable evening with some friends, and afterwards -slept badly; his dreams reproducing many scenes of the past. When he -awoke the dull grey light was coming in through the window, rain mingled -with snow was pouring down in torrents, everything looked black, the -sky, the opposite walls, the muddy pavement, the umbrellas, even the -smart carriages rattling along.</p> - -<p>Eleven o'clock. Suppose he went to see Doña Sol? Why not! The night -before he had angrily rejected this thought. It would be lowering -himself. She had gone away without any explanation, and afterwards, -knowing him to be in danger of death, she had scarcely enquired after -him. Only a telegram just at first, not even a short<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> letter, not even a -line. She who was so fond of writing to her friends. No, he would not go -to see her.</p> - -<p>But his strength of will seemed to have evaporated during the night. Why -not? he asked himself once again. He must see her again. Among all the -women he had known she stood first, attracting him with a strength quite -different from anything he felt for the others. Ay! how much he had felt -that sudden separation!</p> - -<p>His cruel "cogida" in the Plaza of Seville had cut short his amorous -pique. Afterwards his illness, and his tender approximation to Carmen -during his convalescence, had resigned him to his misfortune; but to -forget her ... that—never. He had done his best to forget the past, but -any slight circumstance, a lady on horseback galloping past—a -fair-haired Englishwoman in the street, the constant intercourse with -all those young men who were her relations, everything recalled the -image of Doña Sol! Ay! that woman!... Never should he meet her like -again. Losing her, Gallardo seemed to have gone back in his life, he was -no longer the same. He even attributed to her desertion his fiascos in -his art. When he had her he was braver, but when the fair-haired gachi -left him his ill luck began. He firmly believed that if she returned his -glorious days would also come back. His superstitious heart believed -this most firmly.</p> - -<p>Possibly his longing to see her was a happy inspiration, like those -heart-throbs which had so often carried him on to glory in the circus. -Again, why not? Possibly Doña Sol seeing him again after a long absence -... who could tell!... The first time they had seen each other alone -together it had been so.</p> - -<p>And so Gallardo, trusting in his lucky star, took his way towards the -Hotel de Paris, situated at a short distance from his own.</p> - -<p>He had to wait nearly half an hour on a divan in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> hall, under the -curious eyes of the hotel employés and guests, who turned to look at him -as they heard his name.</p> - -<p>Finally a servant showed him into the lift, and took him up to a small -sitting-room on the first floor, from whose windows he could see all the -restless life of the Puerta del Sol.</p> - -<p>At last a little door opened and Doña Sol appeared amid a rustling of -silks, and the delicate perfume which seemed to belong to her fresh pink -skin; radiant in the beautiful summer time of her life.</p> - -<p>Gallardo devoured her with his eyes, looking her up and down as one who -had not forgotten the smallest detail. She was just the same as in -Seville!... No, even more beautiful in his eyes, with the added -temptation of her long absence.</p> - -<p>She was dressed in much the same elegant negligé, with the same strange -jewels as on the night when he had first seen her, with gold embroidered -papouches on her pretty feet. She stretched out her hand with cold -amiability.</p> - -<p>"How are you, Gallardo?... I knew you were in Madrid, for I had seen -you."</p> - -<p>She no longer used the familiar "tu," to which he had responded with the -respectful address of a lover of inferior class. That "usted," which -seemed to make them equals, drove the torero to despair. He had wished -to be as a servant raised by love to the arms of the great lady, and now -he found himself treated with the cold but courteous consideration of an -ordinary friend.</p> - -<p>She explained that she had seen Gallardo, having been at the only -corrida given in Madrid. She had been there with a foreign gentleman, -who wished to know Spanish things: a friend who was accompanying her on -her journey, but who was living at another hotel.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span></p><p>Gallardo replied by a nod. He knew that foreigner—he had seen him with -her.</p> - -<p>There was a long silence between the two, neither knowing what to say. -Doña Sol was the first to break it.</p> - -<p>She thought the torero looking very well: she remembered vaguely having -heard something about an accident, indeed she was almost sure that she -had sent a telegram to enquire. But, really, with the life she led, with -constant changes of country and new friendships, her memory was in such -a state of confusion!... She thought he looked just the same as ever, -and at the corrida he had seemed proud and strong, although rather -unfortunate. But she did not understand much about bulls.</p> - -<p>"That 'cogida' was not really much?"</p> - -<p>Gallardo felt irritated at the indifferent tone in which that woman made -the enquiry. And he! all the time he was hovering between life and death -he had thought only of her!... With a roughness born of indignation he -told her about his "cogida" and his long convalescence, which had lasted -the whole winter.</p> - -<p>She listened with feigned interest, while her eyes betrayed utter -indifference. What did the misfortune of that bull-fighter signify to -her.... They were accidents of his profession, and as such could be -interesting to himself only.</p> - -<p>As Gallardo spoke of his convalescence at the Grange, his memory -recalled the image of the man who had seen Doña Sol and himself there -together.</p> - -<p>"And Plumitas? Do you remember the poor fellow? They killed him. I do -not know if you heard of it."</p> - -<p>Doña Sol also remembered this vaguely. She had probably read about it in -one of the Parisian papers, which spoke of the bandit as a most -interesting type of picturesque Spain.</p> - -<p>"A poor man," said Doña Sol indifferently. "I scarcely<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span> remember him -except as a rough uninteresting peasant. From a distance one judges -things at their true value. What I do remember is the day on which he -breakfasted with us at the farm."</p> - -<p>Gallardo also remembered that day. Poor Plumitas! With what emotion he -took a flower offered by Doña Sol ... because she had given the bandit a -flower as she took leave of him. Did she not remember?...</p> - -<p>Doña Sol's eyes expressed absolute wonder.</p> - -<p>"Are you quite sure?" she asked. "Is that really so? I swear to you I -remember nothing about it.... Ay! that sunny land! Ay! the intoxication -of the picturesque! Ay! the follies they make one commit!..."</p> - -<p>Her exclamations betrayed a kind of repentance, but she burst out -laughing.</p> - -<p>"Very possibly that poor peasant kept that flower till his last moment. -Don't you think so, Gallardo? Don't say 'No.' Probably no one had ever -given him a flower in all his life.... It is quite possible that that -withered flower may have been found on his body, a mysterious -remembrance that no one could explain.... Did you know nothing of this, -Gallardo? Did the papers say nothing?... Be silent, don't say 'No'; do -not dispel my illusions. So it ought to be—I wish it to be so. Poor -Plumitas! How interesting! And I who had forgotten all about the -flower!... I must tell that to my friend, who is thinking of writing a -book about Spanish things."</p> - -<p>The remembrance of that friend, who for the second time in a few moments -came up in the conversation, saddened the torero.</p> - -<p>He looked fixedly for some time at the beautiful woman, with his -melancholy Moorish eyes, which seemed to beg for pity.</p> - -<p>"Doña Sol!... Doña Sol!" murmured he in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span>despairing accents, as if -wishing to reproach her with her cruelty.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter, my friend?" she asked smiling, "what is happening -to you?"</p> - -<p>Gallardo sat with his head bent, half intimidated by the ironical flash -in those clear eyes, shimmering like gold dust.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he sat up like one who has taken a resolution.</p> - -<p>"Where have you been all this time, Doña Sol?"</p> - -<p>"All over the world," she answered simply. "I am a bird of passage. In -numberless towns of which you would not even know the names."</p> - -<p>"And that foreigner who accompanies you is ... is?"...</p> - -<p>"Is a friend," she answered coldly. "A friend who has been kind enough -to accompany me, taking advantage of the opportunity to know Spain; a -clever man who bears an illustrious name. From here we shall go to -Andalusia, when he has done seeing the museums. What more do you wish to -know?"</p> - -<p>This question, so haughtily asked, showed her imperious will to keep the -torero at a distance, and to re-establish social distinctions between -them. Gallardo felt disconcerted.</p> - -<p>"Doña Sol," he moaned ingenuously. "What you have done to me is -unpardonable. You have acted very badly towards me, very badly -indeed.... Why did you fly without saying a single word?"</p> - -<p>"Don't vex yourself like that, Gallardo. What I did was a very good -thing for you. Do you not even yet know me well enough? Could one not -get tired of that time?... If I were a man I would fly from women of my -character. It is suicidal for a man to fall in love with me."</p> - -<p>"But why did you leave?" persisted Gallardo.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span></p><p>"Because I was bored.... Do I speak clearly?... And when a person is -bored, I think they have every right to escape in search of fresh -distraction. But I am bored to death everywhere; pity me."</p> - -<p>"But I love you with all my heart!" exclaimed the torero with a dramatic -earnestness which in another man would have made him laugh.</p> - -<p>"I love you with all my heart!" repeated Doña Sol, mimicking his voice -and gesture. "And what then? Ay! these egotistical men that are -applauded by every one, and who think that everything was created for -them!... 'I love you with all my heart,' and that is sufficient reason -for you to love me in return.... But no, Señor. I do not love you, -Gallardo. You are a friend and nothing more. All the rest, all that down -in Seville, was a dream, a mad caprice, which I hardly remember, and -which you ought to forget."</p> - -<p>The torero got up, going towards her with outstretched arms. In his -ignorance he knew not what to say, guessing that his halting words would -be quite inefficacious in convincing such a woman. He trusted in action, -with the impulsive vehemence of his hopes and his desires, he intended -to seize that woman, to draw her to him, and dispel with his warm -embrace the coldness which separated them.</p> - -<p>But she, with a simple turn of her right hand, pushed away the torero's -arms. A flash of pride and anger shone in her eyes, and she drew herself -up aggressively, as if she had been insulted.</p> - -<p>"Be quiet, Gallardo!... If you go on like this you will no longer be my -friend, and I shall have you turned out of the house."</p> - -<p>The torero stood humiliated and ashamed; some time passed in silence, -until at last Doña Sol seemed to pity him.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span></p><p>"Do not be a child," she said. "What is the use of remembering what is -no longer possible. Why think of me? You have your wife, who I am told -is both pretty and good, a kind companion. If not her, then others. -There are plenty of girls down in Seville who would think it happiness -to be loved by Gallardo. My love is ended. As a famous man accustomed to -success your pride is hurt; but it is so; mine is ended. You are a -friend and nothing more. I am quite different. I am bored, and I never -retrace my steps. Illusions only last with me a short time, and pass, -leaving no trace. I am to be pitied, believe me."</p> - -<p>She looked at the torero with commiserating eyes, as if she suddenly saw -all his defects and roughness.</p> - -<p>"I think things that you could not understand," she went on. "You seem -to me different. The Gallardo in Seville was not the same as the one -here. Are you the same?... I cannot doubt it, but to me you are -different.... How can this be explained?..."</p> - -<p>She looked through the window at the dull rainy sky, at the wet Plaza, -at the flakes of snow, and then she turned her eyes on the espada, -looking with astonishment at the long lock of hair plastered on his -head, at his clothes, his hat, at all the details which betrayed his -profession, which contrasted so strongly with his smart and modern -dress.</p> - -<p>To Doña Sol the torero seemed out of his element. Down in Seville -Gallardo was a hero, the spontaneous product of a cattle-breeding -country; here he seemed like an actor. How had she been able for many -months to feel love for that rough, coarse man. Ay! the surrounding -atmosphere! To what follies it drove one!</p> - -<p>She remembered the danger in which she found herself, so nearly -perishing beneath the bull's horns; she thought of that breakfast with -the bandit, to whom she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> had listened stupefied with admiration, ending -by giving him a flower. What follies! And how far off it all now seemed!</p> - -<p>Of that past nothing remained but that man, standing motionless before -her, with his imploring eyes, and his childish desire to revive those -days.... Poor man! As if follies could be repeated when one's thoughts -were cold and the illusion wanting. The blind enchantment of life!</p> - -<p>"It is all over," said the lady. "We must forget the past, for when we -see it a second time it does not present itself in the same colours. -What would I give to have my former eyes?... When I returned to Spain it -seemed to me changed. You also are different from what I knew you. It -even seemed to me, seeing you in the Plaza, that you were less daring -... that the people were less enthusiastic."</p> - -<p>She said this quite simply, without a trace of malice, but Gallardo -thought there was mocking in her voice, and bent his head, while his -cheeks coloured.</p> - -<p>Curse it! All his professional anxieties arose again in his mind. All -the evil which was happening to him was because he did not now throw -himself on the bulls. That is what she so clearly said, she saw him "as -if he were another." If he could only be the Gallardo of former days, -perhaps she would receive him better. Women only love brave man.</p> - -<p>But he was mistaken, taking what was a caprice dead for ever, to be a -momentary straying, that he could recall by strength and prowess.</p> - -<p>Doña Sol got up. The visit had been a long one, and the torero showed no -disposition to leave, content with being near her, and trusting to some -lucky chance to bring them together again.</p> - -<p>Gallardo was obliged to imitate her. She excused herself under pretext -of going out, she was expecting her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span> friend, and they were going -together to the Museum of the Prado.</p> - -<p>Then she invited him to breakfast another day, an unceremonious -breakfast in her rooms. Her friend would come. No doubt he would be -delighted to meet a torero; he scarcely spoke any Spanish, but all the -same he would be pleased to know Gallardo.</p> - -<p>The espada pressed her hand, murmuring some incoherent words, and left -the room. Anger dimmed his sight, and his ears were buzzing.</p> - -<p>So she dismissed him—coldly, like an importunate friend! Could that -woman be the same as the one in Seville!... And she invited him to -breakfast with her friend, so that the man could amuse himself by -examining him closely like a rare insect!...</p> - -<p>Curse her!... He would prove himself a man.... It was over. He would -never see her again.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_102_102" id="Footnote_102_102"></a><a href="#FNanchor_102_102"><span class="label">[102]</span></a> Madrid is called—la Corte—the Court.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_103_103" id="Footnote_103_103"></a><a href="#FNanchor_103_103"><span class="label">[103]</span></a> Godfather; patron.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER IX</h2> - -<p>About this time Gallardo received several letters from Don José and from -Carmen.</p> - -<p>The manager evidently wished to encourage his matador, advising him as -usual to go straight at his bull.... "Zas! a thrust, and you put him in -your pocket!" But through his warm-hearted enthusiasm could be traced a -slight discouragement, as if his perfect faith was a little staggered, -and he had begun to doubt if Gallardo were still "the first man in the -world."</p> - -<p>He had received accounts of the discontent and hostility with which the -public received him, and the last corrida in Madrid had fairly -disheartened poor Don José. No, Gallardo was not like other espadas, who -could go straight on through all the whistling of the audience, -satisfied as long as they earned their money. His matador had genius and -professional pride and could show himself off in a circus only if he -were received with great applause. A mediocre result was equivalent to a -defeat. The people were accustomed to admire him for his reckless, -audacious courage, and anything that did not come up to that meant a -fiasco.</p> - -<p>Don José pretended to know what was wrong with his espada. Want of -courage?... Never. He would die sooner than admit that fault in his -hero. It was that he felt wearied, that he had not yet entirely -recovered from the tremendous shock of his "cogida." "And for this -reason," he advised in all his letters, "it would be better for you to -retire and rest for a season. Afterwards you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> can come back and fight, -and be the same as ever." And he offered himself to make all necessary -arrangements. A medical certificate would be sufficient to explain his -momentary inaction, and he would come to some agreement as to all -pending contracts with the managers of the different Plazas, by which -Gallardo would supply a rising torero to fill his place at a moderate -salary. So by this means he would still be making money.</p> - -<p>Carmen was the most earnest in her persuasions, using none of the -manager's circumlocutions. He ought to retire at once, he ought to "cut -off his pigtail," as they said in his profession, and spend his life -quietly at La Rinconada or in his house in Seville with his family, she -could bear it no longer. Her heart told her with that feminine instinct -which seldom erred that something serious would occur. She could -scarcely sleep, and she dreaded the night hours peopled with bloody -visions.</p> - -<p>Then she wrote furiously against the public, an ungrateful crowd, who -had already forgotten what the torero had done when he was in his full -strength. Bad hearted people, who wished to see him die for their own -amusement, as if he had neither wife nor mother. "Juan, the little -mother and I both beg of you to retire. Why go on bull-fighting? We have -enough to live on, and it pains me to hear these people insulting you -who are not worthy of you. Suppose another accident happened to you? -Jesus! I think I should go mad."</p> - -<p>Gallardo was very thoughtful for some time after reading these letters. -To retire!... What nonsense! Women's worries! Affection might easily -dictate this, but it was impossible to carry it out. Cut off his pigtail -before he was thirty! How his enemies would laugh! He had no right to -retire as long as his limbs were sound and he was able to fight. Such an -absurdity had never been heard of. Money was not everything. How about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> -his fame? And his professional pride? What would his thousands and -thousands of admiring partisans say? What could they reply to his -enemies if those latter threw it in their teeth that Gallardo had -retired through fear?</p> - -<p>Besides, the matador paused to consider if his fortune would admit of -this solution. He was rich, and yet he was not. His social position was -not yet consolidated. What he possessed was the result of his first few -years of married life, when one of his greatest pleasures had been to -surprise his mother and Carmen with fresh acquisitions. After that he -had made money in even larger quantities, but it had run away and -vanished in a hundred channels, opened out by his new life. He had -played high, had led an expensive and ostentatious life. Many farms, -added to the extensive estate of La Rinconada, to round it off, had been -bought by loans furnished by Don José or other friends. He was rich, but -if he retired and lost the splendid income from the corridas, often two -or three hundred thousand pesetas a year, he would have to curtail his -expenses, pay his debts, and live like a country gentleman on the income -from La Rinconada, looking after things himself, for at present the -estate, managed by hirelings, produced very little.</p> - -<p>Formerly he would have been contented with a very small portion of what -he possessed now, but if he retired he would have to curtail those -Havanna cigars which he now distributed so lavishly, and those -Andalusian wines of fine vintage. He would have to restrain his lordly -generosity, and no longer cry "I pay for everything," as he entered a -café or a tavern.</p> - -<p>So he had lived, and so he must go on living. He was a torero of the -old-fashioned style, lavish, arrogant, astonishing every one with -scandalous extravagances, but always ready to help misfortune with -princely generosity.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> He did not in the least regret his ostentatious -life, and yet they wished him to give it up.</p> - -<p>Furthermore, he thought of the expenses of his own household. All of -them were accustomed to the easy, careless life of families with little -regard for money, as they saw it constantly flowing in, in streams. -Besides his mother and his wife he provided for his sister, his -loquacious brother-in-law, and the tribe of children now growing up and -becoming daily more expensive. He would have to bring into ways of order -and economy all these people who had hitherto lived at his expense with -happy carelessness and open-handedness. Every one, even poor Garabato, -would have to go to the Grange, and work like niggers under the burning -sun. His mother, too, would no longer be able to make her last days -happy by her kindly generosity to the poor in the suburb. And Carmen -also, who although she was economical and tried to limit expenses, would -be the first to deprive herself of many little frivolities which -beautified life.</p> - -<p>Curse it all!... All this represented degradation to the family, and -Gallardo felt ashamed that such a thing could possibly happen. It would -be a crime to deprive them of what they enjoyed, now they had become -accustomed to ease and comfort. And what ought he to do to prevent -this?... Simply to throw himself on the bulls, fight as he had fought in -former days ... and he would throw himself!...</p> - -<p>He replied to his manager's and to Carmen's letters by short and -laboriously written epistles, expressing to both his firm intention not -to retire—most certainly not.</p> - -<p>He was determined to be what he had always been, that he swore to Don -José. He would follow his advice. "Zas! a sword thrust, and the bull in -his pocket." He felt his courage rising, and with it the capacity of -facing all bulls, however big they might be.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span></p><p>He wrote gaily to his wife, though his amour-propre was rather wounded -by her doubting his strength. She would soon have news of the next -corrida. He intended to astonish the public so that they might be -ashamed of their injustice. If the bulls were good ones, he would -surpass even Roger de Flor himself!...</p> - -<p>Good bulls! This was one of Gallardo's anxieties. Formerly one of his -vanities had been never to concern himself with the brutes, never to go -and see them at the Plaza before the corrida.</p> - -<p>"I kill anything that is sent to me," he said arrogantly.</p> - -<p>And he saw his bulls for the first time when they were turned into the -circus.</p> - -<p>Now he wished to examine them closely, to choose them, to prepare for -his success by a careful study of their dispositions.</p> - -<p>The weather had cleared at last, and the sun was shining. Consequently -the second corrida would take place on the following day.</p> - -<p>That evening Gallardo went alone to the Plaza. The huge red brick -circus, with its Moorish windows, stood out against a background of low -green hillocks. On the furthest slope of this wide but monotonous -landscape something lay white in the distance which might be a herd of -cattle. It was the cemetery.</p> - -<p>As the matador came near the building a troup of squalid beggars, -vagabonds who were allowed to sleep in the stables from charity, -wretches who lived on the alms of the aficionados or the scraps from -neighbouring taverns, gathered round him cap in hand. Many had come from -Andalusia with a consignment of bulls, and had remained hanging about -the precincts of the Plaza.</p> - -<p>Gallardo distributed a few coins among these beggars, and then entered -the circus through the Puerta de Caballerizas.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span></p><p>In the courtyard he saw a group of aficionados watching the picadors -trying their horses. Potaje, armed with his spear and huge cowherd's -spurs, was just going to mount. The stable boys accompanied the -contractor who furnished the horses, a stout man, slow of speech, -wearing a large Andalusian felt sombrero, who answered with -imperturbable calm the aggressive and insulting loquacity of the -picadors.</p> - -<p>The "monos sabios," with their sleeves rolled up, brought out the -miserable crocks for the riders to try. For several days they had been -riding and training those wretched mounts, who still bore on their -flanks crimson spur marks. They took them out to trot on the open ground -round the Plaza, giving them a fictitious energy beneath their iron -heels, and teaching them to turn quickly so as to become used to their -work in the arena. They returned to the Plaza with their sides stained -with blood, and before entering the stables were refreshed with three or -four pails-full of water. Close to the drinking-trough the water running -in between the cobble-stones was dyed red, like poured out wine.</p> - -<p>These unfortunate animals destined for to-morrow's corrida were almost -dragged out of the stables to be examined by the picadors.</p> - -<p>As they came out of the stables, depressed remnants of equine misery, -they betrayed in their trembling legs, their heaving flanks, their -starved and miserable appearance, sad signs of human ingratitude, of the -forgetfulness of past services. There were hacks of frightful thinness, -real skeletons, whose sharp and pointed bones seemed ready to pierce the -covering of long and tangled hair. Others holding themselves proudly, -with raised heads and bright eyes, pawing restlessly, with sounder legs -and shining coats, animals of good stamp, who seemed out of place among -their wretched companions,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> looking as though they had only just been -unharnessed from sumptuous carriages, were in reality more dangerous to -ride, as they were probably afflicted with vertigo or staggers, and -might fall to the ground at any moment, pitching their riders over their -heads; and among these sad examples of misery and decrepitude were also -invalided workers from mills and factories, agricultural horses, cab -horses, all weary with long years of hard work dragging ploughs and -carts, unhappy outcasts who were to be sweated up to the last moment of -their lives, diverting the spectators by their kicks and bounds of agony -when they felt the bull's horns pierce their belly.</p> - -<p>It was an interminable defile of bleared and yellow eyes, of galled -necks on which were battening bright green flies gorged with blood, of -bony heads whose skin was swarming with vermin, of narrow chests and -feeble legs, covered down to the hoofs with hair so long and shaggy it -looked almost as though they were wearing trousers. To mount these -decrepit brutes, shaking with fright and almost ready to drop with -weakness, required almost as much courage as to face the bull.</p> - -<p>Potaje was very high and mighty in his discussions with the horse -contractor, speaking in his own name and that of his comrades as well, -making even the "monos sabios" laugh with his gipsy oaths. The other -picadors had far better leave him to manage the horse-dealers. No one -knew better than he did how to bring those sort of people to terms.</p> - -<p>A groom came out leading a horse with hanging head, tangled coat, and -staring ribs.</p> - -<p>"What are you bringing me out there?" shouted Potaje, facing the -contractor. "A crock that no one would dream of mounting."</p> - -<p>The phlegmatic contractor replied with calm gravity. "If Potaje did not -dare to mount it, it was because <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span>picadors now-a-days seemed afraid of -everything. With a horse like this, so good and docile, Señor Calderon, -or El Trigo, or any fine rider of the good old times would have been -able to fight for two successive afternoons without getting a fall, and -without the animal receiving a scratch. But now-a-days!... There seemed -to him to be plenty of fear and very little dash."</p> - -<p>The contractor and the picador abused one another in a friendly fashion, -as if the grossest insults had ceased to have the slightest meaning.</p> - -<p>"You are an old cheat," roared Potaje, "a bigger rascal than José Maria -el Tempraniyo. Get out! Hoist your grandmother up on the old brute; a -far better mount for her than the broomstick she rides every Saturday at -midnight."</p> - -<p>Every one present roared with laughter, while the contractor shrugged -his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter with the horse?" he asked quietly. "Look him over -well, old grumbler. He is far better than those that have glanders, or -staggers, who have before now pitched you over their heads and planted -you up to your ears in the sand, before you could face the bull. He is -as sound as an apple. For the five and twenty years he has been in an -ærated water factory, doing his work conscientiously, no one has ever -found fault with him, and now you come along shouting and abusing him, -taking away his character as if he were a bad Christian."</p> - -<p>"I won't have him, that's all!... If he is so good keep him yourself!"</p> - -<p>As he spoke the contractor came slowly towards Potaje, and with the -sang-froid of a man accustomed to such transactions, whispered something -in his ear. The picador, pretending to be very angry, finally went up -to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> the horse. He did not wish to be thought an intractable man who -wanted to do a bad turn to a comrade.</p> - -<p>So putting one foot in the stirrup he let the whole weight of his heavy -body fall on the poor brute. Then, steadying his garrocha under his arm, -he pushed the point against a large post built into the wall, striking -it several times with all his strength, as if a large and heavy bull -were at the lance's point. The poor horse shook all over and doubled up -its legs after each concussion.</p> - -<p>"He does not behave so badly," ... said Potaje in a conciliatory -voice.... "The beast is better than I thought. He has a tender mouth and -good legs.... You are quite right. Put him on one side."</p> - -<p>And the picador dismounted, disposed to accept anything the contractor -offered after his mysterious whisper.</p> - -<p>Gallardo left the group of aficionados who were watching this scene with -amusement. A porter belonging to the Plaza took him to the yard in which -the bulls were enclosed.</p> - -<p>The espada went through a little wicket giving access to the enclosure, -which was surrounded on three sides by a wall of masonry, up to the -height of a man's shoulders. This wall was strengthened at intervals by -strong posts which supported a balcony above. Here and there opened -little passages, so narrow that a man could only slip through them -sideways. In this courtyard were eight bulls, some quietly lying down, -others turning over the piles of grass lying in front of them.</p> - -<p>Gallardo walked along in the passage behind the wall examining the -animals. Now and then he slipped into the yard, through one of the -narrow passages. He waved his arms, giving savage yells which roused the -bulls from their quiescence. Some leapt up nervously, rushing with -lowered heads at the man who ventured to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> disturb the peace of their -enclosure, others stood firmly on their feet, with raised heads and -savage look, waiting to see if the intruder would dare to approach them.</p> - -<p>Gallardo slipped away quickly behind the wall, considering the looks and -disposition of the fierce creatures, without coming to a decision as to -which he should choose.</p> - -<p>The head shepherd of the Plaza accompanied him, a big athletic man in -leather gaiters and huge spurs, dressed in a thick cloth suit, his wide -sombrero fastened under his chin by a strap. He was nicknamed -Lobato,<a name="FNanchor_104_104" id="FNanchor_104_104"></a><a href="#Footnote_104_104" class="fnanchor">[104]</a> and was a roughrider who spent the greater part of the year -in the open country, behaving when he came into Madrid like a savage, -having no wish to see the streets, and in fact never leaving the -purlieus of the Plaza.</p> - -<p>For him the capital of Spain was nothing more than a Plaza in a -clearing, with desert lands surrounding it, while in the distance lay an -agglomeration of houses which he had never had the curiosity to explore. -The most important establishment in Madrid, from his point of view, was -Gallina's tavern, situated close to the Plaza, a place of delight, an -enchanted palace where he supped and dined at the expense of the -management before returning to his pastures mounted on his horse, his -dark blanket on the saddle bow, his saddle-bags on the crupper and his -lance over his shoulder. He delighted in terrorising the servants as he -entered the tavern by his friendly greetings, terrible hand grips which -crushed their bones and drew forth screams of pain; he smiled, delighted -with his strength and being called a brute, and then sat down to his -pittance, which was served him in a dish as deep as a basin, accompanied -by more than one jar of wine.</p> - -<p>He herded the bulls bought by the management, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span>sometimes in the pastures -of Munoza, at others during the excessive heat on the grazing uplands of -the Sierra de Guadarrama. He brought them in to the enclosure two days -before the corrida at midnight, driving them across the Abronigal stream -and through the outskirts of Madrid, accompanied by amateur rough-riders -and cowherds. He was rampant when bad weather prevented a corrida taking -place, which kept the herd in the Plaza, and prevented his immediate -return to the peaceful solitudes where the other bulls were still -grazing.</p> - -<p>Slow of speech, dull of thought, this centaur, who smelt of leather and -manure, could still speak eloquently, even poetically of his pastoral -life herding the wild bulls. The sky of Madrid seemed to him lower and -with fewer stars. He could describe with picturesque laconicism the -nights on the pastures, with his bulls sleeping beneath the soft light -of the stars, the dense silence only broken by the mysterious noises of -the forest. In this silence the mountain vipers sang with strange song, -yes, Señor, certainly they sang. It was a thing that could not be -discussed with Lobato: he had heard them a thousand times, and to doubt -it was to call him a cheat and a liar, and to expose oneself to the -weight of his fists. As the reptiles sang, so also did the bulls speak, -only he had not yet succeeded in mastering all the mysteries of their -idiom. They were really just like Christians, except that they went on -four legs and had horns. You should see them wake when the sun rose, -bounding about as happy as children, pretending in fun to cross their -horns and fight each other, chasing each other with noisy enjoyment, as -if they were saluting the coming of the sun, which is the glory of God. -Then he spoke of his toilsome excursions through the Sierra de -Guadarrama, following the course of the crystal-clear rivulets, which -brought the melted snow from the mountains to feed the rivers; of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> the -meadows, with their verdure enamelled by flowers; of the birds who came -fluttering to settle between the horns of the sleeping bulls; of the -wolves who howled afar off in the night, always far off, for they feared -the long procession of wild bulls following the bells of the cabestros, -come to dispute with them their terrible solitudes. Don't let any one -speak to him of Madrid, where one suffocated! The only good thing in -that forest of houses was Gallina's good wine and his savoury stews.</p> - -<p>Lobato assisted the espada with his advice in choosing his two bulls. -The overseer showed neither respect nor astonishment at these celebrated -men, so admired by the populace. The shepherd of the bulls almost -despised the toreros. To kill such noble animals, with every sort of -trickery and deceit! He was the really brave man, who lived among them, -passing daily between their horns in the solitudes, with no other -defence than his own arm, and no thought of applause.</p> - -<p>As Gallardo left the enclosure another man joined them, who saluted the -maestro with great respect. It was the old man charged with the cleaning -of the Plaza. He had been a great many years in this employment, and had -known all the most celebrated toreros of his day. He was very poorly -dressed, but he often wore beautiful rings, and to blow his nose would -draw from the depths of his blouse a small cambric handkerchief trimmed -with fine lace and having a large monogram, still exhaling a delicate -scent.</p> - -<p>He undertook by himself during the week the sweeping of the immense -Plaza, its rows of seats and boxes, without ever complaining of the -overwhelming work. If the manager was displeased with him and wished to -punish him he would open the doors to all the riffraff wandering round -the Plaza. The poor man would be in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> despair, promising amendment, in -order that this swarm of people should not take over his work.</p> - -<p>Now and then he allowed half a dozen lads to help him; these were -generally toreros' apprentices, and were faithful to him in exchange for -his allowing them to watch the corrida from the "dogs box," that is, a -door with an iron grating situated near the bulls' boxes, which was used -for taking out wounded men. These helpers, holding on to the iron bars, -fought like monkeys in a cage to obtain first place.</p> - -<p>The old man distributed their weekly cleansing work cleverly enough. All -these boys worked on the seats of the sunny side,<a name="FNanchor_105_105" id="FNanchor_105_105"></a><a href="#Footnote_105_105" class="fnanchor">[105]</a> those occupied by -a poor and dirty crowd, who left as evidence of their presence a rubbish -heap of orange peel, scraps of paper, and cigar ends.</p> - -<p>"Look out for the tobacco," he would order his troup. "Whoever filches a -single cigar end will not see the corrida on Sunday."</p> - -<p>He himself worked patiently on the shady side, crouching down in the -shadow of the boxes to slip any finds into his pockets—such as ladies' -fans, rings, pocket-handkerchiefs, coins, feminine ornaments, anything -that an invasion of fourteen thousand people might have left behind -them. He collected the scraps of cigar ends, chopping them up after -exposing them to the sun, and selling them as fine tobacco. The more -valuable finds passed into the hands of a dealer, willing to buy these -spoils of a public, either forgetful, or oblivious from excitement.</p> - -<p>Gallardo responded to the old man's obsequious bows by giving him a -cigar, and then took leave of Lobato. He had agreed with the overseer -which two bulls should be specially boxed for him. The other toreros -would not object. They were good natured young fellows, full<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> of -youthful ardour, who would kill anything that was put before them.</p> - -<p>As he came out again into the courtyard, where the selection of horses -was still in progress, Gallardo saw a tall spare man, with olive -complexion, dressed as a torero, leave the group and come towards him. -Tufts of iron-grey hair appeared from beneath his black felt hat, and -his mouth was surrounded by many wrinkles.</p> - -<p>"Pescadero! How are you?" said Gallardo, clasping his hand with sincere -warmth.</p> - -<p>He was an old espada, who had had his youthful days of triumph, but very -few now even remembered his name. Other matadors coming after him had -eclipsed this fleeting reputation, so Pescadero, after fighting in -America, and sustaining several cogidas, had retired with a little -capital of savings. Gallardo knew that he owned a small tavern in the -neighbourhood of the circus, but too far off for him to have many -customers among the aficionados and toreros.</p> - -<p>"I cannot often come to the corridas," said Pescadero, sadly. "Still, -you see, the sport draws me, and I drop in as a neighbour to see these -things. Now-a-days I am nothing but a tavern-keeper."</p> - -<p>Gallardo looked at his shabby appearance, and remembered the brilliant -Pescadero he had known in his childhood, one of his most admired heroes, -gallant and proud, favoured by women, among the smartest in La Campana -whenever he came to Seville, dressed in his velvet hat, his wine -coloured jacket and brightly coloured sash, leaning on an ivory stick -with gold handle. And so would he also be; shabby and forgotten if he -retired from bull-fighting!</p> - -<p>They talked a long time about things appertaining to the art. El -Pescadero, like all elderly men embittered by bad luck, was pessimistic. -There were very few good<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span> toreros, there were no longer men of -"corazon."<a name="FNanchor_106_106" id="FNanchor_106_106"></a><a href="#Footnote_106_106" class="fnanchor">[106]</a> Only Gallardo and one or two others killed bulls -"truly," even the animals seemed less powerful than formerly. As he had -met the matador he insisted on his going with him to his house, indeed -as an old friend he could do no less. So Gallardo turned with him into -one of the small streets surrounding the Plaza, and entered the tavern, -which was much like any other, its façade painted red, windows with -curtains of the same colour, a larger show window, in which were -displayed, on dusty plates, cooked cutlets, fried birds, bottles of -pickles, and inside, a zinc counter, barrels and bottles, round tables -with wooden stools by them, and several coloured prints representing -celebrated toreros or remarkable episodes in corridas.</p> - -<p>"We will have a glass of Montilla," said El Pescadero to a young man -standing behind the counter, who smiled as he saw Gallardo.</p> - -<p>The latter looked at his face, and then at his right sleeve, which was -empty and pinned to his breast.</p> - -<p>"It seems to me I know you," said the matador.</p> - -<p>"I should think you did know him!" cried Pescadero. "It is Pipi."</p> - -<p>The nickname made Gallardo remember his history at once. A plucky -youngster who stuck in his banderillas in most masterly fashion, he also -had been named by the aficionados as "the torero of the future." -Unluckily one day in the Plaza in Madrid his right arm had been so badly -gored as to make amputation necessary, and he had been rendered useless -for further bull-fighting.</p> - -<p>"I took him in, Juan," continued El Pescadero. "I have no family and my -wife died, so I look upon him as a son. Do not think that Pipi and I -live in plenty. We live as we can, but whatever I have is for him. We -get on, thanks to old friends who come sometimes to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span> breakfast or to -play a game of cards, and above all thanks to the school."</p> - -<p>Gallardo smiled. He had heard something about the school of Tauromachia -established by El Pescadero close to his tavern.</p> - -<p>"What can I do now?" said the latter, excusing himself. "One must help -oneself on, and the school consumes more than all the customers in the -tavern. A great many people come, young gentlemen who wish to -distinguish themselves at the 'becerras,'<a name="FNanchor_107_107" id="FNanchor_107_107"></a><a href="#Footnote_107_107" class="fnanchor">[107]</a> foreigners who become -bewitched by the corridas, and who wish to become toreros in their old -age. I have got one now who comes every afternoon. You shall see him."</p> - -<p>They crossed the street towards a plot of ground surrounded by a wall. -Across the joined planks which served as a door was a large placard on -which was written in tar "School of Tauromachia."</p> - -<p>They went in. The first thing that attracted Gallardo's attention was -the bull—an animal made of wood and bamboos, mounted on wheels, with a -tail of tow, a head of plaited straw, and pieces of cork for a neck, to -which were attached a pair of real and enormous horns which struck -terror into the pupils' hearts.</p> - -<p>A bare-breasted lad, in a cap with two curls of hair above his ears, was -the creature who communicated its intelligence to the beast, pushing it -forward when the pupils stood opposite to it with their capes in their -hands.</p> - -<p>In the middle of the plot stood a gentleman, elderly, round shouldered, -and stout, red faced, with large stiff grey moustache, in his shirt -sleeves, with a banderilla in either hand. Close to the wall seated on a -chair, and leaning on another, was a lady of about the same age, and not -less stout and rubicund, in a hat covered with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> flowers. Each time her -husband executed some good stroke the piles of flowers and false curls -shook and waved wildly as she threw herself back in her chair laughing -and applauding loudly.</p> - -<p>El Pescadero explained to Gallardo that most probably those people were -French or possibly from some other country, he was not certain, and it -mattered nothing to him. The couple seemed to have travelled all over -the world and to have lived everywhere; to judge from his stories, he -had been a miner in America, colonist in some distant island, hunter of -wild horses with a lasso in America, and now he wished to earn some -money as torero, and came every afternoon to the school like an -obstinate child, but he paid generously for his lessons.</p> - -<p>"Just imagine! a torero with that figure!... And at fifty years of age -well struck!"...</p> - -<p>As he saw the two men enter, the pupil dropped his arms holding the -banderillas, and the lady arranged her skirts and her flowery hat. "Ah! -dear master!..."</p> - -<p>"Good evening, mosiu!" "Your servant, madame," said the master raising -his hand to his hat.... "Let me see, mosiu, how this lesson is getting -on. You remember what I told you. Stand quiet on your ground. Invite the -'bicho,' let him come, and when he is by your side just bend your hips -and stick the darts in his neck. You need not be anxious to do anything, -the bull will do everything for you. Attention.... Are you ready?"</p> - -<p>And the professor standing a little aside made a sign to the terrible -bull, or more properly to the urchin, who with his hands on the hind -quarters was pushing him to the attack.</p> - -<p>"Eeeeh!... Enter, Morito!"</p> - -<p>Pescadero gave a fearful bellow to induce the bull to "enter," exciting -by those shouts and furious stamping on the ground this terrible beast -with inside of air and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span> reeds and head of straw. Monto attacked like a -furious wild beast with a tremulous rattle of wheels, staggering and -butting on account of the inequalities of the ground. How could any bull -from the most famous herd compare in intelligence with this Morito, -immortal beast; who had been pierced with banderillas and rapier thrusts -a thousand times, only suffering insignificant wounds that the carpenter -had been able to cure. He seemed cleverer than any man! As he came near -to the pupil, he slightly changed his course in order not to touch him -with his horns, going off with a pair of darts well stuck into his cork -neck.</p> - -<p>A perfect ovation greeted this exploit, the banderillero remaining firm -in his place, arranging his braces and his shirt cuffs. His wife, wildly -delighted, threw herself back in her chair laughing and clapping.</p> - -<p>"Quite masterly, mosiu," shouted El Pescadero. "A stroke of the first -quality!"</p> - -<p>The foreigner, delighted by the professor's applause, replied modestly, -beating his breast:</p> - -<p>"I have what is most important—courage, a great deal of courage."</p> - -<p>Then, in order to celebrate the stroke, he called on Morito's sprite, -who was already creeping out, anticipating the order, to fetch them a -bottle of wine. When they knew that the man who accompanied the -professor was the celebrated Gallardo, whose portraits they had so often -admired on cigarette boxes, their delight knew no bounds, and they -clinked glasses of wine to the success of the torero, even Morito taking -part in the festival.</p> - -<p>"Before two months are over, mosiu," said El Pescadero, with Andalusian -gravity, "you will be fixing banderillas in the Plaza in Madrid, and -carrying off all the palms, and the money, and the women ... saving your -lady's presence."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span></p><p>El Pescadero walked with Gallardo as far as the end of the street.</p> - -<p>"Adios, Juan," he said gravely, "we may see each other in the Plaza -to-morrow.... You see how low I have come, that I have to live on these -humbugs and idiots."</p> - -<p>Gallardo walked away thoughtful. Ay! That man, whom he had seen in his -good days throw away money with princely generosity, so sure was he of -his future!...</p> - -<p>He had lost his money in bad speculations, and a torero's life was not -one to teach the management of a fortune. And yet they were proposing to -him to retire from his profession. Never. He must throw himself on the -bulls.</p> - -<p>The next day he felt full of courage and went to the Plaza, undisturbed -by his usual superstitious fears. He felt the certainty of triumph, the -high heart-throb of his most glorious days.</p> - -<p>From the very first the corrida was full of events. The first bull -showed himself very "tenacious,"<a name="FNanchor_108_108" id="FNanchor_108_108"></a><a href="#Footnote_108_108" class="fnanchor">[108]</a> attacking furiously all the men on -horseback. In an instant he had overthrown three picadors who were -waiting for him with their lance in rest, two of the horses lay dying, -streams of dark blood gushing out of their torn chests. The other one -mad with pain and terror rushed from one end of the Plaza to the other, -his belly ripped open and the saddle hanging loose, showing between the -stirrups the blue and red entrails. Dragging its bowels along the ground -and trampling them itself with its hind legs, they divided themselves -like a knotted skein which becomes gradually disentangled.</p> - -<p>The bull, attracted by its wild rush, followed it up close, driving his -powerful head under the belly, lifting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> the horse on his horns, throwing -it on the ground, and then furiously attacking the miserable, torn and -pierced carcass. When the bull left it, kicking and dying, a "mono -sabio" came up to finish it, by driving the steel of his dagger through -the top of the skull. The miserable brute in the extremity of its agony -bit the man, who screamed, lifting his bloody right hand, and striking -home the dagger till the animal ceased to struggle and the limbs -remained rigid. Then other employés of the circus ran up with large -baskets of sand which they threw in heaps over the pools of blood and -the bodies of the horses.</p> - -<p>By this time the whole audience were on their feet, shouting and -gesticulating wildly. They were delighted at the bull's fierceness and -protested loudly at there being not a single picador left in the arena, -yelling with one voice: "Horses! More horses!"</p> - -<p>They all knew well enough that more would come out immediately, but they -seemed furious that another instant should go by without fresh -butcheries. The bull remained alone in the centre of the arena, superb -and bellowing, his bloody horns held high, and the ribbon with the badge -of his herd floating on his neck, which was covered with red and blue -gashes.</p> - -<p>Fresh riders came out, and again the horrible spectacle was repeated. As -soon as a picador with his lance in rest approached the bull, bringing -up his horse sideways with one eye bandaged, so that it should not see -the bull, the shock and the fall were instantaneous. The lances broke -with the splintering of dry wood, the horse was tossed in the air by the -powerful horns, sprinkling the arena with its blood and bowels, and the -picador rolled on the arena like a yellow legged doll, covered -immediately by his companions' capes.</p> - -<p>The public hailed the noisy falls of the riders with laughter and -exclamations of delight. The arena rang<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span> with the shock of the fall of -the heavy bodies with their iron-clad legs. One fell like a full sack, -his head striking the wall of the barrier with a dull echo.</p> - -<p>"That one won't get up," yelled the crowd. "His melon must be cracked."</p> - -<p>But nevertheless he got up, stretching his arms, rubbing his head, and -picking up the stout beaver which had rolled on the sand, again mounted -the same horse, which the "monos sabios," by dint of kicks and blows, -had got on to its feet, and bestriding this dying mount, with its -entrails dragging on the sand, he went once more to encounter the -furious beast.</p> - -<p>"This is for you!" he shouted, throwing the beaver into a group of -friends.</p> - -<p>But no sooner had he again placed himself opposite the bull, driving his -pike into its neck, than man and horse were once more tossed in the air, -parting company from the violence of the shock, each one rolling to a -different side of the arena. Several times before the bull attacked, the -"monos sabios" and also some of the public had advised the rider to -dismount. "Get down, get down." But before his stiffly encased legs -could do so, the horse would fall dead, and the picador would be sent -flying over his ears, his head arriving with a heavy blow on the sand.</p> - -<p>The bull had not succeeded in goring any of the riders, but some of the -picadors lay insensible on the ground, and the circus servants were -obliged to carry them out to the infirmary, to be treated for broken -bones, or to be revived from the shock which seemed like death.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, most anxious to gain the sympathies of his public, was here, -there and everywhere, earning immense applause by seizing the bull's -tail and pulling, till it turned away from the picador lying on the -ground in danger of being gored.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span></p><p>While the banderilleros were engaged, Gallardo, leaning on the barrier, -passed the boxes in review. Doña Sol was sure to be there. At last he -caught sight of her, but without the white mantilla. There was nothing -about her to remind one of the lady in Seville who was so like one of -Goya's pictures. With her golden hair and her large and elegant hat, she -might have been a foreigner seeing a bull-fight for the first time. By -her side sat that man of whom she spoke so admiringly, and to whom she -was showing the sights of the country. Ay! Doña Sol! Soon she would see -what the fine fellow she had deserted really was! She would have to -applaud him even in the presence of the hated stranger; she would become -enthusiastic, even against her will, carried away by the contagion of -the masses.</p> - -<p>When the time came for Gallardo to kill his bull, which was the second, -the masses received him cordially, as if they had forgotten their -annoyance at the previous corrida. The people seemed inclined to be -tolerant after the spell of wet weather, as if they wished to find -everything good in the long expected bull-fight. Besides, the courage of -the first bull and the great mortality among the horses had put the -crowd in a splendid humour.</p> - -<p>Gallardo walked towards the bull with his head uncovered after the -"brindis," with the muleta in one hand, and in the other the rapier -waving like a cane. He was followed, though at a prudent distance, by El -Nacional and another torero. Several voices from the sunny side -protested. How many more acolytes!... He looked like a parish priest -going to a funeral!</p> - -<p>"Go out everybody!" shouted Gallardo.</p> - -<p>The two peons stopped, because it was said in a voice which left no room -for doubt.</p> - -<p>He went forward till he came close to the beast, and then unfolded the -muleta, giving some passes quite in his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span> old style, even placing the rag -on the slavering muzzle. "A pass, olé!" and a murmur of satisfaction ran -over the benches. The lad from Seville was again worthy of his name, he -had regained his professional pride. He was going to perform some of his -old strokes as in his best days. His muleta passes were greeted with -noisy exclamations of delight, and on the benches his partisans revived, -rebuking his enemies.</p> - -<p>That afternoon was one of his best. When they saw the bull standing -motionless, the public themselves encouraged him with their advice. "Now -then! Strike!"</p> - -<p>Gallardo threw himself on the bull with his rapier in front, slipping -quickly away from the menace of the horns.</p> - -<p>The applause rang out, but it was short, and followed by a threatening -murmur, mingled with strident whistling. The enthusiasts ceased to look -at the bull, to turn their indignation on the public. What injustice! -What want of knowledge! He had entered to kill splendidly....</p> - -<p>But thousands of inimical fingers pointed to the bull without ceasing -their protests, and the whole Plaza joined them in a deafening storm of -whistling.</p> - -<p>The rapier had penetrated slant ways, crossing the bull, its point -appearing between his ribs just behind the foreleg.</p> - -<p>Every one gesticulated, waving their arms in a paroxysm of fury. "What a -scandal! A bad novillero could not have done worse!"</p> - -<p>The animal, with the hilt of the sword in his neck and the point -appearing from the wrench of the espada's arm began to hobble, its -enormous bulk swaying with its unsteady gait. This seemed to move every -one to a generous indignation. "Poor bull! Such a good one, so -noble...." Many threw themselves forward, roaring<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> with fury, as if they -intended throwing themselves bodily into the arena. "Thief! Son of a -...!" "To torture a "bicho" like that who is better than he is!..." All -shouted, seized with a vehement tenderness for the brute's suffering, -just as though they had not paid to see its death.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, stupefied at his deed, bent his head beneath the whirlwind of -insults and threats. Cursed bad luck! He had entered to kill splendidly, -just as in his best days, overcoming the nervous shrinking which made -him turn his face away as though he could not endure the sight of the -brute coming down on him. But the desire to avoid danger, to get out -from between the horns as quickly as possible, had made him ruin his -luck by that disgraceful and unskilful stroke.</p> - -<p>The bull, after limping about for some time with painful staggering, -stood still.</p> - -<p>Gallardo took another sword and again placed himself in front of the -beast.</p> - -<p>The public guessed his intention. He was proceeding to the "descabello," -the only thing he could do after such a criminal stroke.</p> - -<p>He leant the point of the rapier between the two horns, while with the -other hand he waved the muleta so that the beast, attracted by the -fluttering cloth, should lower its head to the ground. The espada struck -with his rapier, but the bull, feeling himself wounded, tossed his head -wildly, and ejected the weapon.</p> - -<p>"One!" roared the crowd with almost laughable unanimity.</p> - -<p>The matador again repeated his stroke, and once again drove in the -rapier, the only result being to make the brute shiver.</p> - -<p>"Two!" sang out from the gods in derision.</p> - -<p>A fresh attempt only succeeded like the others in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span> drawing a low bellow -from the tortured animal.</p> - -<p>"Three!"... But to this ironical chorus the masses now joined whistles -and cries of protest. When would that matador finish it?</p> - -<p>On the fourth attempt he succeeded in severing the spinal cord, and the -bull fell instantaneously, lying on his side with his legs rigid.</p> - -<p>The espada wiped the perspiration from his face and walked slowly round, -almost gasping for breath, to salute the president. At last he was free -from that animal. He thought he never would have finished it. On his way -the mob either greeted him sarcastically or with contemptuous silence. -No one applauded. He saluted the president amid the general -indifference, and then took refuge behind the barrier, like a school boy -ashamed of his misdeeds. While Garabato offered him a glass of water his -eyes ran round the boxes, meeting those of Doña Sol, which had followed -him to his refuge. What would that woman think of him? How she would -laugh with her travelling companion, seeing him ridiculed by the public! -What an unlucky idea of hers to come to that corrida!</p> - -<p>He remained between the barriers, trying to avoid further fatigue, till -the last bull he had to kill should come out. His broken leg pained him -greatly from having run so much. He was no longer the same—he was -obliged to recognize it. All his confidence, all his resolutions of -throwing himself on the bull were useless. His legs were neither as -light nor as steady as formerly, neither had his right arm that daring -which made it throw itself out without fear, anxious to reach the neck -of the bull as soon as possible. Now it drew itself in against his will, -with the cautious instinct of certain animals who think if they hide -their faces they can in this way avoid danger.</p> - -<p>His old superstitious terrors suddenly reappeared, crushing, -overwhelming.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span></p><p>"I am in bad luck," thought Gallardo. "My heart tells me the fifth bull -will catch me. He will catch me, nothing can be done!"</p> - -<p>All the same, when the fifth bull came out into the Plaza the first cape -to meet him was Gallardo's. What an animal! He looked quite different -from the one he had chosen in the yard the evening before. Fear went on -singing in the torero's ears. "Bad luck!... He will catch me; to-day I -shall leave the circus feet foremost."</p> - -<p>In spite of this, he continued playing with the bull and drawing it away -from the endangered picadors. At first his endeavours were received in -silence, but later the people softened a little and applauded him -feebly.</p> - -<p>When the supreme moment arrived for the death of the bull, all present -seemed to guess the confusion of his mind. His play was disordered, it -was sufficient for the bull to shake his head for him to take it as a -sign of charging, throwing his feet backwards, and receding by long -bounds, while the public greeted those attempts at flight with a chorus -of mockery.</p> - -<p>"Juy! Juy! He is catching you!"</p> - -<p>Suddenly, as if he wished to finish it as soon as possible in any way, -he threw himself on the beast with his rapier, obliquely, to get out of -the danger as quickly as he could. There was an explosion of whistling -and shouting. The rapier had only gone in an inch or two and after -vibrating in the brute's neck, was ejected by him to some distance.</p> - -<p>Gallardo turned to pick tip the rapier and again approached the bull. He -was squaring himself to go in to kill, when the bull charged him at the -same moment. He wished to fly, but his legs had no longer the agility of -former days. He was caught and rolled over by the impetus of the rush. -While everyone ran to his help Gallardo<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> picked himself up, covered with -sand, with a rent in the back of his breeches, through which his shirt -tail appeared, minus a shoe, and without the "mona" which adorned his -pigtail.</p> - -<p>That gallant and dashing young fellow, who had been the admiration of -the populace for his elegance, now looked pitiful and ridiculous, with -his shirt tail sticking out, his hair disarranged and his pigtail fallen -down and unfastened, looking like a wretched tail.</p> - -<p>Many capes were pityingly spread round him to help and protect him, -while the other espadas with generous comradeship worked the bull and -prepared him so that Gallardo might finish him without difficulty. But -Gallardo seemed blind and deaf; the sight alone of the animal was enough -to make him throw himself back at the slightest sign of attack; it -seemed as though his recent overturn had driven him mad with fright. He -did not seem to understand what his comrades said to him, and with -frowning brows and face intensely pale, he stammered out, scarcely -knowing what he said:</p> - -<p>"Go out, every one! Leave me alone!"</p> - -<p>While terror was singing in his heart: "To-day you will die! This is -your last cogida!"</p> - -<p>The public guessed the espada's thoughts by the wildness of his -movements.</p> - -<p>"He is terrified of the bull! Panic has seized him!"</p> - -<p>Even his most fervent partisans were ashamed and silent, unable to -explain a thing such as they had never seen before.</p> - -<p>The people seemed to enjoy his terror with the valour of those in a safe -place. Others, thinking themselves defrauded of their money, shouted -themselves hoarse.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, protected by his companions' capes, took advantage of any -opportunity of wounding the beast with his sword, deaf to the sarcastic -jests of the populace;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span> but they were thrusts the animal scarcely seemed -to feel. His terror at being caught lengthened his arm, making him stand -far off, only wounding the beast with the point of the sword.</p> - -<p>Some of the rapiers shook themselves loose, being scarcely fixed in the -flesh, others remained stuck in a bone, but the greater part of the -length uncovered, bending with the brute's movements. The bull was -following the circuit of the barrier bellowing with his head low, as if -complaining of this useless torture. The espada followed him, muleta in -hand, anxious to finish him, yet dreading to expose himself, and behind -him came a whole troup of peons, spreading their capes, as though by -this fluttering of stuffs they were trying to persuade the bull to -double up his legs and to lie down on the sand. The bull's progress -close to the barrier, with his neck bristling with rapiers, provoked -storms of sarcasms and insults.</p> - -<p>"It's like la Dolorosa!"<a name="FNanchor_109_109" id="FNanchor_109_109"></a><a href="#Footnote_109_109" class="fnanchor">[109]</a> they shouted.</p> - -<p>Others compared the animal to a pincushion full of pins.</p> - -<p>"Thief! Bad torero!"</p> - -<p>Others insulted the torero by changing his name to the feminine.</p> - -<p>"Juanita! Don't run into danger."</p> - -<p>Much time was being lost, and part of the audience becoming furious -turned towards the presidential box.</p> - -<p>"Señor Presidente! How long is this scandal to go on?"</p> - -<p>The President made a gesture which silenced the storm, and then made a -sign. Soon an alguacil in his feathered hat and fluttering cape was seen -running round the barrier to the spot where the bull was standing, then, -directing his gesture towards Gallardo he raised one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span> closed fist with -the forefinger outstretched. The mob applauded. It was the first -warning. If before the third the matador had not killed his bull, it -would be taken back to the yard, and the matador would remain under the -stigma of the deepest dishonour.</p> - -<p>Gallardo, as if awakening suddenly from his somnambulism, crushed by -this threat, placed his rapier horizontally and threw himself on the -bull. It was only one estocade the more which scarcely penetrated into -the bull's body.</p> - -<p>The espada let his arms fall, utterly disheartened. Was that brute -immortal! The rapier thrusts seemed to do him no harm. It seemed as -though he would never die.</p> - -<p>The futility of the last stroke infuriated the people. They all rose to -their feet, the storm of whistling became absolutely deafening, obliging -the women to stop their ears. Oranges, scraps of bread, cushions, any -projectile ready to hand, was hurled into the arena at the matador. From -the sunny side came stentorian voices, roars like a siren, which it -seemed impossible should come from human throats, a horrible din of -cow-bells rang out suddenly like a tocsin, while from the benches close -to the bulls' box a chorus began to chant the "gori-gori"<a name="FNanchor_110_110" id="FNanchor_110_110"></a><a href="#Footnote_110_110" class="fnanchor">[110]</a> of the -dead.</p> - -<p>Many turned towards the President. When would the second warning be -given? Gallardo wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief, -looking all around him, as if astounded at the injustice of the -populace. He turned his eyes towards Doña Sol, but she had turned her -back to the circus. Did she feel any pity? Or was she ashamed of her -condescensions in the past?</p> - -<p>Again he threw himself on the bull to kill, but very few could see what -was happening, for the spread capes fluttering incessantly round him -concealed everything....<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span> At last the bull fell, a stream of blood -rushing from its mouth.</p> - -<p>At last!... The public quieted down a little, ceasing to thump, but -still continuing shouting and whistling. The animal was finished by the -puntilero, he was fastened by his poll to the team of mules, and dragged -out of the arena, leaving behind him a broad belt of smoothed sand -covered with blood-stains, which the servants obliterated with rakes and -baskets of sand.</p> - -<p>Gallardo hid himself between the barriers, shrinking from the storm of -insults his presence raised. There he remained, weary and panting, his -leg paining him greatly; but, in the midst of his discouragement, -feeling an intense comfort at being out of danger. He had not died by -the bull's horns ... but he owed it to his prudence. Ah! that public!... -After all they were only a crowd of murderers anxious for a man's death, -as if they alone loved life!</p> - -<p>The exit from the Plaza was heart-rending, through the crowd of people -massed outside, carriages, automobiles, and long rows of tramways.</p> - -<p>Gallardo's coach was obliged to go slowly to avoid running over the -crowds coming out of the Plaza; these opened out to let the mules pass, -but on recognizing the espada they seemed to repent of their courtesy.</p> - -<p>Gallardo guessed by the movement of their lips that they were insulting -him: carriages full of pretty women in white mantillas passed close to -him, but they turned their heads away, while others looked at him with -pitying eyes.</p> - -<p>The espada drew back as if he wished to pass unnoticed, hiding himself -behind the bulk of El Nacional, who sat silent and frowning.</p> - -<p>A group of urchins following the carriage began to whistle, while many -walking on the pavements followed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span> their example. The news of Gallardo's -fiasco had spread rapidly, and they were glad of an opportunity to -insult a man whom they imagined had gained such immense wealth.</p> - -<p>"Curse them! Why are they whistling? Have they by any chance been to the -corrida?... Has it cost them any money?"...</p> - -<p>A stone struck the wheel, and the ragamuffins were shouting close to the -step, when two mounted policemen rode up and dispersed the hostile -manifestation, afterwards escorting the whole length of the Calle de -Alcala, the famous matador Juan Gallardo ... "the first man in the -world."</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_104_104" id="Footnote_104_104"></a><a href="#FNanchor_104_104"><span class="label">[104]</span></a> Wolf cub.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_105_105" id="Footnote_105_105"></a><a href="#FNanchor_105_105"><span class="label">[105]</span></a> The sunny side corresponds to the "gallery gods" or the -pit with us.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_106_106" id="Footnote_106_106"></a><a href="#FNanchor_106_106"><span class="label">[106]</span></a> Heart—courage.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_107_107" id="Footnote_107_107"></a><a href="#FNanchor_107_107"><span class="label">[107]</span></a> Trials of yearling calves.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_108_108" id="Footnote_108_108"></a><a href="#FNanchor_108_108"><span class="label">[108]</span></a> When a bull stands by the object of his attack—attacking -it again and again.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_109_109" id="Footnote_109_109"></a><a href="#FNanchor_109_109"><span class="label">[109]</span></a> The Virgin of Seven Sorrows whose heart is pierced with -swords.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_110_110" id="Footnote_110_110"></a><a href="#FNanchor_110_110"><span class="label">[110]</span></a> The "de profundis."</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER X</h2> - -<p>The following Sunday, as the cuadrilla had just entered the circus, some -one knocked loudly at the Puerta de Caballerizas.</p> - -<p>An employé of the Plaza shouted ill-humouredly from inside that there -was no entrance that way, they must go round to the other door, but as -the voice outside continued to insist he finally opened the door.</p> - -<p>A man and a woman entered, he wearing a white Cordoban felt hat, she -dressed in black with a mantilla.</p> - -<p>The man shook the employé's hand, leaving something in it, which -evidently softened his asperity.</p> - -<p>"You know me, do you not?" ... said the new comer. "Really, don't you -know me? I am Gallardo's brother-in-law, and this lady is his wife."</p> - -<p>Carmen looked all around at the deserted courtyard. Through the brick -walls she could hear the sound of music and the humming of the crowd, -varied by cries of enthusiasm, or murmurs of curiosity.</p> - -<p>"Where is he?" enquired Carmen anxiously.</p> - -<p>"Where should he be, woman?" replied her brother-in-law roughly. "In the -Plaza, fulfilling his duties.... It is folly to have come here. What a -flighty woman you are!"</p> - -<p>Carmen looked round her undecidedly, perhaps half repenting having come; -after all, what was she going to do there?</p> - -<p>The employé, whose hand-shake with Antonio had made a marvellous -difference, suggested that if the lady<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span> wished to wait till the end of -the corrida she could rest in the gate-keeper's room, but if she wished -to see the corrida he could find her a very good seat even if she had no -ticket.</p> - -<p>Carmen was terrified at this proposal. See the corrida? No! She had -never seen her husband fight; she would wait there as long as she -possibly could.</p> - -<p>"God's will be done!" said the saddler resignedly. "We will stay here, -though what we shall see opposite this doorway I don't know."</p> - -<p>About mid-day on the Saturday, Carmen had called Antonio into the -matador's study, and told him of her intention to go at once to Madrid. -She could not stay in Seville, she had had a week of restless nights, -which her imagination had peopled with horrible scenes, and her feminine -instinct made her fear some great disaster. She felt she must be by -Juan's side, she did not know why, nor what would happen on the journey, -all she wanted was to be near Gallardo.</p> - -<p>Life was not worth living like this. She had seen in the papers Juan's -great fiasco on the previous Sunday. She knew his professional pride, -and knew he could not bear this misfortune patiently. The last letter -she had received from him had plainly showed her this.</p> - -<p>"No, and again no," she said energetically to her brother-in-law's -objection. "I start for Madrid this afternoon; if you like to come, well -and good, if not, I shall go alone. Above all, not a word to Don José; -he would try to prevent my journey!"...</p> - -<p>The saddler finally agreed. After all a free journey to Madrid was not a -thing to be refused, even though it were in such dismal company. During -the journey, Carmen made up her mind; she would speak earnestly to her -husband. Why go on bull-fighting? Had they not enough to live on? He -must retire at once if he did not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span> wish to kill her. This corrida must -be the last one ... and even this was one too many. She hoped to arrive -in Madrid in time to prevent her husband fighting, feeling that by her -presence she might prevent some catastrophe.</p> - -<p>"What rubbish! Just like a woman! If they get a thing into their heads -it must be so. Do you think there are no authorities, or laws, or rules -in a Plaza? that it is enough for a woman to be frightened and want to -run and kiss her husband for the corrida to be stopped and the public -disappointed? You may say whatever you like to Juan afterwards, but by -now he will be at the corrida. There is no trifling with the -authorities; we should all be sent to jail."</p> - -<p>When they arrived in Madrid, he had to exert all his powers of -persuasion to prevent his companion rushing to her husband's hotel. What -would be the result? She would disturb him by her presence, send him to -the Plaza in a bad humour, upset his calmness, and then if anything -happened all the fault would be hers.</p> - -<p>This reflection steadied Carmen, making her give in to her -brother-in-law's wishes and go to an hotel of his choosing, where she -spent the morning lying on a sofa crying as if she considered misfortune -imminent. The saddler, delighted to find himself in Madrid and -comfortably lodged, was furious with this despair, which seemed to him -ridiculous.</p> - -<p>The hotel was near the Puerta del Sol, and the noise of the carriages -and people going to the corrida reached her. She could not stay in the -house, she must see him. She had not courage enough to go to the -spectacle, but she wished to feel near him, and she wished to go to the -Plaza. Where was the Plaza? She had never seen it. Even if she could not -go in, she could wander round it, feeling that her near presence might -influence Gallardo's luck.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span></p><p>The saddler expostulated. By the life of.... He certainly intended to -go to the corrida, he had gone out to buy his ticket, and now Carmen -prevented his enjoying the fiesta, by wanting to go to the Plaza -herself.</p> - -<p>"What can you do when you get there? What good can your presence do? -Just think, if Juaniyo caught sight of you!"</p> - -<p>But to all his arguments Carmen replied with the same obstinacy.</p> - -<p>"If you do not care to come with me, I will go alone."</p> - -<p>Antonio ended by giving in, and they drove to the Plaza together, -entering by the Puerta de Caballerizas. The saddler remembered the Plaza -well, as he had accompanied Gallardo on one of his journeys to Madrid -during the spring.</p> - -<p>He and the employé both felt out of humour with that woman with the red -eyes and streaming cheeks who stood in the court-yard not knowing what -to do.... The two men heard the noise of the people and the music in the -Plaza. Were they going to stay there all night without seeing the -corrida?</p> - -<p>At last the employé had a happy inspiration.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps the lady would like to go into the chapel!"...</p> - -<p>The procession of the cuadrillas was ended, and through the doorway -several horsemen came trotting back from the circus; these were the -picadors who were not on duty, and who withdrew from the arena, ready to -replace their comrades when required. Tied to rings on the wall were a -row of saddled horses, the first who would have to go into the circus in -place of any killed. Behind these the picadors were employing their wait -by making their horses pirouette and turn, and a stable-boy was -galloping a restless horse to quiet it before giving it over to the -picadors. All the horses were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span> kicking, plagued by flies, and dragging -at their halters as if they scented the danger close at hand.</p> - -<p>Carmen and her brother-in-law were obliged to take refuge beneath the -arcades, and finally the torero's wife accepted the man's invitation to -go into the chapel. It was a safe and quiet spot, and possibly in there -she might do something to help her husband.</p> - -<p>When she found herself in the holy place, close and hot from the crowd -of people who had watched the torero's prayers, she fixed her eyes in -astonishment on the poverty of the altar. Four lights only were burning -before the Virgin of the Dove, which seemed to her a wretched tribute.</p> - -<p>She opened her purse to give a duro to the employé. Could he not bring -some more tapers?... The man scratched his head. Tapers? tapers? In the -purlieus of the Plaza such things were not to be found. But he suddenly -remembered that the sisters of a certain matador always brought some wax -tapers whenever he fought there, and the last supply was not all -consumed, they must be in some corner of the chapel. After a long search -they were found, but there were no candlesticks; however, the employé -was a man of resource, and fetching some empty bottles he stuck the -candles in their necks and placed them among the other lights.</p> - -<p>Carmen knelt down, and the two men took advantage of her absorbed -devotion to rush away to the Plaza, anxious to see the first events of -the corrida.</p> - -<p>She remained alone contemplating with curiosity the dusty painting -reddened by the lights. She did not know this Virgin, but surely she -must be gentle and kind, like the one in Seville, to whom she had prayed -so often. Besides, she was the toreros' Virgin, the one who heard their -last prayer, when coming danger<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span> gave those rough men a pious sincerity. -On that pavement also her husband had often knelt.</p> - -<p>Her lips moved, repeating the prayers with automatic speed, but her -thoughts were far away, attracted by the noise of the crowd which -reached her.</p> - -<p>Ay! the roaring of that intermittent volcano, the surging of those -distant waves, broken at times by a tragic silence.... Carmen fancied -she could unseen watch the corrida. She could guess by the different -intonations of the noises in the Plaza the course of the tragedy which -was being unfolded in the circus. Sometimes it was an explosion of -indignant cries accompanied by whistling, at others thousands and -thousands of voices seemed uttering unintelligible words. Suddenly there -was a scream of terror, long and strident, which seemed to rise even to -heaven, a terrified and gasping exclamation which made her see thousands -of outstretched heads, pale with emotion, following the rapid rush of a -bull on the tracks of a man ... but the cries suddenly ceased and calm -returned. The danger was past.</p> - -<p>Sometimes there were long spells of absolute silence, in which the -humming of the flies could be heard, a silence so profound it seemed as -if the immense circus must be empty, as if the fourteen thousand people -on its benches did not even breathe, and that Carmen herself was the -only living creature within its walls.</p> - -<p>Suddenly this silence was broken by an immense and noisy uproar, so loud -one would have thought that every brick in the building was knocking -against its neighbour, a wild volley of applause which made the whole -place shake. In the courtyard close by the chapel the sound of whacks on -the loins of the horses tied there was heard, then the sound of iron -hoofs on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span> pavement, lastly the sound of voices. "Who is hit?" And -fresh picadors were called into the arena.</p> - -<p>To these distant noises were now joined others nearer and more -terrifying. The sound of steps to the rooms near, doors hurriedly -opened, the panting breathing, and gasping voices of several men, as if -they were staggering under a great weight.</p> - -<p>"It is nothing ... only a bruise. You are not bleeding, before the -corrida is ended you will be on your horse again."</p> - -<p>A hoarse voice, weak with pain, moaned between sighs in an accent which -reminded Carmen of her own country.</p> - -<p>"Oh! Virgin of Solitude! I think something is broken; search well, -doctor.... Ay! my children!"</p> - -<p>Carmen trembled with fright. She raised her eyes, suffused with terror, -to the Virgin. She felt as if she might fall fainting on the floor; she -tried again to pray, not to listen to the noises from outside, -transmitted through the walls with such desperate clearness. But in -spite of her endeavour, the sound of splashing water fell on her ears, -and the sounds of men's voices, probably the doctors, encouraging the -patient.</p> - -<p>"Virgin of Solitude!... My children!... What will become of my poor -angels if their father cannot fight?"...</p> - -<p>Carmen rose. Ay! she could bear it no longer, she should faint if she -remained longer in that dark place terrified by those cries of pain. She -must have air, get out into the sun. She fancied she felt in her own -bones all the pain that unknown man was suffering.</p> - -<p>She went out into the courtyard. There was blood on every side! Blood on -the ground, and blood round some pails in which the water was coloured -red.</p> - -<p>The picadors were coming out of the circus, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span> banderilleros were -having their turn now, the riders came in on their horses stained with -blood, their flesh torn, their entrails hanging down.</p> - -<p>The riders dismounted, talking with animation of the events of the -corrida. Carmen watched Potaje's ponderous humanity get down stiffly and -heavily, swearing at the mono sabio, who did not help his descent with -sufficient alacrity. He seemed benumbed by his heavy iron leggings and -by the pain of various bruises; he raised one hand ruefully to rub his -shoulders, but all the same he smiled, showing all his yellow tusks.</p> - -<p>"Have you all seen how fine Juan has been?" he said to those surrounding -him. "To-day he has been quite splendid."</p> - -<p>As he noticed the only woman in the patio and recognized her, he showed -no sort of surprise.</p> - -<p>"You here, Señora Carmen! That's right!"...</p> - -<p>He spoke quietly, as if his habitual vinous somnolence and his natural -stupidity prevented anything surprising him.</p> - -<p>"Have you seen Juan?" he went on. "He lay down on the ground in front of -the bull, under its very nose. No one can do what that Gacho does.... -You should go and see him, for to-day he is splendid."</p> - -<p>Some one called him from the infirmary door; his companion, the other -picador, wished to speak to him before being taken away to the hospital.</p> - -<p>"Adio, Seña Carmen. I must go and see what the poor fellow wants. A bad -fracture, they say. He will not be able to work again this season."</p> - -<p>Carmen took refuge beneath the arcades; she tried to close her eyes, not -to see the horrible spectacle in the courtyard, while at the same time -she felt fascinated by the crimson pools of blood.</p> - -<p>The monos sabios led in the wounded horses, who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span> were dragging their -entrails along the ground. As she saw them, the head man in charge of -the stables bustled about in a fever of activity.</p> - -<p>"Now, my lads, hurry up!" ... he shouted to the stable lads. "Gently!... -Gently, there!"</p> - -<p>A stable-boy went carefully up to the horse who was rearing with pain, -and took the saddle off; then he tied ropes round his four feet, drew -them together and threw him.</p> - -<p>"Now, my fine fellow!... Gently, gently with him!" he shouted to the -man, never ceasing to move his own hands and feet.</p> - -<p>The stable lads in their shirt sleeves, leant over the animal's -ripped-up belly, from which were gushing streams of blood and water, -endeavouring to put back by handfuls the slippery entrails hanging out -of it.</p> - -<p>Others held the animal's reins, putting a foot on its head to keep it on -the ground. Its muzzle twitched with pain, and its teeth rattled -together with the anguish of its torment, while its agonized squeals -were smothered by the pressure on its head. The bloody hands of the -workers endeavoured to replace the bowels in the empty cavity, but the -gasping breathing of the unfortunate animal constantly blew out again -the entrails the men were pushing in like bundles. At last they were all -pushed back into the stomach, and the lads with the quickness of long -habit sewed the sides of the wound together.</p> - -<p>After the animal was mended with this barbarous promptitude, a pail of -water was thrown over its head, its legs were freed from the ropes, and -a few kicks and blows with a stick made it scramble on to its feet. Some -only walked a few steps, falling down again, with torrents of blood -rushing from the re-opened wound. This meant instantaneous death. Others -stood up apparently<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span> stronger, from their immense resources of animal -vitality, and the lads after mending them up took them off to the -courtyard to be "varnished." There their stomach and legs were cleansed -by several pailsful of water thrown over them, which left their white or -chestnut coats bright and shining, while streams of bloody water ran -down their legs on to the ground.</p> - -<p>They mended the horses just like old shoes, prolonging their agony and -retarding their death, working their weakness up to the last possible -moment. Fragments of their entrails which had been cut off to facilitate -the repairing operation lay about the floor. Other fragments lay in the -circus, covered with sand, till the death of the bull should permit of -the attendants collecting the remains in their baskets. Very often these -rough-and-ready practitioners supplied the horrible absence of the lost -organs by handfuls of tow stuffed into the stomach. The chief thing was -to keep these miserable animals on foot a few moments longer till the -picadors should return to the arena, when the bull would soon take -charge and finish the work.</p> - -<p>Even here the noisy shouts of the invisible crowd reached Carmen. -Sometimes they were exclamations of anxiety; an "Ay! Ay!" from thousands -of voices that told of the flight of a banderillero closely pursued by -the bull. Then there would be absolute silence. The man had again turned -on the brute and the noisy applause broke out once more when he had -skilfully fixed two more darts. Then the trumpets sounded, announcing -that the time for the death stroke had come, and the applause rang out -afresh.</p> - -<p>Carmen wished to go away. Virgin of Hope! What was she doing there? She -was ignorant of the routine that the matadors followed in their work. -Possibly that blast indicated the moment when her husband had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span> to face -the bull. And she was there, only a few steps away, and unable to see -him! If she could only get away and escape from this torment.</p> - -<p>Besides, the blood running over the courtyard sickened her, and the poor -brutes' sufferings. Her womanly sensitiveness rose up against such -tortures, and she put her handkerchief to her face, nauseated by the -smell of the butcheries.</p> - -<p>She had never been to a bull-fight. A great part of her life had been -spent in hearing about corridas, but in the accounts of the fiestas she -had never heard or seen anything beyond the outside, just what all the -world saw or heard of, the exploits in the arena under the brilliant -sun, the flash of silk and gold embroideries, all the sumptuous -procession, knowing nothing of the odious preparations taking place in -the secrecy of the outbuildings. And they lived from this fiesta, with -its repulsive torturing of weak animals! Their fortune had been made -from such spectacles!</p> - -<p>Tremendous applause broke out in the circus. In the courtyard an -imperious voice gave orders. The first bull had just been killed; the -gates at the end of the passage of the Puerta de Caballos giving access -to the circus were thrown open, and the roars of the crowd poured in -louder and louder still, with the echoes of the music.</p> - -<p>The mule teams had trotted into the Plaza, one to bring out the dead -horses, and the other to drag out the carcass of the bull.</p> - -<p>Carmen caught sight of her brother-in-law coming along under the -arcades, still trembling from excitement at what he had seen.</p> - -<p>"Juan ... is colossal! He has never been anything like this afternoon! -Have no fear! He seems to eat up the bulls alive!"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span></p><p>Then he looked at her anxiously, afraid she might make him lose such an -interesting afternoon. What did she decide to do? Did she feel brave -enough to come into the Plaza?</p> - -<p>"Take me away!" she cried in agonized tones. "Get me out of here as -quickly as possible. I feel ill.... You can leave me in the nearest -church."</p> - -<p>The saddler pulled a face. By the life of Roger!... To leave such a -magnificent corrida!... And all the while he was taking Carmen towards -the door he was thinking how soon he could leave her and return to the -circus.</p> - -<p>When the second bull came out, Gallardo was still leaning on the -barrier, receiving the congratulations of his friends. What courage that -fellow had ... when he chose! The whole Plaza had applauded him with the -first bull, forgetting their anger at the previous corridas. When a -picador remained on the ground insensible from his fall, Gallardo had -rushed up with his cape, and by a series of magnificent "veronicas" had -drawn the bull to the centre of the arena, eventually leaving him -wearied out and motionless after his furious rushes at the deceiving red -cloth. The torero, taking advantage of the brute's bewilderment, stood -erect a few paces from his muzzle, presenting his body as though defying -him. He felt the strong heart-throb—the happy precursor of his greatest -deeds. He knew he must reconcile his public by some sudden dash of -audacity, and quietly he knelt down opposite the horns, albeit with a -certain precaution, ready to slip away at the slightest sign of a -charge.</p> - -<p>The bull remained quiet. Then he put forward one hand till he touched -its foam flecked snout—still the animal remained quiet. Then he dared -something which plunged the audience into palpitating silence. Slowly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span> -he lay down on the sand, using the cape on his arm as a pillow, and so -he remained for some seconds, below the very nostrils of the brute, who -sniffed at this body placing itself so daringly beneath his horns, -evidently suspecting some hidden danger.</p> - -<p>When the bull, recovering his aggressive fierceness, lowered his horns, -the torero rolled towards his hoofs, putting himself in this way out of -his reach, and the animal passed over him, seeking in his blind ferocity -for the object to attack.</p> - -<p>Gallardo rose, dusting the sand from his clothes, and the audience, -always loving daring deeds, applauded him with all the enthusiasm of -former days. They quite understood that the torero's display of courage -was an attempt at reconciliation with themselves, an effort to regain -their affection. He had come to the corrida ready for any feat of daring -which would earn their plaudits.</p> - -<p>"He is often over careful," they said on the benches—"often he is weak, -but he has toreros' pride, and he is regaining his name."</p> - -<p>Their delighted excitement at Gallardo's exploit and the death of the -first bull turned to bad humour and expostulations as they saw the -second bull enter the arena. He was of enormous size and fine -appearance, but he began to trot all round the arena, looking with -astonishment at the howling masses of people crowded on the seats, -frightened by the cries and whistling with which they endeavoured to -excite him, and running away from his own shadow, imagining all sorts of -snares. The peons ran towards him spreading their capes. He attacked the -red cloth for an instant, then suddenly giving a snort of surprise he -turned tail and ran away in the opposite direction with leaps and -bounds. His agility for flight made the people furious.</p> - -<p>"He is not a bull! ... he is a monkey!"</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span></p><p>The maestros' capes finally attracted him towards the barrier, where -the picadors waited for him motionless on their horses, their garrochas -under their arms. He came up to a rider with lowered head and fierce -snorts, as though intending to attack, but before the iron could be -driven into his neck he gave a bound and fled, passing between the -peons' outstretched capes. In his flight he ran against another picador, -repeating the bound, the snort, and the flight. Then he ran against a -third picador, who caught him fairly on the neck with his garrocha, -increasing in this way both his fear and his velocity.</p> - -<p>The audience had risen to their feet <i>en masse</i> gesticulating and -shouting. A craven bull! What an abomination!... They all turned towards -the presidential box, shouting their protests: "Señor Presidente! This -cannot be allowed."</p> - -<p>From several of the rows came a chorus of voices repeating the same word -with monotonous iteration.</p> - -<p>"Fire ... fire!"</p> - -<p>The President seemed doubtful. The bull was rushing all about the ring, -followed by the toreros, with their capes on their arms. When some of -them succeeded in getting in front of him and stopping him, he would -sniff the cloths with his usual snort and run off in another direction, -kicking and bounding.</p> - -<p>These flights increased the noisy expostulations: "Señor Presidente," -was his Worship blind? Then bottles, oranges, and seat cushions began to -shower into the arena round the fugitive beast. The masses loathed him -for a coward. Some of them stretched over into the arena, as if they -intended tearing the animal to pieces with their own hands. What a -scandal! To see in the Madrid Plaza oxen only fit for meat! Fire! fire!</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span></p><p>At last the President waved a red handkerchief, and a salvo of applause -greeted the gesture.</p> - -<p>The fire banderillas were a quite extraordinary spectacle, something -entirely unexpected, which greatly increased the interest of the -corrida. Many who had shouted themselves hoarse were privately delighted -at the incident. They would see the bull burning alive, rushing about -mad with terror at the lightnings fastened into his neck.</p> - -<p>El Nacional came forward carrying two large banderillas seemingly -wrapped in black paper, hanging points downward. He went towards the -bull without any great precautions, as though his cowardice did not -deserve any high art, and stuck in the infernal darts amid the -vindictive acclamations of the populace.</p> - -<p>Immediately there was an explosion, and two puffs of smoke ran along the -animal's neck. In the sunlight the fire could not be seen, but the hair -disappeared, singed, and a black mark began to spread over the neck.</p> - -<p>The bull, surprised at the attack, accelerated his flight, as if this -could free him from the torture, till suddenly short sharp detonations -like gun shots were heard proceeding from his neck, and showers of ash -paper flew about his eyes. The beast bounded with the agility of terror, -all four feet off the ground at once, twisting his head in the vain -endeavour to tear out with his teeth these demoniacal darts fixed in his -flesh. The mob laughed and applauded, thinking these bounds and -contortions extremely amusing. The animal, in spite of his size and -weight, seemed to be performing a dance like some trained animal.</p> - -<p>"How they sting him!" exclaimed the populace with ferocious laughter. -When the banderillas had ceased to explode the melted fat on the neck -formed little bubbles, and the bull no longer feeling the sting of the -fire<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span> stopped short, his head hanging, his eyes bloodshot, his muzzle -covered with foam, and his red dry tongue licking the sand in search of -moisture.</p> - -<p>Another banderillero came up and stuck in a second pair of darts. Once -more the puffs of smoke ran along the scorched flesh, and the -detonations recommenced. Wherever he rushed, twisting his massive body -in his struggles to get the darts out of his neck, the infernal -detonations went with him; but now his movements were less violent, it -seemed as though his vigorous animalism was being subdued by the -torture.</p> - -<p>A third pair of darts were fixed in, and from the burning flesh a -nauseous odour of melted fat, burnt hide, and singed hair spread -throughout the arena.</p> - -<p>The public still applauded with vindictive frenzy, as if the poor animal -were an opponent of their religious beliefs, and they were performing a -holy work by this burning. They laughed as they saw him unsteady on his -legs, bellowing with sharp screams of pain, seeking in vain for -something to cool his tongue.</p> - -<p>Gallardo awaited, leaning on the barrier near the presidential box, the -signal to kill, while Garabato held the rapier and muleta ready prepared -resting on the top of the barrier.</p> - -<p>Curse him! The corrida had begun so well, and now evil fate had reserved -this bull for him, a bull, moreover, of his own choosing on account of -his fine appearance, and who, now he was in the arena, turned out a cur!</p> - -<p>He excused himself beforehand to the connoisseurs who were leaning over -the barrier, for his probably indifferent work.</p> - -<p>"I will do what I can, but it probably won't be much," said he, -shrugging his shoulders.</p> - -<p>Then he glanced round the boxes, fixing his eyes on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</a></span> the one occupied by -Doña Sol. She had applauded him before when he executed his stupendous -exploit of lying down before the bull. Her gloved hands had clapped -enthusiastically when he had turned towards the barrier saluting the -audience. Now, when she realised that the torero was looking at her, she -saluted him with a kindly gesture, and even her companion, that odious -fellow, made a stiff bow, as if he were breaking in two at the waist. He -had surprised her several times with her opera-glasses fixed -persistently on him, or searching for him when he retired behind the -barriers. Ah! that gachi!... Possibly she felt once more attracted by -his courage. Gallardo thought he would go and see her the following day, -possibly the wind might have changed.</p> - -<p>The trumpets gave the signal to kill, and the espada, after making a -short "brindis," walked towards the bull.</p> - -<p>All the enthusiasts shouted their advice.</p> - -<p>"Kill him quickly! He is an ox who deserves nothing!"</p> - -<p>The torero spread his muleta before the brute, who attacked, but slowly, -as if warned by his previous torture, but with the evident intention of -crushing and wounding, the suffering having awakened his fierceness. -That man was the first who had stood before him since his torment began.</p> - -<p>The crowd felt their vindictive anger towards the bull vanishing. After -all he was not turning out so badly. He was attacking well. Olé! And -they all welcomed the torero's passes with delight, confounding the -torero and the bull in the same noisy approval.</p> - -<p>The bull remained motionless, his head lowered, his tongue hanging out. -There fell on the crowd that silence always preceding the mortal -estocade, a silence even greater than absolute solitude, as it came from -thousands of hard-held breathings. The silence was so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</a></span> profound that the -slightest noise reached to the topmost benches. All heard the rattle of -the pieces of wood knocking against each other. It was Gallardo, who -with the point of his rapier was setting aside the burnt banderillas -which had fallen down between the horns. After this arrangement, which -would facilitate the mortal stroke, the crowd stretched their necks even -further forward, feeling the mysterious intercourse re-established -between their will and that of the matador. Now! they all said to -themselves, he would overthrow the bull with one masterly stroke. They -all felt the espada's determination.</p> - -<p>Gallardo threw himself on the bull, and all the populace breathed loudly -after their breathless expectation. But from the encounter the animal -emerged, rushing with furious bellowing, while the benches broke out -into whistling and protests. The same thing had happened once again. -Gallardo had turned away his face and shortened his arm at the moment of -killing. The animal carried off the rapier in his neck, loose and -bending, and after a few steps the steel blade flew out of the flesh, -rolling on the sand.</p> - -<p>Some of the people blamed Gallardo, and the spell which had united them -to the espada at the beginning of the fiesta was broken. Their distrust -of the torero reappeared and their irritating censures. All seemed to -have forgotten their late enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>Gallardo picked up his rapier, with bent head, and without the heart to -protest against the discontent of a crowd so tolerant to others, so -harsh and unjust towards himself, and turned again towards the bull.</p> - -<p>In his confusion he thought some other torero placed himself by his -side. It was El Nacional.</p> - -<p>"Steady, Juan! Don't get flurried."</p> - -<p>Curse it!... Was this same thing always going<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span> to happen to him? Could -he not put his arm between the horns as formerly and drive the rapier in -up to the hilt? Was he going to spend the rest of his life as a -laughing-stock for the public? An ox whom they had been obliged to -fire!...</p> - -<p>He placed himself opposite the animal, who seemed waiting for him, -steady on its legs. He thought it useless to make any more passes with -the muleta. So he placed himself "in profile" with the red cloth hanging -on the ground, and the rapier horizontal at the height of his eye. Now -to thrust in his arm!</p> - -<p>With a sudden impulse the audience rose to their feet, for a few seconds -the man and the bull formed one single mass, and so moved on some steps. -The connoisseurs were already waving their hands anxious to applaud. He -had thrown himself in to kill as in his best day. That was a "true" -estocade!</p> - -<p>But suddenly the man was thrown out from between the horns by a crushing -blow, and rolled on the sand. The bull lowered his head, picking up the -inert body, lifting it for an instant on his horns to let it fall again, -then rushing on his mad career with the rapier plunged up to the hilt in -his neck.</p> - -<p>Gallardo rose slowly, the whole Plaza burst out into uproarious, -deafening applause, anxious to repair their injustice. Olé for the man! -Well done the lad from Seville! He had been splendid!</p> - -<p>But the torero did not acknowledge these outbursts of enthusiasm. He -raised his hand to his stomach, crouching in a painful curve, and with -his head bent began to walk forward with uncertain step. Twice he raised -his head as if he were looking for the door of exit and fearing not to -be able to find it, finally staggering like a drunken man, and falling -flat on the sand.</p> - -<p>Four of the Plaza servants raised him slowly on their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span> shoulders, El -Nacional joining the group, to support the espada's pale livid head, -with its glassy eyes just showing through the long lashes.</p> - -<p>The audience started with surprise, and their plaudits ceased suddenly. -They looked around at each other unable to make up their minds as to the -gravity of the accident.... Soon optimistic news circulated, but no one -knew from whence it came.... It was nothing, only a tremendous blow in -the stomach which had deprived him of consciousness, but no one had seen -any blood.</p> - -<p>The populace, suddenly tranquilized, sat down, turning their attention -from the wounded torero to the bull, who, though in the agonies of -death, still remained firm on his feet.</p> - -<p>El Nacional helped to place his master on a bed in the infirmary. He -fell on it like a sack, inanimate, his arms hanging over either side of -the bed.</p> - -<p>Sebastian, who had so often seen the espada bleeding and wounded, -without ever losing his calm, now felt the agony of fear, seeing him -lifeless, with his face of a greenish whiteness as if he were already -dead.</p> - -<p>"By the life of the blue dove!" he groaned. "Are there no doctors? Is -there no help anywhere?"</p> - -<p>The infirmary doctors, after attending to the injured picador, had run -back to their box in the Plaza.</p> - -<p>The banderillero was in despair, seconds seemed hours, as he shouted to -Garabato and Potaje to come and help him, not knowing quite what he said -to them.</p> - -<p>The doctors arrived, and, after closing the door to remain undisturbed, -they stood undecidedly before the espada's inanimate body. They must -undress him, and Garabato began to unpin, unsew and tear the torero's -clothes.</p> - -<p>El Nacional hardly saw the body. The doctors were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span> surrounding the -wounded man, consulting each other by their looks. It must be a collapse -which had apparently deprived him of life. There was no blood to be -seen, and the rents in his clothes were no doubt the result of his toss -by the bull.</p> - -<p>Doctor Ruiz entered hurriedly, the other doctors making way for him, -acknowledging his superiority. He swore in his nervous hurry as he -helped Garabato to undo the torero's clothes.</p> - -<p>There was a start of wonder, of painful surprise round the bed. The -banderillero did not dare to enquire, he looked between the doctors' -heads at Gallardo's body. His shirt was drawn up, and he saw that the -stomach, which was uncovered, was torn by a jagged wound with bloody -lips, from between which the bluish viscera were protruding.</p> - -<p>Doctor Ruiz shook his head sadly. Besides the terrible and incurable -wound, the torero had received a tremendous shock from the bull's head. -He was no longer breathing.</p> - -<p>"Doctor! doctor!" moaned the banderillero, imploring to know the truth.</p> - -<p>And Doctor Ruiz, after a long silence, turned his head.</p> - -<p>"It is finished, Sebastian.... You must seek another matador."</p> - -<p>El Nacional raised his eyes to heaven. Was it possible that such a man -should die in this way, unable to clasp a friend's hand, unable to say a -word, suddenly, like a wretched rabbit whose neck you wring!</p> - -<p>Despair drove him from the infirmary. Ay! he could not stay and look at -<i>that</i>! He was not like Potaje, who stood motionless and frowning at the -foot of the bed, twisting his beaver in his hand, looking at the body as -if he saw it not.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span></p><p>In the courtyard he had to stand aside to let some picadors pass who -were returning to the circus.</p> - -<p>The terrible news had begun to run through the Plaza. Gallardo was -dead!... Some doubted the truth of the news, others affirmed it, but no -one moved from their seats. They were going to loose the third bull. The -corrida was only in its first half, and they really could not give it -up.</p> - -<p>Through the great doorway came the noise of the crowd and the sound of -music.</p> - -<p>The banderillero felt a fierce hatred arise in his heart for everything -surrounding him; a disgust and aversion to his profession and to those -who maintained it.</p> - -<p>He thought of the bull who was now being dragged out of the arena, with -his neck burnt and bloody, his legs stiff and his glassy eyes gazing up -at the sky.</p> - -<p>Then he thought of the friend lying dead a few paces from him, only the -other side of a brick wall. His limbs also rigid, his stomach ripped -open, and a mysterious dull light shining through his half open eyelids.</p> - -<p>Poor bull! Poor espada!... And suddenly, as noisy cries of delight burst -out in the circus applauding the continuation of the spectacle, El -Nacional closed his eyes and clenched his fists.</p> - -<p>It was the roaring of the wild beast, the true and only one.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="GLOSSARY" id="GLOSSARY"></a>GLOSSARY</h2> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>As certain Bull-fighting terms have no possible English equivalents, a -short explanatory glossary is appended, but the Spanish terms will be -used throughout the book.</p> - -<blockquote><p><i>Alguacil.</i>—Policeman. In this case a kind of steward of the ring -and master of the ceremonies.</p> - -<p><i>La Alternativa.</i>—Ceremony in the bull-ring by which a rising -torero is recognised by his superiors as a finished matador, and -henceforward he ranks with them as a master of his profession.</p> - -<p><i>Aficion.</i>—The sport, bull-fighting more especially. Ford and Sir -Richard Burton translate this as "the fancy," the "fraternity."</p> - -<p><i>Aficionados.</i>—Devotees of the sport—amateurs—patrons.</p> - -<p><i>Banderilla.</i>—Darts stuck into the bull's neck.</p> - -<p><i>Banderillero.</i>—Man who fixes the darts into the bull.</p> - -<p><i>Cuadrilla.</i>—The matador's troupe, composed of two banderilleros, -two picadors on horseback, three peons on foot, and one dagger man. -The discipline is most severe, implicit obedience being exacted.</p> - -<p><i>Capea.</i>—A bull run consisting merely of dexterous cape play, in -which no horses are employed, and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</a></span> bull is not killed except at -the owner's wish. The capeas on the Saints' day festivals in -different villages are the practising grounds of young toreros.</p> - -<p><i>Corrida.</i>—Any sort of bull-fight, whether officially recognised, -as in the large bull-rings, or merely the baiting of young bulls -and calves at capeas.</p> - -<p><i>Cogida.</i>—Any sort of injury received during a -bull-fight—literally "a catching."</p> - -<p><i>Diestro, Torero, Espada, Matador.</i>—Synonymous terms for the -matador who kills the bulls with his rapier.</p> - -<p><i>Fiesta.</i>—Any popular holiday, whether of the Church or otherwise.</p> - -<p><i>Olé.</i>—Hurrah! Well done!</p> - -<p><i>Novillo.</i>—Young bull up to four years old.</p> - -<p><i>Novillada.</i>—Baiting of young bulls, as at the capeas.</p> - -<p><i>Novillero.</i>—The young toreros who bait the young bulls.</p> - -<p><i>Picador.</i>—A man on horseback who attacks the bull with a lance.</p></blockquote> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class = "mynote"><p class="center">Transcriber's Note:<br /><br /> -Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.<br /><br /><br /> -A Table of Contents has been added.<br /></p></div> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLOOD AND SAND***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 54222-h.htm or 54222-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/4/2/2/54222">http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/2/2/54222</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition.</p> - -<p>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org</p> - -<p>This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</p> - -</body> -</html> - diff --git a/old/54222-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/54222-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b24f06a..0000000 --- a/old/54222-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/54222.txt b/old/54222.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 49cf994..0000000 --- a/old/54222.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12594 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Blood and Sand, by Vincente Blasco Ibáñez - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Blood and Sand - - -Author: Vincente Blasco Ibáñez - - - -Release Date: February 22, 2017 [eBook #54222] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLOOD AND SAND*** - - -E-text prepared by David Garcia, Larry B. Harrison, Martin Pettit, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page -images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/bloodsandnovel00blas - - - - - -BLOOD AND SAND - -A Novel - -by - -VICENTE BLASCO IBANEZ - -Translated from the Spanish by Mrs. W. A. Gillespie - - - - - - -Grosset & Dunlap -Publishers New York -By arrangement with E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. - -Copyright, 1919, 1922, -By E. P. Dutton & Company - -All Rights Reserved - -Printed in the United States of America - - - - -BLASCO IBANEZ AND "SANGRE Y ARENA" - - -One of the secrets of the immense power exercised by the novels of -Vicente Blasco Ibanez is that they are literary projections of his -dynamic personality. Not only the style, but the book, is here the man. -This is especially true of those of his works in which the thesis -element predominates, and in which the famous author of _The Four -Horsemen of the Apocalypse_ appears as a novelist of ideas-in-action. It -is, of course, possible to divide his works into the "manners" or -"periods" so dear to the literary cataloguers, and it may thus be -indicated that there are such fairly distinct genres as the regional -novel, the sociological tale and the psychological study; a convenient -classification of this sort would place among the regional novels such -masterpieces as _La Barraca_ and _Canas y Barro_,--among the novels of -purpose such powerful writings as _La Catedral_, _La Bodega_ and _Sangre -y Arena_,--among the psychological studies the introspective _La Maja -Desnuda_. The war novels, including _The Four Horsemen_ and the epic -_Mare Nostrum_, would seem to form another group. Such non-literary -diversions as grouping and regrouping, however, had perhaps best be left -to those who relish the task. It is for the present more important to -note that the passionate flame of a deeply human purpose welds the man's -literary labors into a larger unity. His pen, as his person, has been -given over to humanity. He is as fearless in his denunciation of evil as -he is powerful in his description of it; he has lived his ideas as well -as fashioned them into enduring documents; he reveals not only a new -Spain, but a new world. - -While Blasco Ibanez does not desire to be known as regional -novelist--nor does a complete view of his numerous works justify such a -narrow description--he has nevertheless in his earlier books made such -effective and artistic use of regional backgrounds that some critics -have found this part of his production best. Speaking from the -standpoint of durable literary art, I am inclined to such a view. Yet is -there less humanitarian impulse in _The Four Horsemen_ than in these -earlier masterpieces? Whether Blasco Ibanez's background is a corner in -Valencia, a spot on the island of Majorca, a battlefield in France, or -Our Sea the Mediterranean,--the cradle of civilization,--his real stage -is the human heart and his real actor, man. - -Upon his election to the Cortes,--Spain's national parliamentary -assembly,--Blasco Ibanez naturally turned, in his novels, to a -consideration of political and social themes. Beginning with _La -Catedral_ (The Shadow of the Cathedral), one of the most powerful modern -documents of its kind, he took up in successive novels the treatment of -such vital subjects as the relation of Church to State, the degrading -and backward influence of drunkenness, the problem of the Jesuits, the -brutality and psychology of the bull-fight. In all of these works the -writer is characterized by fearlessness, passion and even vehemence; yet -his ardor is not so strong as to lead him into conscious unfairness. A -fiery advocate of the lowly, he yet can cast their shortcomings into -their teeth; they, in their ignorance, are accomplices in their own -degradation, partners in the crimes that oppress them. They slay the -leaders whom they misunderstand; they are slow to organize for the -purpose of bursting their shackles. This appears in _La Barraca_ (one of -the so-called regional novels) no less than in _La Catedral_, _La -Bodega_ and other books of the more purely sociological series. In -varying degree, applied to a nation rather than to a class, this -fearless attitude is evident in _Los Cuatros Jinetes del Apocalipsis_ -and _Mare Nostrum_, in which is assailed the neutrality of Spain during -the late and unlamented conflict. This unflinching determination to see -the truth and state it is also discernible in a most personal manner; -the sad inability of such noble spirits as Gabriel Luna (_La Catedral_) -or Fernando Salvatierra (_La Bodega_) to solace themselves with a belief -in future life is perhaps an exteriorization of the author's own views, -even as these revolutionary spirits are, in part, embodiments of -himself. - -In the bulk of the noted Spaniard's books there is waged, on both a -large scale and a small, the ceaseless, implacable struggle of the new -against the old. This eternal battle early formed an appreciable part of -even the writer's short fiction. His old seamen look with scorn upon the -steam-vessels that replace their beloved barks; his vintners regret the -passing of the good old days when sherry sold high and had not yet been -ousted from the market by cheap, new-fangled concoctions; his toilers -begin to rebel against ecclesiastical authority; some of his heroes are -even capable of falling in love with Jewesses or with women below their -station (_Luna Benamor_, _Los Muertos Mandan_); everywhere is the -fermentation of transition. His protagonists,--red-blooded, vigorous, -determined,--usually fail at the end, but if there are victories that -spell failure, so are there failures that spell victory. It is the clash -of these ancient and modern forces that strikes the spark which ignites -the author's passion. He is with the new and of it, yet rises above -blind partisanship. His dominant figures, chiefly men, are -representative of the Spain of to-morrow; not that manana which has so -long (and often unjustly) been a standing reproach to Iberian -procrastination, but a to-morrow of rebirth, of rededication to lofty -ideals and glowing realities. - -In _Sangre y Arena_ (_Blood and Sand_, written in 1908) Blasco Ibanez -attacks the Spanish national sport. With characteristic thoroughness, -approaching his subject from the psychological, the historical, the -national, the humane, the dramatic and narrative standpoint, he evolves -another of his notable documents, worthy of a place among the great -tracts of literary history. - -His process, like his plot, is simple; whether attacking the Church or -the evils of drink, or the bloodlust of the bull ring, his methods are -usually the same. He provides a protagonist who shall serve as the -vehicle or symbol of his ideas, surrounding him with minor personages -intended to serve as a foil or as a prop. He fills in the background -with all the wealth of descriptive and coloring powers at his -command--and these powers are as highly developed in Ibanez, I believe, -as in any living writer. The beauty of Blasco Ibanez's descriptions--a -beauty by no means confined to the pictures he summons to the mind--is -that, at their best, they rise to interpretation. He not only brings -before the eye a vivid image, but communicates to the spirit an -intellectual reaction. Here he is the master who penetrates beyond the -exterior into the inner significance; the reader is carried into the -swirl of the action itself, for the magic of the author's pen imparts a -sense of palpitant actuality; you are yourself a soldier at the Marne, -you fairly drown with Ulises in his beloved Mediterranean, you defend -the besieged city of Saguntum, you pant with the swordsman in the bloody -arena. This gift of imparting actuality to his scenes is but another -evidence of the Spaniard's dynamic personality; he lives his actions so -thoroughly that we live them with him; his gift of second sight gives us -to see beyond amphitheatres of blood and sand into national character, -beyond a village struggle into the vexed problem of land, labor and -property. Against this type of background develops the characteristic -Ibanez plot, by no means lacking intimate interest, yet beginning -somewhat slowly and gathering the irresistible momentum of a powerful -body. - -Juan Gallardo, the hero of _Blood and Sand_, has from earliest childhood -exhibited a natural aptitude for the bull ring. He is aided in his -career by interested parties, and soon jumps to the forefront of his -idolized profession, without having to thread his way arduously up the -steep ascent of the bull fighters' hierarchy. Fame and fortune come to -him, and he is able to gratify the desires of his early days, as if the -mirage of hunger and desire had suddenly been converted into dazzling -reality. He lavishes largess upon his mother and his childless wife, -and there comes, too, a love out of wedlock. - -But neither his powers nor his fame can last forever. The life of even -Juan Gallardo is taken into his hands every time he steps into the ring -to face the wild bulls; at first comes a minor accident, then a loss of -prestige, and at last the fatal day upon which he is carried out of the -arena, dead. He dies a victim of his own glory, a sacrifice upon the -altar of national blood-lust. That Dona Sol who lures him from his wife -and home is, in her capricious, fascinating, baffling way, almost a -symbol of the fickle bull-fight audience, now hymning the praises of a -favorite, now sneering him off the scene of his former triumphs. - -The tale is more than a colorful, absorbing story of love and struggle. -It is a stinging indictment brought against the author's countrymen, -thrown in their faces with dauntless acrimony. He shows us the glory of -the arena,--the movement, the color, the mastery of the skilled -performers,--and he reveals, too, the sickening other side. In -successive pictures he mirrors the thousands that flock to the bull -fights, reaching a tremendous climax in the closing words of the tale. -The popular hero has just been gored to death, but the crowd, knowing -that the spectacle is less than half over, sets up yells for the -continuance of the performance. In the bellowing of the mob Blasco -Ibanez divines the howl of the real and only animals. Not the -sacrificial bulls, but the howling, bloodthirsty assembly is the genuine -beast! - -The volume is rich in significant detail, both as regards the master's -peculiar powers and his views as expressed in other words. Once again we -meet the author's determination to be just to all concerned. Through Dr. -Ruiz, for example, a medical enthusiast over tauromachy, we receive what -amounts to a lecture upon the evolution of the brutal sport. He looks -upon bull-fighting as the historical substitute for the Inquisition, -which was in itself a great national festival. He is ready to admit, -too, that the bull fight is a barbarous institution, but calls to your -attention that it is by no means the only one in the world. In the -turning of the people to violent, savage forms of amusement he beholds a -universal ailment. And when Dr. Ruiz expresses his disgust at seeing -foreigners turn eyes of contempt upon Spain because of the bull-fight, -he no doubt speaks for Blasco Ibanez. The enthusiastic physician points -out that horse-racing is more cruel than bull-fighting, and kills many -more men; that the spectacle of fox-hunting with trained dogs is hardly -a sight for civilized onlookers; that there is more than one modern game -out of which the participants emerge with broken legs, fractured skulls, -flattened noses and what not; and how about the duel, often fought with -only an unhealthy desire for publicity as the genuine cause? - -Thus, through the Doctor, the Spaniard states the other side of the -case, saying, in effect, to the foreign reader, "Yes, I am upbraiding my -countrymen for the national vice that they are pleased to call a sport. -That is my right as a Spaniard who loves his country and as a human -being who loves his race. But do not forget that you have institutions -little less barbarous, and before you grow too excited in your desire to -remove the mote from our eye, see to it that you remove your own, for it -is there." - -Juan Gallardo is not one of the impossible heroes that crowd the pages -of fiction; to me he is a more successful portrait than, for example, -Gabriel Luna of _The Shadow of the Cathedral_. There is a certain -rigidity in Luna's make-up, due perhaps to his unbending certainty in -matters of belief,--or to be exact, matters of unbelief. This is felt -even in his moments of love, although that may be accounted for by the -vicissitudes of his wandering existence and the illness with which it -has left him. Gallardo is somehow more human; he is not a matinee hero; -he knows what it is to quake with fear before he enters the ring; he -comes to a realization of what his position has cost him; he impresses -us not only as a powerful type, but as a flesh and blood creature. And -his end, like that of so many of the author's protagonists, comes about -much in the nature of a retribution. He dies at the hands of the thing -he loves, on the stage of his triumphs. And while I am on the subject of -the hero's death, let me suggest that Blasco Ibanez's numerous death -scenes often attain a rare height of artistry and poetry,--for, strange -as it may seem to some, there is a poet hidden in the noted Spaniard, a -poet of vast conception, of deep communion with the interplay of Nature -and her creatures, of vision that becomes symbolic. Recall the death of -the Centaur Madariaga in _The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse_, dashing -upon his beloved steed, like a Mazeppa of the South American plains, -straight into eternity; read the remarkable passages portraying the -deaths of Triton and Ulises in _Mare Nostrum_; consider the deeply -underlying connotation of Gabriel Luna's fate. These are not mere -dyings; they are apotheoses. - -Dona Sol belongs to the author's siren types; she is an early sister of -Freya, the German spy who leads to the undoing of Ulises in _Mare -Nostrum_. She is one of the many proofs that Blasco Ibanez, in his -portrayals of the worldly woman, seizes upon typical rather than -individual traits; she puzzles the reader quite as much as she confuses -her passionate lover. And she is no more loyal to him than is the -worshipping crowd that at last, in her presence, dethrones its former -idol. - -Among the secondary characters, as interesting as any, is the friend of -Juan who is nicknamed Nacional, because of his radical political -notions. Nacional does not drink wine; to him wine was responsible for -the failure of the laboring-class, a point of view which the author had -already enunciated three years earlier in _La Bodega_; similar to the -role played by drink is that of illiteracy, and here, too, Nacional -feels the terrible burdens imposed upon the common people by lack of -education. Indicative of the author's sympathies is also his strange -bandit Plumitas, a sort of Robin Hood who robs from the rich and succors -the poor. The humorous figure of the bull-fighter's brother-in-law -suggests the horde of sycophants that always manage to attach themselves -to a noted--and generous--public personage. - -The dominant impression that the book leaves upon me is one of -power,--crushing, implacable power. The author's paragraphs and chapters -often seem hewn out of rock and solidly massed one upon the other in the -rearing of an impregnable structure. And just as these chapters are -massed into a temple of passionate protest, so the entire works of -Blasco Ibanez attain an architectural unity in which not the least of -the elements are a flaming nobility of purpose and a powerful directness -of aim. - -Once upon a time, and it was not so very long ago, it was the fashion in -certain quarters to regard Blasco Ibanez as impossible and utopian. The -trend of world events has greatly modified the meanings of some of our -words and has given us a deeper insight into hitherto neglected aspects -of foreign and domestic life. Things have been happening lately in Spain -(as well as elsewhere, indeed!) that reveal our author in somewhat the -light of a prophet. Or is it merely that he is closer to the heart of -his nation and describes what he sees rather than draws a veil of words -before unpleasant situations? Ultimately these situations must be met. -The Spain of to-morrow will be found to have moved more in the direction -of Blasco Ibanez than in that of his detractors. - -The renowned novelist is but fifty-two, energetic, prolific, voluminous; -besides more than a score of novels thus far to his credit he has -written several books of travel, a history of the world war, has -travelled in both hemispheres and made countless volumes of -translations. He has now a larger audience than has been vouchsafed any -of his fellow novelists, and his future works will be watched for by -readers the world over. That is a rare privilege and imposes a rare -obligation. Blasco Ibanez has it in him to meet both. - -ISAAC GOLDBERG. - -Roxbury, Mass. - - - - -BLOOD AND SAND - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -Juan Gallardo breakfasted early as was his custom on the days of a -bull-fight. A little roast meat was his only dish. Wine he did not -touch, and the bottle remained unopened before him. He had to keep -himself steady. He drank two cups of strong black coffee and then, -lighting an enormous cigar, sat with his elbows resting on the table and -his chin on his hands, watching with drowsy eyes the customers who, -little by little, began to fill the dining-room. - -For many years past, ever since he had been given "la alternativa"[1] in -the Bull-ring of Madrid, he had always lodged at that same hotel in the -Calle de Alcala, where the proprietors treated him as one of the family, -and waiters, porters, kitchen scullions, and old chambermaids all adored -him as the glory of the establishment. - -There also had he stayed many days, swathed in bandages, in a dense -atmosphere of iodoform and cigar smoke, as the result of two bad -gorings--but these evil memories had not made much impression. With his -Southern superstition and continual exposure to danger he had come to -believe that this hotel was a "Buena Sombra,"[2] and that whilst staying -there no harm would happen to him. The risks of his profession he had -to take, a tear in his clothes perhaps, or even a gash in his flesh, -but nothing to make him fall for ever, as so many of his comrades had -fallen. The recollection of these tragedies disturbed his happiest -hours. - -On these days, after his early breakfast, he enjoyed sitting in the -dining-room watching the movements of the travellers, foreigners or -people from distant provinces, who passed him by with uninterested faces -and without a glance, but who turned with curiosity on hearing from the -servants that the handsome young fellow with clean-shaven face and black -eyes, dressed like a gentleman, was Juan Gallardo, the famous -matador,[3] called familiarly by everybody "El Gallardo." - -In this atmosphere of curiosity he whiled away the wearisome wait until -it was time to go to the Plaza. How long the time seemed! Those hours of -uncertainty, in which vague fears rose from the depths of his soul, -making him doubtful of himself, were the most painful in his profession. -He did not care to go out into the street--he thought of the fatigues of -the Corrida and the necessity of keeping himself fresh and agile. Nor -could he amuse himself with the pleasures of the table, on account of -the necessity of eating little and early, so as to arrive in the Plaza -free from the heaviness of digestion. - -He remained at the head of the table, his face resting on his hands, and -a cloud of perfumed smoke before his eyes which he turned from time to -time with a self-satisfied air in the direction of some ladies who were -watching the famous torero[3] with marked interest. - -His vanity as an idol of the populace made him read praises and -flatteries in those glances. They evidently thought him spruce and -elegant, and he, forgetting his anxieties, with the instinct of a man -accustomed to adopt a proud bearing before the public, drew himself up, -dusted the ashes of his cigar from his coat sleeves with a flick, and -adjusted the ring which, set with an enormous brilliant, covered the -whole joint of one finger, and from which flashed a perfect rainbow of -colours as if its depths, clear as a drop of water, were burning with -magic fires. - -His eyes travelled complaisantly over his own person, admiring his -well-cut suit, the cap which he usually wore about the hotel now thrown -on a chair close by, the fine gold chain which crossed the upper part of -his waistcoat from pocket to pocket, the pearl in his cravat, which -seemed to light up the swarthy colour of his face with its milky light, -and his Russia leather shoes, which showed between the instep and the -turned-up trouser openwork embroidered silk socks, like the stockings of -a cocotte. - -An atmosphere of English scents, sweet and vague, but used in profusion, -emanated from his clothes, and from the black, glossy waves of hair -which he wore curled on his temples, and he assumed a swaggering air -before this feminine curiosity. For a torero he was not bad. He felt -satisfied with his appearance. Where would you find a man more -distinguished or more attractive to women? - -But suddenly his preoccupation reappeared, the fire of his eyes was -quenched, his chin again sank on his hand, and he puffed hard at his -cigar. - -His gaze lost itself in a cloud of smoke. He thought with impatience of -the twilight hours, longing for them to come as soon as possible,--of -his return from the bull-fight, hot and tired, but with the relief of -danger overcome, his appetites awakened, a wild desire for pleasure, and -the certainty of a few days of safety and rest. If God still protected -him as He had done so many times before, he would dine with the -appetite of his former days of want, he would drink his fill too, and -would then go in search of a girl who was singing in a music-hall, whom -he had seen during one of his journeys, without, however, having been -able to follow up the acquaintance. In this life of perpetual movement, -rushing from one end of the Peninsula to the other, he never had time -for anything. - -Several enthusiastic friends who, before going to breakfast in their own -houses, wished to see the "diestro,"[4] had by this time entered the -dining-room. They were old amateurs of the bull-ring, anxious to form a -small coterie and to have an idol. They had made the young Gallardo -"their own matador," giving him sage advice, and recalling at every turn -their old adoration for "Lagartijo" or "Frascuelo."[5] They spoke to the -"espada" as "tu," with patronising familiarity and he, when he answered -them, placed the respectful "don" before their names, with that -traditional separation of classes which exists between even a torero -risen from a social substratum and his admirers. - -These people joined to their enthusiasm their memories of past times, in -order to impress the young diestro with the superiority of their years -and experience. They spoke of the "old Plaza" of Madrid, where only -"true" toreros and "true" bulls were known, and drawing nearer to the -present times, they trembled with excitement as they remembered the -"Negro."[6] That "Negro" was Frascuelo. - -If you could only have seen him!... But probably you and those of your -day were still at the breast or were not yet born. - -Other enthusiasts kept coming into the dining-room, men of wretched -appearance and hungry faces, obscure reporters of papers only known to -the bull-fighters, whom they honoured with their praise or censure: -people of problematic profession who appeared as soon as the news of -Gallardo's arrival got about, besieging him with flatteries and requests -for tickets. The general enthusiasm permitted them to mix with the other -gentlemen, rich merchants and public functionaries, who discussed -bull-fighting affairs with them hotly without being troubled by their -beggarly appearance. - -All of them, on seeing the espada,[7] embraced him or clasped his hand, -to a running accompaniment of questions and exclamations: - -"Juanillo!... How is Carmen?" - -"Quite well, thank you." - -"And your mother? the Senora Angustias?" - -"Famous, thanks. She is at La Rincona." - -"And your sister and the little nephews?" - -"In good health, thanks." - -"And that ridiculous fellow, your brother-in-law?" - -"Well, also. As great a talker as ever." - -"And, a little family? Is there no hope?" - -"No--not that much----." And he bit his nails in expressive negation. - -He then turned his enquiries on the stranger, of whose life, beyond his -love for bull-fighting, he was completely ignorant. - -"And your own family? Are they also quite well?--Come along, I am glad -to meet you. Sit down and have something." - -Next he enquired about the looks of the bulls with which he was going -to fight in a few hours' time, because all these friends had just come -from the Plaza, after seeing the separation and boxing of the animals, -and with professional curiosity he asked for news from the Cafe -Ingles,[8] where many of the amateurs foregathered. - -It was the first "Corrida"[9] of the Spring season, and Gallardo's -enthusiastic admirers had great hopes of him as they called to mind all -the articles they had read in the papers, describing his recent triumphs -in other Plazas in Spain. He had more engagements than any other torero. -Since the Corrida of the Feast of the Resurrection,[10] the first -important event in the taurine year. Gallardo had gone from place to -place killing bulls. Later on, when August and September came round, he -would have to spend his nights in the train and his afternoons in the -ring, with scarcely breathing time between them. His agent in Seville -was nearly frantic--overwhelmed with letters and telegrams, and not -knowing how to fit so many requests for engagements into the exigencies -of time. - -The evening before this he had fought at Ciudad Real and, still in his -splendid dress, had thrown himself into the train in order to arrive in -Madrid in the morning. He had spent a wakeful night, only sleeping by -snatches, boxed up in the small sitting accommodation that the other -passengers managed, by squeezing themselves together, to leave for the -man who was to risk his life on the following day. - -The enthusiasts admired his physical endurance and the daring courage -with which he threw himself on the bull at the moment of killing it. -"Let us see what you can do this afternoon," they said with the fervour -of zealots, "the fraternity[11] expects great things from you. You will -lower the Mona[12] of many of our rivals. Let us see you as dashing here -as you were in Seville!" - -His admirers dispersed to their breakfasts at home in order to go early -to the Corrida. Gallardo, finding himself alone, was making his way up -to his room, impelled by the nervous restlessness which overpowered him, -when a man holding two children by the hand, pushed open the glass doors -of the dining-room, regardless of the servant's enquiries as to his -business. He smiled seraphically when he saw the torero and advanced, -with his eyes fixed on him, dragging the children along and scarcely -noticing where he placed his feet. Gallardo recognised him, "How are -you, Compare?" - -Then began all the usual questions as to the welfare of the family, -after which the man turned to his children saying solemnly: - -"Here he is. You are always asking to see him. He's exactly like his -portraits, isn't he?" - -The two mites stared religiously at the hero whose portraits they had so -often seen on the prints which adorned the walls of their poor little -home, a supernatural being whose exploits and wealth had been their -chief admiration ever since they had begun to understand mundane -matters. - -"Juanillo, kiss your Godfather's hand," and the younger of the two -rubbed a red cheek against the torero's hand, a cheek newly polished by -his mother in view of this visit. - -Gallardo caressed his head abstractedly. This was one of the numerous -godchildren he had about Spain. Enthusiasts forced him to stand -godfather to their children, thinking in this way to secure their -future, and to have to appear at baptisms was one of the penalties of -his fame. This, particular godson reminded him of bad times at the -beginning of his career, and he felt grateful to the father for the -confidence he had placed in him at a time when others were still -doubtful of his merits. - -"And how about your business, Compare?" enquired Gallardo, "Is it going -on better?" - -The aficionado[13] shrugged his shoulders. He was getting a livelihood, -thanks to his dealings in the barley market--just getting a livelihood, -nothing more. - -Gallardo looked compassionately at his threadbare Sunday-best clothes. - -"Would you like to see the Corrida, Compare? Well go up to my room and -tell Garabato[14] to give you a ticket.---- Good-bye, my dear fellow. -Here's a trifle to buy yourselves some little thing," and while the -little godson again kissed his right hand, with his other hand the -matador gave each child a couple of duros. - -The father dragged away his offspring with many grateful excuses, though -he did not succeed in making clear, in his very confused thanks, whether -his delight was for the present to the children, or for the ticket for -the bull-fight which the diestro's servant would give him. - -Gallardo waited for some time so as not to meet his admirer and the -children in his room. Then he looked at his watch. Only one o'clock! -What a long time it still was till the bull-fight! - -As he came out of the dining-room and turned towards the stairs, a woman -wrapped in an old cloak came out of the hall-porter's office, barring -his way with determined familiarity, quite regardless of the servants' -expostulations. - -"Juaniyo! Juan! Don't you know me? I am 'la Caracola,[15] the Senora -Dolores, mother of poor Lechuguero."[16] - -Gallardo smiled at this little dark wizened woman, verbose and vehement, -with eyes burning like live coals,--the eyes of a witch. At the same -time, knowing what would be the outcome of her volubility, he raised his -hand to his waistcoat pocket. - -"Misery, my son! Poverty and affliction! When I heard you were -bull-fighting to-day I said 'I will go and see Juaniyo: He will remember -the mother of his poor comrade.' How smart you are, gipsy! All the women -are crazy after you, you rascal! I am very badly off, my son. I have not -even a shift, and nothing has entered my mouth to-day but a little -Cazaya.[17] They keep me, out of pity, in la Pepona's house, who is from -over there--from our own country,--a very decent five duro house. Come -round there, they would love to see you. I dress girls' hair and run -errands for the men. Ah! If only my poor son were alive! You remember -Pepiyo? Do you remember the afternoon on which he died?----" - -Gallardo put a duro into her dry hand and did his best to escape from -her volubility, which by this time was showing signs of imminent tears. - -Cursed witch! Why did she come and remind him, on the day of a Corrida, -of poor Lechuguero, the companion of his early years, whom he had seen -killed almost instantaneously, gored to the heart, in the Plaza of -Lebrija, when the two were bull-fighting as Novilleros?[18] Foul hag of -evil omen! - -He thrust her aside, but she, flitting from sorrow to joy with the -inconsequence of a bird, broke out into enthusiastic praises of the -brave boys, the good toreros, who carried away the money of the public -and the hearts of the women. - -"You deserve to have the Queen, my beauty! The Senora Carmen will have -to keep her eyes wide open. Some fine day a 'gachi' will steal and keep -you. Can't you give me a ticket for this afternoon, Juaniyo? I am -bursting with longing to see you kill!" - -The old woman's shrill voice and noisy cajoleries diverted the amused -attention of the hotel servants and enabled a number of inquisitive -idlers and beggars who, attracted by the presence of the torero, had -collected outside the entrance, to break through the strict supervision -that was usually maintained at the doors. - -Heedless of the hotel servants, an irruption of loafers, ne'er-do-wells -and newspaper sellers burst into the hall. - -Ragamuffins, with bundles of papers under their arms, flourished their -caps and greeted Gallardo with boisterous familiarity. - -"El Gallardo," "Ole El Gallardo," "Long live the Brave." - -The more daring seized his hand, shaking it roughly and pulling it about -in their anxiety to keep touch of this national hero, whose portraits -they had all seen in every paper, as long as ever they could, and then, -to give their companions a chance of sharing their triumph, they shouted -"Shake his hand. He won't be offended! He's a real good sort." Their -devotion made them almost kneel before the matador. - -There were also other admirers, just as insistent, with unkempt beards -and clothes that had been fashionable in the days of their youth, who -shuffled round their idol in boots that had seen better days. They swept -their greasy sombreros towards him, spoke in a low voice and called him -"Don Juan," in order to emphasise the difference between themselves and -the rest of that irreverent, excited crowd. Some of them drew attention -to their poverty and asked for a small donation, others, with more -impertinence, asked, in the name of their love of the sport, for a -ticket for the Corrida,--fully intending to sell it immediately. - -Gallardo defended himself laughingly against this avalanche which -jostled and overwhelmed him, and from which the hotel servants, who were -bewildered at the excitement aroused by his popularity, were quite -unable to save him. - -He searched through all his pockets until he finally turned them out -empty, distributing silver coins broadcast among the greedy hands held -out to clutch them. - -"There is no more! The fuel is finished! Leave me alone, my friends!" - -Pretending to be annoyed by this popularity, which in fact flattered him -greatly, he suddenly opened a way through them with his muscular -athletic arms, and ran upstairs, bounding up the steps with the -lightness of a wrestler, while the servants, freed from the restraint of -his presence, pushed the crowd towards the door and swept them into the -street. - -Gallardo passed the room occupied by his servant Garabato, and saw him -through the half open door, busy amid trunks and boxes, preparing his -master's clothes for the Corrida. - -On finding himself alone in his own room, the happy excitement caused by -the avalanche of admirers vanished at once. The bad moments of the days -of a Corrida returned, the anxiety of those last hours before going to -the Plaza. Bulls of Muira[19] and a Madrid audience. The danger, which -when facing him seemed to intoxicate him and increase his daring, was -anguish to him when alone,--something supernatural, fearful and -intimidating from its very uncertainty. - -He felt overwhelmed, as if the fatigues of his previous bad night had -suddenly overcome him. He longed to throw himself on one of the beds -which occupied the end of the room, but again the anxiety which -possessed him, with its mystery and uncertainty, banished the desire to -sleep. - -He walked restlessly up and down the room, lighting another Havanna from -the end of the one he had just smoked. - -What would be the result for him of the Madrid season just about to -commence? What would his enemies say? What would his professional rivals -do? He had killed many Muira bulls,--after all they were only like any -other bulls,--still, he thought of his comrades fallen in the -arena,--nearly all of them victims of animals from this herd. Cursed -Muiras! No wonder he and other espadas exacted a thousand pesetas[20] -more in their contracts each time they fought with bulls of this breed. - -He wandered vaguely about the room with nervous step. Now and then he -stopped to gaze vacantly at well known things amongst his luggage, and -finally he threw himself into an arm-chair, as if seized with a sudden -weakness. He looked often at his watch--not yet two o'clock. How slowly -the time passed! - -He longed, as a relief for his nervousness, for the time to come as soon -as possible for him to dress and go to the Plaza. The people, the -noise, the general curiosity, the desire to show himself calm and at -ease before an admiring public, and above all the near approach of -danger, real and personal, would instantly blot out this anguish of -solitude, in which the espada, with no external excitement to assist -him, felt himself face to face with something very like fear. - -The necessity for distracting his mind made him search the inside pocket -of his coat and take out of his pocket-book a letter which exhaled a -strong sweet scent. - -Standing by a window, through which entered the dull light of an -interior courtyard, he looked at the envelope which had been delivered -to him on his arrival at the hotel, admiring the elegance of the -handwriting in which the address was written,--so delicate and well -shaped. - -Then he drew out the letter, inhaling its indefinable perfume with -delight. Ah! These people of high birth who had travelled much! How they -revealed their inimitable breeding, even in the smallest details! - -Gallardo, as though he still carried about his person the pungent odour -of the poverty of his early years, perfumed himself abundantly. His -enemies laughed at this athletic young fellow who by his love of scent -belied the strength of his sex. Even his admirers smiled at his -weakness, though often they had to turn their heads aside, sickened by -the diestro's excess. - -A whole perfumer's shop accompanied him on his journeys, and the most -feminine scents anointed his body as he went down into the arena amongst -the scattered entrails of dead horses and their blood-stained dung. - -Certain enamoured cocottes whose acquaintance he had made during a -journey to the Plazas in the South of France had given him the secret of -combining and mixing rare perfumes,--but the scent of that letter! It -was the scent of the person who had written it!--that mysterious scent -so delicate, indefinable, and inimitable, which seemed to emanate from -her aristocratic form, and which he called "the scent of the lady." - -He read and re-read the letter with a beatified smile of delight and -pride. - -It was not much, only half a dozen lines--"a greeting from Seville, -wishing him good luck in Madrid. Congratulations beforehand on his -expected triumph----." The letter might have been lost anywhere without -compromising the woman who signed it. - -"Friend Gallardo," it began, in a delicate handwriting which made the -torero's eyes brighten, and it ended "Your friend, Sol," all in a coldly -friendly style, writing to him as "Uste"[21] with an amiable tone of -superiority, as though the words were not between equals, but fell in -mercy from on high. - -As the torero looked at the letter, with the adoration of a man of the -people little versed in reading, he could not suppress a certain feeling -of annoyance, as though he felt himself despised. - -"That gachi!" he murmured, "What a woman! No one can discompose her! See -how she writes to me as 'Uste!' 'Uste'--to me!" - -But pleasant memories made him smile with self-satisfaction. That cold -style was for letters only,--the ways of a great lady,--the precautions -of a woman of the world. His annoyance soon turned to admiration. - -"How clever she is! A cautious minx!" - -He smiled a smile of professional satisfaction, the pride of a tamer who -enhances his own glory by exaggerating the strength of the wild beast he -has overcome. - -While Gallardo was admiring his letter, his servant Garabato passed in -and out of the room, laden with clothes and boxes which he spread on a -bed. - -He was very quiet in his movements, very deft of hand, and seemed to -take no notice of the matador's presence. - -For many years past he had accompanied the diestro to all his -bull-fights as "Sword carrier."[22] He had begun bull-fighting at the -"Capeas"[23] at the same time as Gallardo, but all the bad luck had been -for him and all the advancement and fame for his companion. - -He was dark, swarthy, and of poor muscular development, and a jagged, -badly joined scar crossed his wrinkled, flabby, old-looking face like a -white scrawl. It was a goring he had received in the Plaza of some town -he had visited and which had nearly been his death, and besides this -terrible wound, there were others which disfigured parts of his body -which could not be seen. - -By a miracle he had emerged with his life from his passion for -bull-fighting, and the cruel part of it was that people used to laugh at -his misfortunes, and seemed to take a pleasure in seeing him trampled -and mangled by the bulls. - -Finally his pig-headed obstinacy yielded to misfortune and he decided to -become the attendant and confidential servant of his old friend. He was -Gallardo's most fervent admirer, though he sometimes took advantage of -this confidential intimacy to allow himself to criticise and advise. -"Had he stood in his master's skin he would have done better under -certain circumstances." - -Gallardo's friends found the wrecked ambitions of the sword carrier an -unfailing source of merriment, but he took no notice of their jokes. -Give up bulls? Never!! So that all memory of the past should not be -effaced, he combed his coarse hair in curls above his ears, and -preserved on his occiput the long, sacred lock, the pig-tail of his -younger days, the hall-mark of the profession which distinguished him -from other mortals. - -When Gallardo was angry with him, his noisy, impulsive rage always -threatened this capillary appendage. "You dare to wear a pig-tail, -shameless dolt? I'll cut off that rat's tail for you! Confounded idiot! -Maleta!!"[24] - -Garabato received these threats resignedly, but he revenged himself by -retiring into the silence of a superior being, and only replying by a -shrug of his shoulders to the exultation of his master when, on -returning from a bull-fight, after a lucky afternoon, Gallardo exclaimed -with almost childish vanity, "What did you think of it? Really, wasn't I -splendid?" - -In consequence of their early comradeship he always retained the -privilege of addressing his master as "tu." He could not speak otherwise -to the "maestro,"[25] but the "tu" was accompanied by a grave face, and -an expression of genuine respect. His familiarity was something akin to -that of their squires towards the knights errant of olden days! - -From his neck to the top of his head he was a torero, but the rest of -his person seemed half tailor, half valet. Dressed in a suit of English -cloth,--a present from his master, he had the lapels of his coat -covered with pins and safety-pins, while several threaded needles were -fastened into one of his sleeves. His dark withered hands manipulated -and arranged things with the gentleness of a woman. - -When everything that was necessary for his master's toilet had been -placed upon the bed, he passed the numerous articles in review to ensure -that nothing was wanting anywhere. - -After a time he came and stood in the middle of the room, without -looking at Gallardo, and, as if he were speaking to himself, said in a -hoarse and rasping voice, - -"Two o'clock!" - -Gallardo raised his head nervously, as if up to now he had not noticed -his servant's presence. He put the letter into his pocket-book, and then -walked lazily to the end of the room, as though he wished to postpone -the dressing time. - -"Is everything there?" - -Suddenly his pale face became flushed and violently distorted and his -eyes opened unnaturally wide, as if he had just experienced some awful, -unexpected shock. - -"What clothes have you put out?" - -Garabato pointed to the bed, but before he could speak, his master's -wrath fell on him, loud and terrible. - -"Curse you! Don't you know anything about the profession? Have you just -come from the cornfields?--Corrida in Madrid,--bulls from Muira,--and -you put me out red clothes like those poor Manuel, El Espartero, wore! -You are so idiotic that one would think you were my enemy! It would seem -that you wished for my death, you villain!" - -The more he thought of the enormity of this carelessness, which was -equivalent to courting disaster, the more his anger increased--To fight -in Madrid in red clothes, after what had happened! His eyes sparkled -with rage, as if he had just received some treacherous attack, the -whites of his eyes became bloodshot and he seemed ready to fall on the -unfortunate Garabato with his big rough hands. - -A discreet knock at the door cut the scene short,--"Come in." - -A young man entered, dressed in a light suit with a red cravat, carrying -his Cordovan felt hat in a hand covered with large diamond rings. -Gallardo recognised him at once with the facility for remembering faces -acquired by those who live constantly rubbing shoulders with the crowd. -His anger was instantly transformed to a smiling amiability, as if the -visit was a pleasant surprise to him. - -It was a friend from Bilbao, an enthusiastic aficionado, a warm partisan -of his triumphs. That was all he could remember about him. His name? He -knew so many people! What _did_ he call himself?--All he knew was that -most certainly he ought to call him "tu," as this was an old -acquaintanceship. - -"Sit down--This is a surprise! When did you arrive? Are you and yours -quite well?" - -His admirer sat down, with the contentment of a devotee who enters the -sanctuary of his idol, with no intention of moving from it till the very -last moment, delighted at being addressed as "tu" by the master, and -calling him "Juan" at every other word, so that the furniture, walls, or -anyone passing along the passage outside should be aware of his intimacy -with the great man. 'He had arrived that morning and was returning on -the following day. The journey was solely to see Gallardo. He had read -of his exploits. The season seemed opening well. This afternoon would be -a good one. He had been in the boxing enclosure[26] in the morning and -had noticed an almost black animal which assuredly would give great -sport in Gallardo's hands----' - -The master hurriedly cut short the habitue's prophesies. - -"Pardon me--Pray excuse me. I will return at once." - -Leaving the room, he went towards an unnumbered door at the end of the -passage. - -"What clothes shall I put out?" enquired Garabato, in a voice more -hoarse than usual, from his wish to appear submissive. - -"The green, the tobacco, the blue,--anything you please," and Gallardo -disappeared through the little door, while his servant, freed from his -presence, smiled with malicious revenge. He knew what that sudden rush -meant, just at dressing time,--"the relief of fear" they called it in -the profession, and his smile expressed satisfaction to see once more -that the greatest masters of the art and the bravest, suffered as the -result of their anxiety, just the same as he himself had done, when he -went down into the arena in different towns. - -When Gallardo returned to his room, some little time after, he found a -fresh visitor. This was Doctor Ruiz, a popular physician who had spent -thirty years signing the bulletins of the various Cogidas,[27] and -attending every torero who fell wounded in the Plaza of Madrid. - -Gallardo admired him immensely, regarding him as the greatest exponent -of universal science, but at the same time he allowed himself -affectionate chaff at the expense of the Doctor's good-natured character -and personal untidiness. His admiration was that of the populace,--only -recognising ability in a slovenly person if he possesses sufficient -eccentricity to distinguish him from the general run. - -He was of low stature and prominent abdomen, broad faced and flat-nosed, -with a Newgate frill of dirty whitish yellow which gave him at a -distance a certain resemblance to a bust of Socrates. As he stood up, -his protuberant and flabby stomach seemed to shake under his ample -waistcoat as he spoke. As he sat down this same part of his anatomy rose -up to his meagre chest. His clothes, stained and old after a few days' -use, seemed to float about his unharmonious body like garments belonging -to someone else,--so obese was he in the parts devoted to digestion, and -so lean in those of locomotion. - -"He is a simpleton," said Gallardo--"a learned man certainly, as good as -bread, but 'touched.' He will never have a peseta. Whatever he has he -gives away, and he takes what anyone chooses to pay him." - -Two great passions filled his life--the Revolution and Bulls. That vague -but tremendous revolution which would come, leaving in Europe nothing -that now existed, an anarchical republicanism that he did not trouble to -explain, and which was only clear in its exterminatory negations. The -toreros spoke to him as a father, he called them all "tu," and it was -sufficient for a telegram to come from the furthest end of the Peninsula -for the good doctor instantly to take the train and rush to heal a -goring received by one of his "lads" with no expectation of any -recompense, beyond simply what they chose to give him. - -He embraced Gallardo on seeing him after his long absence, pressing his -flaccid abdomen against that body which seemed made of bronze. - -"Oh! You fine fellow!" He thought the espada looked better than ever. - -"And how about that Republic, Doctor? When is it going to come?..." -asked Gallardo, with Andalusian laziness.... "El Nacional[28] says that -we are on the verge, and that it will come one of these days." - -"What does it matter to you, rascal? Leave poor Nacional in peace. He -had far better learn to be a better banderillero. As for you, what ought -to interest you is to go on killing bulls, like God himself!... We have -a fine little afternoon in prospect! I am told that the herd...." - -But when he got as far as this, the young man who had seen the selection -and wished to give news of it, interrupted the doctor to speak of the -dark bull "which had struck his eye," and from which the greatest -wonders might be expected. The two men who, after bowing to each other, -had sat together in the room for a long time in silence, now stood up -face to face, and Gallardo thought that an introduction was necessary, -but what was he to call the friend who was addressing him as "tu?" He -scratched his head, frowning reflectively, but his indecision was short. - -"Listen here. What is your name? Pardon me--you understand I see so many -people." - -The youth smothered beneath a smile his disenchantment at finding -himself forgotten by the Master and gave his name. When he heard it, -Gallardo felt all the past recur suddenly to his memory and repaired his -forgetfulness by adding after the name "a rich mine-owner in Bilbao," -and then presented "the famous Dr. Ruiz," and the two men, united by the -enthusiasm of a common passion, began to chat about the afternoon's -herd, just as if they had known each other all their lives. - -"Sit yourselves down," said Gallardo, pointing to a sofa at the further -end of the room, "You won't disturb me there. Talk and pay no attention -to me. I am going to dress, as we are all men here," and he began to -take off his clothes, remaining only in his undergarments. - -Seated on a chair under the arch which divided the sitting-room from the -bedroom, he gave himself over into the hands of Garabato, who had opened -a Russia leather bag from which he had taken an almost feminine toilet -case, for trimming up his master. - -In spite of his being already carefully shaved, Garabato soaped his face -and passed the razor over his cheeks with the celerity born of daily -practice. After washing himself Gallardo resumed his seat. The servant -then sprinkled his hair with brilliantine and scent, combing it in curls -over his forehead and temples, and then began to dress the sign of the -profession, the sacred pig-tail. - -With infinite care he combed and plaited the long lock which adorned his -master's occiput; and then, interrupting the operation, fastened it on -the top of his head with two hairpins, leaving its final dressing for a -later stage. Next he must attend to the feet, and he drew off the -fighter's socks, leaving him only his vest and spun-silk drawers. - -Gallardo's powerful muscles stood out beneath these clothes in superb -swellings. A hollow in one thigh betrayed a place where the flesh had -disappeared owing to a gash from a horn. The swarthy skin of his arms -was marked with white wheals, the scars of ancient wounds. His dark -hairless chest was crossed by two irregular purple lines, record also of -bloody feats. On one of his heels the flesh was of a violet colour, with -a round depression which looked as if it had been the mould for a coin. -All this fighting machine exhaled an odour of clean and healthy flesh -blended with that of women's pungent scents. - -Garabato, with an armful of cotton wool and white bandages, knelt at -his master's feet. - -"Just like the ancient gladiators!" said Dr. Ruiz, interrupting his -conversation with the Bilboan, "See! You have become a Roman, Juan." - -"Age, Doctor!" replied the matador, with a tinge of melancholy, "We are -all getting older. When I fought both bulls and hunger at the same time -I did not want all this. I had feet of iron in the Capeas." - -Garabato placed small tufts of cotton wool between his master's toes and -covered the soles and the upper part of his feet with a thin layer of -it; then, pulling out the bandages, he rolled them round in tight -spirals, like the wrappings of an ancient mummy. To fix them firmly he -drew one of the threaded needles from his sleeve and carefully and -neatly sewed up their ends. - -Gallardo stamped on the ground with his bandaged feet which seemed to -him firmer in their soft wrappings. In the bandages he felt them both -strong and agile. The servant then drew on the long stockings which came -halfway up the thigh, thick and flexible like gaiters. This was the only -protection for the legs under the silk of the fighting dress. - -"Be careful of wrinkles! See, Garabato, I don't want to wear sacks," and -standing before the looking-glass, endeavouring to see both back and -front, he bent down and passed his hands over his legs smoothing out the -wrinkles for himself. - -Over these white stockings Garabato drew others of pink silk which alone -remained visible when the torero was fully dressed, and then Gallardo -put his feet into the pumps which he chose from amongst several pairs -which Garabato had laid out on a box,--all quite new and with white -soles. - -Then began the real task of the dressing. Holding them by the upper -part, the servant handed him the fighting knee-breeches made of -tobacco-coloured silk, with heavy gold embroidery up the seams. Gallardo -slipped them on, and the thick cords, ending in gold tassels, which drew -in the lower ends, hung down over his feet. These cords which gather the -breeches below the knee, constricting the leg to give it artificial -strength, are called "los machos." - -Gallardo swelled out the muscles of his legs and ordered his servant to -tighten the cords without fear. This was one of the most important -operations as a matador's "machos" must be well tightened and Garabato, -with nimble dexterity soon had the cords wound round and tucked away out -of sight underneath the ends of the breeches, with the tassels hanging -down. - -The master then drew on the fine lawn shirt held out by his servant, the -front covered with zigzag crimpings, and as delicate and clear as a -woman's garment. After he had fastened it Garabato knotted the long -cravat that hung down dividing the chest with its red line till it lost -itself in the waistband of the drawers. Now remained the most -complicated article of clothing, the waist-sash--a long strip of silk -over four yards long which seemed to take up the whole room, and which -Garabato handled with the mastery of long experience. - -The espada went and stood near his friends at the other end of the room, -fastening one end of the sash to his waist. - -"Now then, pay attention," he said to his servant, "and do your little -best." - -Turning slowly on his heels he gradually approached his servant, while -the sash which he held up rolled itself round his waist in regular -curves, and gave it a more graceful shape. Garabato with quick movements -of his hand changed the position of the band of silk. In some turns the -sash was folded double, in others it was completely open, and always -adjusted to the matador's waist, smooth and seemingly like one piece -without wrinkles or unevenness. In the course of his rotatory journey, -Gallardo, scrupulous and very difficult to please in the adornment of -his person, several times stopped his forward movement, to step a few -paces back and rectify the arrangement. - -"That is not right," he said ill-humouredly. "Curse you! take more care, -Garabato!" - -After many halts on the journey, Gallardo came to the last turn, with -the whole length of silk wound round his waist. The clever valet had put -stitches, pins, and safety-pins all round his master's body, making his -clothing literally all one piece. To get out of them the Torero would -have to resort to the aid of scissors in other hands. He could not get -rid of any one of his garments till he returned to the hotel, unless -indeed a bull did it for him in the open Plaza, and they finished his -undressing in the Infirmary. - -Gallardo sat down again and Garabato, taking hold of the pig-tail, freed -it from the support of the pins, and fastened it to the 'Mona,' a bunch -of ribbons like a black cockade, which reminded one of the old -"redecilla"[29] of the earliest days of bull-fighting. - -The master stretched himself, as if he wished to put off getting finally -into the rest of his costume. He asked Garabato to hand him the cigar he -had left on the bedside table, enquired what the time was, and seemed to -think that all the clocks had gone fast. - -"It is still early. The lads have not yet come.... I do not like to go -early to the Plaza. Every tile in the roof seems to weigh on one when -one is waiting there." - -At this moment an hotel servant announced that the carriage with the -"cuadrilla"[30] was waiting for him downstairs. - -The time had come! There was no longer any pretext for delaying the -moment of his departure. He slipped the gold-embroidered waist-coat over -the silk sash, and above this the jacket, a piece of _dazzling_ -embroidery in very high relief, as heavy as a piece of armour and -flashing with light like live coals. The tobacco-coloured silk was only -visible on the inside of the arms, and in two triangles on the back. -Almost the whole fabric was hidden beneath a mass of golden tufts and -gold-embroidered flowers with coloured precious stones in their petals. -The epaulettes were heavy masses of gold embroidery, from which hung -innumerable tassels of the same metal. The gold work reached the extreme -edge of the jacket where it ended in a thick fringe, which quivered at -every step. Between the gold-edged openings of the pockets appeared the -corners of two silk handkerchiefs which, like the cravat and sash, were -red. - -"Give me 'La Montera.'"[31] - -Out of an oval box Garabato took with great care the fighting montera -with black frizzed border and pompons which stood out on either side -like large ears. Gallardo put it on, being careful that his mona should -remain uncovered, hanging symmetrically down his back. - -"Now the cape." - -From the back of a chair Garabato took the cape called "La Capa de -Paseo,"[32] the gala cape, a princely mantle of silk, the same colour as -his clothes, and, like them, covered with gold embroidery. Gallardo -slung it over one shoulder and then looked at himself in the glass, well -satisfied with the effect. - -"That's not so bad. Now to the Plaza." - -His two friends took their leave hurriedly in order to find a cab and -follow him. Garabato tucked under his arm a large bundle of red cloth, -from the ends of which projected the pommels and buttons of several -swords. - -As Gallardo descended to the vestibule of the hotel, he saw that the -street was filled with a noisy, excited crowd, as if some great event -had just happened, and he could hear the buzz of a multitude whom he -could not see through the door-way. - -The landlord and all his family ran up with outstretched hands as if -they were speeding him on a long journey. - -"Good luck! May all go well with you!" - -The servants, sinking all social distinctions, also shook his hand. - -"Good luck, Don Juan!" - -He turned round, smiling on every side, regardless of the anxious looks -of the women of the hotel. - -"Thanks, many thanks.... So long!" - -He was another man now. Now that he had slung his dazzling cape over his -shoulder, a careless smile lit up his face. He was pale with a moist -pallor like a sick man, but he laughed with the joy of life, and, going -to meet his public, he adopted his new attitude with the instinctive -facility of a man who has to put on a fine air before his audience. - -He swaggered arrogantly as he walked, puffing at the cigar in his left -hand, and swayed from his hips under his gorgeous cape, stepping out -firmly with the pride of a handsome man. - -"Now then, gentlemen! Make way, please! Many thanks.... Many thanks!" - -As he opened a way for himself he endeavoured to protect his clothes -from contact with the dirty crowd of ill-dressed but enthusiastic -roughs who crowded round the hotel door. They had no money to go to the -corrida, but they took advantage of this opportunity of shaking hands -with the famous Gallardo, or even of touching some part of his clothing. - -Close to the pavement was waiting a wagonette drawn by four mules, gaily -caparisoned with tassels and little bells. Garabato had already hoisted -himself on to the box seat with his bundle of cloth and swords. Behind -sat three toreros with their capes on their knees all wearing -bright-coloured clothes, embroidered as profusely as those of the -Master, only with silver instead of gold. - -Gallardo was obliged to defend himself with his elbows against the -outstretched hands, and, amid the jostling of the crowd, he managed at -last to reach the steps of the carriage. Amidst the general excitement -he was finally unceremoniously hoisted into his seat from behind. - -"Good afternoon, gentlemen," he said curtly to his cuadrilla. - -He took the seat nearest to the step so that all could see him, and he -smiled and nodded his acknowledgment of the cries and shouts of applause -of a variety of ragged women and newspaper boys. - -The carriage dashed forward with all the strength of the spirited mules -and filled the street with a merry tinkling. The crowd opened out to let -the team pass, but many hung on to the carriage, in imminent danger of -falling under its wheels. Sticks and hats were brandished in the air. A -wave of enthusiasm swept over the crowd. It was one of those contagious -outbursts which at times sway the masses, driving them mad, and making -them shout without knowing why. - -"Ole the brave fellows!... Viva Espana!" - -Gallardo, still pale but smiling, saluted and repeated "Many thanks." He -was moved by this outburst of popular enthusiasm, and proud of the fame -that made them couple his name with that of his country. - -A crowd of rough boys and dishevelled girls ran after the carriage as -fast as their legs could carry them, as if they expected to find -something extraordinary at the end of their mad career. - -For an hour previously the Calle de Alcala had been a stream of -carriages, between banks of crowded foot-passengers, all hurrying to the -outskirts of the town. Every sort of vehicle, ancient or modern, figured -in this transient but confused and noisy migration, from the -pre-historic char-a-banc, come to light like an anachronism, to the -modern motor car. - -The trams passed along crowded bunches of passengers overflowing on to -their steps. Omnibuses took up fares at the corner of the Calle de -Sevilla, while the conductors shouted "Plaza! Plaza!" Mules covered with -tassels, drawing carriages full of women in white mantillas and bright -flowers, trotted along gaily to the tinkling of their silvery bells. -Every moment could be heard exclamations of terror as some child, -threading its way from one pavement to the other, regardless of the -rushing stream of vehicles, emerged with the agility of a monkey from -under the carriage wheels. Motor sirens shrieked and coachmen shouted. -Newspaper sellers hawked leaflets giving a picture and history of the -bulls which were going to fight, or the portraits and biographies of the -famous toreros. Now and then a murmur of curiosity swelled the dull -humming of the crowd. - -Between the dark uniforms of the Municipal Guard rode showily dressed -horsemen on lean miserable crocks, wearing gold-embroidered jackets, -wide beaver sombreros with a pompon on one side like a cockade, and -yellow padding on their legs. These were the picadors,[33] rough men of -wild appearance who carried, clinging to the crupper behind their high -Moorish saddles, a kind of devil dressed in red, the "Mono Sabio,"[34] -the servant who had taken the horse to their houses. - -The cuadrillas passed by in open carriages. The gold embroidery of the -toreros flashing in the afternoon sun seemed to dazzle the crowd and -excite all its enthusiasm. "There's Fuentes!" "That's El Bomba!" cried -the people, and pleased at having recognised them, they followed the -disappearing carriages with anxious eyes, just as if something were -going to happen and they feared they would be late. - -From the top of the Calle de Alcala, the whole length of the broad -straight street could be seen lying white under the sun with its rows of -trees beginning to turn green under the breath of spring. The balconies -were black with onlookers and the roadway was only visible here and -there amidst the swarming crowd which, on foot and in carriages, was -making its way towards La Cibeles.[35] - -From this point the ground rose between lines of trees and buildings and -the vista was closed by the Puerta de Alcala outlined like a triumphal -arch against the blue sky on which floated a few flecks of cloud like -wandering swans. - -Gallardo sat in silence, replying to the people only with his fixed -smile. Since his first greeting to the banderilleros he had not uttered -a word. They also were pale and silent with anxiety for the unknown. Now -that they were amongst toreros they had laid aside as useless the -swagger that was necessary in the presence of the public. - -A mysterious inspiration seemed to tell the people of the coming of the -last cuadrilla on its way to the Plaza. The group of ragamuffins who had -run after the carriage acclaiming Gallardo had lost their breath and had -scattered amongst the traffic, but all the same, people glanced behind -them as though they felt the proximity of the famous torero and -slackened their pace, lining the edge of the pavement so as to get a -better view of him. - -Women seated in the carriages rolling along turned their heads as they -heard the tinkling bells of the trotting mules. Dull roars came from -various groups standing on the pavement. These must have been -demonstrations of enthusiasm for many waved their sombreros whilst -others greeted him by flourishing their sticks. - -Gallardo replied to all these salutations with the smile of a barber's -block. With his thoughts far away, he took little notice of them. By his -side sat El Nacional, the banderillero in whom he placed most trust, a -big, hard man, older by ten years than himself, with a grave manner and -eyebrows that met between his eyes. He was well known in the profession -for his kindness of heart and sterling worth, and also for his political -opinions. - -"Juan, you will not have to complain of Madrid," said El Nacional, "you -have taken the public by storm." - -But Gallardo, as if he had not heard him but felt obliged to give vent -to the thoughts that were weighing on him, replied, "My heart tells me -that something will happen this afternoon." - -As they arrived at la Cibeles the carriage stopped. A great funeral was -passing through the Prado in the direction of Castellana and cut through -the avalanche of carriages coming from the Calle de Alcala. - -Gallardo turned still paler as he looked with terrified eyes at the -passing of the silver cross and the procession of priests who broke into -a mournful chant as they gazed, some with aversion others with envy, at -the stream of godless people who were rushing to amuse themselves. - -The espada hastened to take off his montero. His banderilleros did the -same, with the exception of El Nacional. - -"Curse you!" cried Gallardo, "Take off your cap, rascal." - -He glared at him as if about to strike him, fully convinced, by some -confused intuition, that this impiety would bring down on him the -greatest misfortunes. - -"All right, I'll take it off," said El Nacional, with the sulkiness of a -thwarted child, as he saw the cross moving off, "I'll take it off but it -is to the dead man!" - -They were obliged to stop for some time to let the funeral _cortege_ -pass. - -"Bad luck!" murmured Gallardo, his voice trembling with rage, "Who can -have thought of bringing a funeral across the way to the Plaza? Curse -them! I said something would happen to-day!" - -El Nacional smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. "Superstition and -fanaticism! God or Nature don't trouble about these things!" - -These words which increased the irritation of Gallardo, seemed to dispel -the grave preoccupation of the other toreros, and they began to laugh at -their companion, as indeed they always did when he aired his favourite -phrase, "God or Nature." - -As soon as the way was clear the carriage resumed its former speed, -travelling as fast as the mules could trot and passing all the other -vehicles which were converging on the Plaza. On arriving there it turned -to the left, making for the door, named "de Caballerizas,"[36] which led -to the yards and stables, but compelled to pass slowly through the -compact crowd. - -Gallardo received another ovation as, followed by his banderilleros, he -alighted from the carriage, pushing and elbowing his way in order to -save his clothes from the touch of dirty hands, smiling greetings -everywhere and hiding his right hand which everybody wished to shake. - -"Make way, please, gentlemen!" "Many thanks." - -The great courtyard between the main building of the Plaza and the -boundary wall of its outbuildings was full of people who, before taking -their seats, wished to get a near view of the bull-fighters, whilst on -horseback, mounted high above the crowd, could be seen the picadors and -the Alguaciles[37] in their Seventeenth Century costumes. - -On one side of the courtyard stood a row of single-storey brick -buildings, with vines trellised over the doors and pots of flowers in -the windows. It was quite a small town of offices, workshops, stables -and houses in which lived stablemen, carpenters and other servants of -the bull-ring. - -The diestro made his way laboriously through the various groups, and his -name passed from lip to lip amidst exclamations of admiration. - -"Gallardo!" "Here is El Gallardo!" "Ole! Viva Espana!" - -And he, with no thought but that of the adoration of the public, -swaggered along, serene as a god and gay and self-satisfied, just as if -he were attending a fete given in his honour. - -Suddenly two arms were thrown round his neck and at the same time a -strong smell of wine assailed his nostrils. - -"A real man! My beauty! Three cheers for the heroes!" - -It was a man of good appearance, a tradesman who had breakfasted with -some friends, whose smiling vigilance he thought he had escaped but who -were watching him from a short distance. He leant his head on the -espada's shoulder and let it remain there, as though he intended to drop -off into a sleep of ecstasy in that position. Gallardo pushed and the -man's friends pulled and the espada was soon free of this intolerable -embrace, but the tippler, finding himself parted from his idol, broke -out into loud shouts of admiration. - -"Ole for such men! All nations of the earth should come and admire -toreros like this, and die of envy! They may have ships, they may have -money, but that's all rot! They have no bulls and no men like this! -Hurrah, my lads! Long live my country!" - -Gallardo crossed a large white-washed hall, quite bare of furniture, -where his professional companions were standing surrounded by admiring -groups. Making his way through the crowd around a door he entered a -small dark and narrow room, at one end of which lights were burning. It -was the chapel. An old picture called "The Virgin of the Dove," filled -the back of the Altar. On the table four tapers were burning, and -several bunches of dusty moth-eaten muslin flowers stood in common -pottery vases. - -The chapel was full of people. The aficionados of humble class assembled -in it so as to see the great men close at hand. In the darkness some -stood bareheaded in the front row, whilst others sat on benches and -chairs, the greater part of them turning their backs on the Virgin, -looking eagerly towards the door to call out a name as soon as the -glitter of a gala dress appeared. - -The banderilleros and picadors, poor devils who were going to risk their -lives the same as the "Maestros," scarcely caused a whisper by their -presence. Only the most fervent aficionados knew their nicknames. - -Presently there was a prolonged murmur, a name repeated from mouth to -mouth. - -"Fuentes! It is el Fuentes!" - -The elegant torero, tall and graceful, his cape loose over his shoulder, -walked up to the Altar, bending his knee with theatrical affectation. -The lights were reflected in his gipsy eyes and fell across the fine -agile kneeling figure. After he had finished his prayer and crossed -himself he rose, walking backwards towards the door, never taking his -eyes off the image, like a tenor who retires bowing to his audience. - -Gallardo was more simple in his piety. He entered montero in hand, his -cape gathered round him, walking no less arrogantly, but when he came -opposite the image, he knelt with both knees on the ground, giving -himself over entirely to his prayers and taking no notice of the -hundreds of eyes fixed on him. His simple Christian soul trembled with -fear and remorse. He prayed for protection with the fervour of ignorant -men who live in continual danger and who believe in every sort of -adverse influence and supernatural protection. For the first time in the -whole of that day he thought of his wife and his mother. Poor Carmen -down in Seville waiting for his telegram! The Senora Angustias, tranquil -with her fowls at the farm of La Rinconada not knowing for certain where -her son was fighting!... And he, here, with that terrible presentiment -that something would happen that afternoon! Virgin of the Dove! Give a -little protection! He would be good, he would forget "the rest," he -would live as God commands. - -His superstitious spirit being comforted by this empty repentance, he -left the chapel still under its influence, with clouded eyes, that did -not see the people who obstructed his way. - -Outside in the room where the toreros were waiting he was saluted by a -clean-shaven gentleman, in black clothes in which he appeared ill at -ease. - -"Bad luck!" murmured the torero moving on. "As I said before, something -will happen to-day!"... - -It was the chaplain of the Plaza, an enthusiast in Tauromachia, who had -arrived with the Holy Oils concealed beneath his coat. He was priest of -the suburb of la Prosperidad and for years past had maintained a heated -controversy with another parish priest in the centre of Madrid who -claimed a better right to monopolise the religious service of the Plaza. -He came to the Plaza accompanied by a neighbour, who served him as -sacristan in return for a seat for the corrida. - -On these days he chose by turns from amongst his friends and proteges -the one whom he wished to favour with the seat reserved for the -sacristan. He hired a smart carriage, at the expense of the management, -and, carrying under his coat the sacred vessel, started for the Plaza, -where two front seats were kept for him close to the entrance for the -bulls. - -The priest entered the chapel with the air of a proprietor scandalised -by the behaviour of the public. All had their heads uncovered, but they -were talking loudly, and some even smoking. - -"Caballeros, this is not a cafe. You will do me the favour of going -outside. The corrida is about to begin." - -This news caused a general exodus, during which the priest took out the -hidden Oils and placed them in a painted wooden box. He, too, having -concealed his sacred deposit, hurried out in order to reach his seat in -the Plaza before the appearance of the cuadrillas. - -The crowd had vanished. Nobody was to be seen in the courtyard but men -dressed in silk and gold embroidery, horsemen in yellow with large -beavers, Alguaciles on horseback, and the servants on duty in their -liveries of blue and gold. - -In the doorway called "De Caballos," under the arch forming the entrance -to the Plaza, the toreros formed up for the procession with the -promptitude which comes of constant practice. In front the "Maestros," -some distance behind them the banderilleros, and beyond these again, in -the courtyard outside, the clattering rearguard, the stern, steel-clad -squadron of picadors, redolent of hot leather and manure, and mounted on -skeleton horses with a bandage over one eye. In the far distance, like -the baggage of this army, fidgeted the teams of mules destined to drag -out the carcases, strong, lively animals with shining skins, their -harness covered with tassels and bells, and their collars ornamented -with a small national flag. - -At the other end of the archway, above the wooden barricade which closed -the lower half, could be seen a shining patch of blue sky, the roof of -the Plaza, and a section of the seats with its compact, swarming mass of -occupants, amongst which fluttered fans and papers like gaily coloured -butterflies. - -Through this arcade there swept a strong breeze, like the breath of an -immense lung, and faint harmonious sounds floated on the waves of air, -betokening distant music, guessed at rather than heard. - -Along the sides of the archway could be seen a row of heads--those of -the spectators on the nearest benches, who peered over in their anxiety -to get the first possible glimpse of the heroes of the day. - -Gallardo took his place in line with the other espadas. They neither -spoke nor smiled, a grave inclination of the head being all the greeting -that they exchanged. Each seemed wrapped in his own preoccupation, -letting his thoughts wander far afield, or, perhaps, with the vacuity -of deep emotion, thinking of nothing at all. Outwardly this -preoccupation was manifested in an apparently unending arrangement and -re-arrangement of their capes--spreading them over the shoulder, folding -the ends round the waist, or arranging them so that under this mantle of -bright colours their legs, cased in silk and gold, should be free and -without encumbrance. All their faces were pale, not with a dull pallor, -but with the bright, hectic, moist shine of excitement. Their minds were -in the arena, as yet invisible to them, and they felt the irresistible -fear of things that might be happening on the other side of a wall, the -terror of the unknown, the indefinite danger that is felt but not seen. -How would this afternoon end? - -From beyond the cuadrillas was heard the sound of the trotting of two -horses, coming along underneath the outer arcades of the Plaza. This was -the arrival of the alguaciles in their small black capeless mantles and -broad hats surmounted with red and yellow feathers. They had just -finished clearing the ring of all the intruding crowd and now came to -place themselves as advance-guard at the head of the cuadrillas. - -The doorways of the arch were thrown wide open, as also were those of -the barrier in front of them. The huge ring was revealed, the real -Plaza, an immense circular expanse of sand on which would be enacted the -afternoon's tragedy, one which would excite the feelings and rejoicings -of fourteen thousand spectators. The confused, harmonious sounds now -became louder, resolving themselves into lively reckless music, a noisy, -clanging triumphal march that made the audience hip and shoulder to its -martial air. Forward, fine fellows! - -The bull-fighters, blinking at the sudden change, stepped out from -darkness to light, from the silence of the quiet arcade to the roar of -the Ring, where the crowd on the tiers of benches, throbbing with -excitement and curiosity, rose to its feet en masse, in order to obtain -a better view. - -The toreros advanced, dwarfed immediately they trod the arena, by the -immensity of their surroundings. They seemed like brilliant dolls on -whose embroideries the sunlight flashed in iridescent hues, and their -graceful movements fired the people with the delight that a child takes -in some marvellous toy. The mad impulse which agitates a crowd, sending -a shiver down its backbone and giving it goose-creeps for no particular -reason, affected the entire Plaza. Some applauded, others, more -enthusiastic or more nervous, shouted, the music clanged, and in the -midst of this universal tumult, the cuadrillas advanced solemnly and -slowly from the entrance door up to the presidential chair, making up -for the shortness of their step by the graceful swing of their arms and -the swaying of their bodies. Meanwhile on the circle of blue sky above -the Plaza fluttered several white pigeons, terrified by the roar which -arose from this crater of bricks. - -They felt themselves different men as they advanced over the sand. They -were risking their lives for something more than money. Their doubts and -terrors of the unknown had been left outside the barricades. Now they -trod the arena. They were face to face with their public. Reality had -come. The longing for glory in their barbarous, ignorant minds, the -desire to excel their comrades, the pride in their own strength and -dexterity, all blinded them, making them forget all fears, and inspiring -them with the daring of brute force. - -Gallardo was quite transfigured. He drew himself up as he walked, -wishing to appear the tallest. He moved with the arrogance of a -conqueror, looking all round him with an air of triumph, as though his -two companions did not exist. Everything was his, both the Plaza and -the public. He felt himself at that moment capable of killing every -bull alive on the broad pasture lands of Andalusia or Castille. All the -applause was meant for him, he was quite sure of that. The thousands of -feminine eyes, shaded by white mantillas, in the boxes or along the -barriers, were fixed on him only, of that there could be no manner of -doubt. The public adored him, and while he advanced smiling with pride, -as though the ovation were intended for himself alone, cast his eyes -along the rows of seats, noticing the places where the largest groups of -his partizans were massed, and ignoring those where his comrades' -friends had congregated. - -They saluted the president, montero in hand, and then the brilliant -parade broke up, peons[38] and horsemen scattering in all directions. -Whilst an alguacil caught in his hat the key thrown to him by the -president, Gallardo walked towards the barrier behind which his most -enthusiastic supporters stood, and gave into their charge his beautiful -cape which was spread along the edge of the palisade, the sacred symbol -of a faction. - -His most enthusiastic partizans stood up, waving their hands and sticks, -to greet the matador, and loudly proclaiming their hopes. "Let us see -what the lad from Seville will do!"... - -And he smiled as he leant against the barrier, proud of his strength, -repeating to all: - -"Many thanks! He will do what he can." - -It was not only his partizans who showed their high hopes on seeing him; -everywhere he found adherents amongst the crowd, which anticipated deep -excitement. He was a torero who promised "hule"[39]--according to the -expression of the aficionados, and such "hule" was likely to lead to a -bed in the Infirmary. - -Everyone thought he was destined to die, gored to death in the Plaza, -and for this very reason they applauded him with homicidal enthusiasm, -with a barbarous interest, like that of the misanthrope, who followed a -tamer everywhere, awaiting the moment when he would be devoured by his -wild beasts. - -Gallardo laughed at the ancient aficionados, grave Doctors of -Tauromachia, who judged it impossible that an accident should happen if -a torero conformed to the rules of the art. Rules forsooth!... He -ignored them and took no trouble to learn them. Bravery and audacity -only were necessary to ensure victory. Almost blindly, with no other -rule than his own temerity, no other help than his own bodily faculties, -he had made a rapid career for himself, forcing outbursts of wonder from -the people and astonishing them with his mad courage. - -He had not, like other matadors, risen by regular steps, serving long -years as peon and banderillero at the "maestros'" side. The bulls' horns -caused him no fear. "Hunger gores worse," he said. The great thing was -to rise quickly, and the public had seen him commence at once as espada, -and in a few years enjoy an immense popularity. - -It admired him for the very reason which made a catastrophe so certain. -It was inflamed with a horrible enthusiasm by the blindness with which -this man defied death, and paid him the same care and attention as are -paid to a condemned man in the chapel. This torero was not one who held -anything back; he gave them everything, including his life. He was worth -the money he cost. And the crowd, with the brutality of those who watch -danger from a safe place, admired and hallooed on the hero. The more -prudent shrugged their shoulders regarding him as a suicide playing with -fate, and murmured "as long as it lasts...." - -Amid a clash of kettledrums and trumpets the first bull rushed out. -Gallardo, with his working cloak devoid of ornament hanging on his arm, -remained by the barrier, close to the benches where his partizans sat, -disdainfully motionless, as though the eyes of the whole audience were -fixed on him. That bull was for some one else. He would give signs of -existence when his own bull came out. But the applause at the cloak play -executed by his companions, drew him out of this immobility, and in -spite of his intentions he joined in the fray, performing several feats -in which he showed more audacity than skill. The whole Plaza applauded -him, roused by the delight they felt at his daring. - -When Fuentes killed his first bull, and went towards the presidential -chair saluting the crowd, Gallardo turned paler than before, as though -any expression of gratification that was not for him was a studied -insult. Now his turn had come: they would see great things. He did not -know for certain what they might be, but he was disposed to startle the -public. - -As soon as the second bull came out, Gallardo, thanks to his mobility -and his desire to shine, seemed to fill the whole Plaza. His cape was -constantly close to the beast's muzzle. A picador of his own cuadrilla, -the one named Potaje, was thrown from his horse, and lay helpless close -to the horns. The maestro seizing the fierce beast's tail, pulled with -such herculean strength, that he obliged it to turn round till the -dismounted rider was safe. This was a feat that the public applauded -wildly. - -When the play of the banderilleros began, Gallardo remained in the -passage between the barriers awaiting the signal to kill. El Nacional -with the darts in his hand challenged the bull in the centre of the -arena. There was nothing graceful in his movements, nor any proud -daring, "simply the question of earning his bread." Down in Seville he -had four little ones, who, if he died, would find no other father. He -would do his duty and nothing more, stick in his banderillas like a -journeyman of Tauromachia, not desiring applause, and trying to avoid -hissing. - -When he had stuck in the pair, a few on the vast tiers applauded, while -others, alluding to his ideas, found fault with the banderillero in -chaffing tones. - -Quit politics and strike better! - -And El Nacional, deceived by the distance, heard these shouts, and -acknowledged them smilingly like his master. - -When Gallardo leapt again into the arena, the crowd, hearing the blare -of trumpets and drums which announced the final death stroke, became -restless and buzzed with excitement. That matador was their own, now -they would see something fine. - -He took the muleta[40] from the hands of Garabato, who offered it to him -folded from inside the barrier, and drew the rapier, which his servant -also presented to him. Then with short steps he went and stood in front -of the president's chair, carrying his montero in one hand. All -stretched out their necks, devouring their idol with their eyes, but no -one could hear the "brindis."[41] The proud figure with its magnificent -stature, the body thrown back to give more strength to his voice, -produced the same effect on the masses as the most eloquent harangue. As -he ended his speech, giving a half turn and throwing his montero on the -ground, the noisy enthusiasm broke out. Ole for the lad from Seville! -Now they would see real sport! And the spectators looked at one another, -mutely promising each other tremendous happenings. A shiver ran over all -the rows of seats, as if they awaited something sublime. - -Then silence fell on the crowd, a silence so deep that one would have -thought that the Plaza had suddenly become empty. The life of thousands -of people seemed concentrated in their eyes. No one seemed even to -breathe. - -Gallardo advanced slowly towards the bull, carrying the muleta resting -against his stomach like a flag, and with sword waving in his other -hand, swinging like a pendulum to his step. - -Turning his head for an instant, he saw he was being followed by El -Nacional and another peon of his cuadrilla, their cloaks on their arms -ready to assist him. - -"Go out, everybody!" - -His voice rang out in the silence of the Plaza reaching up to the -furthest benches, and was answered by a roar of admiration.... "Go out -everybody!"... He had said "go out" to everybody.... What a man! - -He remained completely alone close to the beast, and instantly there was -again silence. Very calmly he unrolled the muleta, and spread it, -advancing a few steps at the same time, till he flung it almost on the -muzzle of the bull who stood bewildered and frightened at the man's -audacity. - -The audience did not dare to speak, nor scarcely to breathe, but -admiration flashed in their eyes. What a man! He was going up to the -very horns:... He stamped impatiently on the sand with one foot, -inciting the animal to attack, and the enormous mass of flesh, with its -sharp defences, fell bellowing upon him. The muleta passed over its -horns, which grazed the tassels and fringes of the matador's costume. -He remained firm in his place, his only movement being to throw his body -slightly back. A roar from the masses replied to this pass of the -muleta, "Ole!"... - -The brute turned, once more attacking the man and his rag, and the pass -was again repeated amid the roars of the audience. The bull, each time -more infuriated by the deception, again and again attacked the fighter -who repeated the passes with the muleta, scarcely moving off his ground, -excited by the proximity of danger and the admiring acclamations of the -crowd, which seemed to intoxicate him. - -Gallardo felt the wild beast's snorting close to him. Its breath moist -with slaver fell on his face and right hand. Becoming familiar with the -feeling he seemed to look on the brute as a good friend who was going to -let himself be killed, to contribute to his glory. - -At last the bull remained quiet for a few instants as if tired of the -game, looking with eyes full of sombre reflexion at this man and his red -cloth, suspecting in his limited brain the existence of some stratagem -that, by attack after attack, would lead him to his death. - -Gallardo felt the great heart-beat of his finest feats. Now then! He -caught the muleta with a circular sweep of his left hand, rolling it -round the stick, and raised his right to the height of his eyes, -standing with the sword bending down towards the nape of the brute's -neck. A tumult of surprised protest broke from the crowd: "Don't -strike!" ... shouted thousands of voices: "No!... No!"... - -It was too soon. The bull was not well placed, it would charge and catch -him. He was acting outside all rules of the art. But what did rules or -life itself signify to that reckless man!... - -Suddenly he threw himself forward with his sword at the same instant -that the beast fell upon him. The encounter was brutal, savage. For an -instant man and beast formed one confused mass, and thus advanced a few -paces. No one could see who was the conqueror; the man with one arm and -part of his body between the two horns; or the brute lowering his head -and fighting to catch on those horns the brilliantly coloured golden -puppet which seemed to be slipping away from him. - -At last the group separated. The muleta remained on the ground like a -rag, and the fighter, his hands empty, emerged staggering from the -impetus of the shock, till some distance away he recovered his -equilibrium. His clothes were disordered, and the cravat floating -outside the waistcoat was gashed and torn by the bull's horns. - -The bull continued its rush with the impetus of the first charge. On its -broad neck, the red pommel of the sword, buried up to the hilt scarcely -could be seen. Suddenly it stopped short in its career, rolling with a -painful curtseying motion; then folded its fore-legs, bent its head till -its bellowing muzzle touched the sand, and finally subsided in -convulsions of agony. - -It seemed as though the whole Plaza were falling down, as if all its -bricks were rattling against one another; as if the crowd was going to -fly in panic, when all rose suddenly to their feet, pale, trembling, -gesticulating, waving their arms. Dead! What a sword thrust!... They had -all thought for a second, that the matador was impaled on the bull's -horns, all thought they would assuredly see him fall bleeding on the -sand, but now they saw him, standing there, still giddy from the shock, -but smiling!... The surprise and astonishment of it all increased their -enthusiasm. - -"Oh! the brute!" ... they roared from the benches, not finding any -better word with which to express their unbounded astonishment.... "What -a savage!"... - -Hats flew into the arena. Overwhelming rounds of applause ran like a -torrent of hail from bench to bench, as the matador advanced through the -arena, following the circle of the barriers, till he arrived opposite -the presidential chair. - -Then as Gallardo opened his arms to salute the president, the thundering -ovation redoubled, all shouted claiming the honours of the -"maestria"[42] for the matador. "He ought to be given the ear."[43] -"Never was the honour better deserved." "Sword-thrusts like that are -seldom seen," and the enthusiasm waxed even greater when one of the -attendants of the Plaza presented him with a dark, hairy, bloody -triangle; it was the tip of one of the beast's ears. - -The third bull was already in the circus, and still the ovation to -Gallardo continued, as if the audience had not recovered from its -astonishment, and nothing that could possibly happen during the rest of -the corrida could be of the slightest interest. - -The other toreros, pale with professional jealousy, exerted themselves -to attract the attention of the public, but the applause they gained -sounded weak and timid after the outburst that had preceded it. The -public seemed exhausted by their former excess of enthusiasm, and only -paid absent-minded attention to the fresh events unfolding themselves in -the arena. - -Soon violent disputes arose between the rows of seats. - -The supporters of the other matadors who by this time had become calm, -and had recovered from the wave of enthusiasm which had mastered them in -common with everyone else, began to justify their former spontaneous -outburst by criticising Gallardo. - -"Very brave," "very daring," "suicidal," but that was not art. On the -other hand the worshippers of the idol who were even more vehement and -brutal, and who admired his audacity from innate sympathy, were rabid -with the rage of zealots who hear doubts cast on the miracles of their -own particular saint. - -Various minor incidents which caused commotion amidst the benches also -distracted the attention of the audience. Suddenly there was a commotion -in some section of the amphitheatre. Everybody stood up, turning their -backs on the arena, and arms and sticks were flourished above the sea of -heads. The rest of the audience forgot the arena, and concentrated their -attention on the fracas, and the large numbers painted on the walls of -the inside barrier, which distinguished the blocks of seats. - -"A fight in No. 3!" they yelled joyfully. "Now there's a row in No. 5!" - -Finally the whole audience caught the contagion, got excited, and stood -up, each trying to look over his neighbour's head, but all they were -able to see was the slow ascent of the police, who pushed a way for -themselves from bench to bench, and finally reached the group where the -disturbance was going on. - -"Sit down!" ... shouted the more peaceable, who were prevented from -seeing the arena, where the toreros were continuing their work. - -The general tumult was gradually calmed and the rows of heads round the -circular line of benches resumed their previous regularity during the -progress of the corrida. But the audience seemed to have its nerves -over-strained, and gave vent to its feelings, by uncalled-for animosity, -or contemptuous silence towards certain of the fighters. - -The crowd, exhausted by its previous outburst of emotion, regarded all -that followed as insipid, and so diverted its boredom by eating and -drinking. The refreshment sellers of the Plaza walked round between the -barriers, throwing up the articles asked for with marvellous dexterity. -Oranges flew like golden balls up to the very highest benches, in a -straight line from the hands of the seller to that of the buyer, as if -drawn by a thread. Bottles of aerated drinks were opened, and the golden -wine of Andalusia shone in the glasses. - -Soon a current of curiosity ran round the seats. Fuentes was going to -fix banderillas in his bull, and everyone expected something -extraordinarily dexterous and graceful. He advanced alone into the midst -of the Plaza, with the banderillas in his hand, quiet and -self-possessed, moving slowly, as if he were beginning some game. The -bull followed his movements with anxious eyes, astonished to see this -man alone in front of him, after the previous hurly-burly of outspread -cloaks, cruel pikes sticking into his neck, and horses which placed -themselves in front of his horns, as if offering themselves to his -attack. - -The man hypnotised the beast, approaching so close as even to touch his -pole with the banderillas. Then with short tripping steps he ran away, -pursued by the bull, which followed him as though fascinated, to the -opposite end of the Plaza. The animal seemed cowed by the fighter, and -obeyed his every movement, until at last, thinking the game had lasted -long enough, the man opened his arms with a dart in either hand, drew up -his graceful slim figure on tip-toe, and advancing towards the bull with -majestic tranquillity, fixed the coloured darts in the neck of the -surprised animal. - -Three times he performed this feat, amid the acclamations of the -audience. Those who thought themselves "connoisseurs" now had their -revenge for the explosion of admiration provoked by Gallardo. This was -what a true torero should be! This was real art! - -Gallardo stood by the barrier, wiping the sweat from his face with a -towel handed to him by Garabato. Afterwards he drank some water, and -turned his back on the circus, so as not to see the prowess of his -rival. Outside the Plaza he esteemed his rivals with the fraternity -established by danger; but once they trod the arena they all became his -enemies and their triumphs pained him like insults. This general -enthusiasm for Fuentes which obscured his own great triumphs seemed to -him like robbery. On the appearance of the fifth bull, which was his, he -leapt into the arena, burning to astonish everybody by his prowess. - -If a picador fell he spread his cloak and drew the bull to the other end -of the arena, bewildering it with a succession of cloak play that left -the beast motionless. Then Gallardo would touch it on the muzzle with -one foot, or would take off his montero and lay it between the animal's -horns. Again and again he took advantage of its stupefaction and exposed -his stomach in an audacious challenge, or knelt close to it as though -about to lie down beneath its nose. - -Under their breath the old aficionados muttered "monkey tricks!" -"Buffooneries that would not have been tolerated in former days!"... -But amidst the general shouts of approval they were obliged to keep -their opinion to themselves. - -When the signal for the banderillas was given, the audience was amazed -to see Gallardo take the darts from El Nacional, and advance with them -towards the bull. There was a shout of protest. "He with the -banderillas!"... They all knew his failing in that respect. Banderilla -play was only for those who had risen in their career step by step, who -before arriving at being matadors had been banderilleros for many years -by the side of their masters, and Gallardo had begun at the other end, -killing bulls from the time he first began in the Plaza. - -"No! No!" shouted the crowd. - -Doctor Ruiz yelled and thumped inside the barrier. - -"Leave that alone, lad! You know well enough what is wanted. Kill!" - -But Gallardo despised his audience, and was deaf to its advice when his -daring impulses came over him. In the midst of the din he went straight -up to the bull, and before it moved--Zas! he stuck in the -banderillas.[44] The pair were out of place and badly driven in. One of -them fell out with the animal's start of surprise, but this did not -signify. With the tolerance that a crowd always has for its idol -excusing, even justifying, its shortcomings, the spectators watched this -daring act smilingly. Gallardo, rendered still more audacious, took a -second pair of banderillas and stuck them in, regardless of the warnings -of those who feared for his life. This feat he repeated a third time, -badly, but with such dash, that what would have provoked hisses for -another, produced only explosions of admiration for him. "What a man! -How luck helped that fearless man!"... - -The bull carried four banderillas instead of six, and those were so -feebly planted that it scarcely seemed to feel the discomfort. - -"He is still fresh!"[45] shouted the aficionados from the benches, -alluding to the bull, while Gallardo with his montero on his head, -grasping rapier and muleta in his hands, advanced towards him, proud and -calm, trusting to his lucky star. - -"Out--all of you!" he cried again. - -He turned his head, feeling that some one was remaining close to him -regardless of his orders. It was Fuentes a few steps behind him who had -followed him with his cloak on his arm pretending not to have heard, but -ready to rush to his assistance, as if he foresaw some accident. - -"Leave me, Antonio," said Gallardo half angrily, and yet respectfully, -as if he were speaking to an elder brother. - -His manner was such that Fuentes shrugged his shoulders disclaiming all -responsibility. Turning his back he moved slowly away, certain that he -would be suddenly required. - -Gallardo spread his cloth on the very head of the wild beast, which at -once attacked it. A pass. "Ole!" roared the enthusiasts. The animal -turned suddenly, throwing itself again on the torero with a violent toss -of its head that tore the muleta out of his hand. Finding himself -disarmed and attacked he was obliged to run for the barrier, but at this -instant Fuentes' cloak diverted the animal's charge. Gallardo, who -guessed during his flight the cause of the bull's sudden distraction, -did not leap the barrier, but sat on the step and there remained some -moments watching his enemy a few paces off. His flight ended in applause -of this display of calmness. - -He recovered his muleta and rapier, carefully re-arranged the red cloth, -and once again placed himself in front of the brute's head, but this -time not so calmly. The lust of slaughter dominated him, an intense -desire to kill as soon as possible the animal which had forced him to -fly in the sight of thousands of admirers. - -He scarcely moved a step. Thinking that the decisive moment had come he -squared himself, the muleta low, and the pommel of the rapier raised to -his eyes. - -Again the audience protested, fearing for his life. - -"Don't strike! Stop!"... "O..h!" - -An exclamation of horror shook the whole Plaza; a spasm which made all -rise to their feet, their eyes starting, whilst the women hid their -faces, or convulsively clutched at the arm nearest them. - -As the matador struck, the sword glanced on a bone. This mischance -retarded his escape, and caught by one of the horns he was hooked up by -the middle of his body, and despite his weight and strength of muscle, -this well-built man was lifted, was twirled about on its point like a -helpless dummy until the powerful beast with a toss of its head sent him -flying several yards away. The torero fell with a thump on the sand with -his limbs spread wide apart, just like a frog dressed up in silk and -gold. - -"It has killed him!" "He is gored in the stomach!" they yelled from the -seats. - -But Gallardo picked himself up from among the medley of cloaks and men -which rushed to his rescue. With a smile he passed his hands over his -body, and then shrugged his shoulders to show he was not hurt. Nothing -but the force of the blow and a sash in rags. The horn had only torn the -strong silk belt. - -He turned to pick up his "killing weapons."[46] None of the spectators -sat down, as they guessed that the next encounter would be brief and -terrible. Gallardo advanced towards the bull with a reckless excitement, -as if he discredited the powers of its horns now he had emerged unhurt. -He was determined to kill or to die. There must be neither delay nor -precautions. It must be either the bull or himself! He saw everything -red just as if his eyes were bloodshot, and he only heard, like a -distant sound from the other world, the shouts of the people who -implored him to keep calm. - -He only made two passes with the help of a cloak which lay near him, -and then suddenly quick as thought like a spring released from its catch -he threw himself on the bull, planting a thrust, as his admirers said, -"like lightning." He thrust his arm in so far, that as he drew back from -between the horns, one of them grazed him, sending him staggering -several steps. But he kept his feet, and the bull, after a mad rush, -fell at the opposite side of the Plaza, with its legs doubled beneath it -and its poll touching the sand, until the "puntillero"[47] came to give -the final dagger thrust. - -The crowd seemed to go off its head with delight, A splendid corrida! -All were surfeited with excitement. "That man Gallardo didn't steal -their cash, he paid back their entrance money with interest." The -aficionados would have enough to keep them talking for three days at -their evening meetings in the Cafe. What a brave fellow! What a savage! -And the most enthusiastic looked all around them in a fever of pugnacity -to find anyone that disagreed with them. - -"He's the finest matador in the world!... If anyone dares to deny it, -I'm here, ready for him." - -The rest of the corrida scarcely attracted any attention. It all seemed -insipid and colourless after Gallardo's great feats. - -When the last bull fell in the arena, a swarm of boys, low class -hangers-on, and bull-ring apprentices invaded the circus. They -surrounded Gallardo, and escorted him in his progress from the -president's chair to the door of exit. They pressed round him, anxious -to shake his hands, or even to touch his clothes, till finally the -wildest spirits, regardless of the blows of El Nacional and the other -banderilleros, seized the "Maestro" by the legs, and hoisting him on -their shoulders, carried him in triumph round the circus and galleries -as far as the outbuildings of the Plaza. - -Gallardo raising his montero saluted the groups who cheered his -progress. With his gorgeous cape around him he let himself be carried -like a god, erect and motionless, above the sea of Cordovan hats and -Madrid caps, whence issued enthusiastic rounds of cheers. - -When he was seated in his carriage, passing down the Calle de Alcala, -hailed by the crowds who had not seen the corrida but who had already -heard of his triumphs, a smile of pride, of delight in his own strength, -illuminated his face perspiring and pale with excitement. - -El Nacional, still anxious about his Master's accident and terrible -fall, asked if he was in pain, and whether Doctor Ruiz should be -summoned. - -"No, it was only a caress, nothing more.... The bull that can kill me is -not born yet." - -But as though in the midst of his pride some remembrance of his former -weakness had surged up, and he thought he saw a sarcastic gleam in El -Nacional's eye, he added: - -"Those feelings come over me before I go to the Plaza.... Something like -women's fancies. You are not far wrong Sebastian. What's your saying?... -"God _or_ Nature"; that's it. Neither God _or_ Nature meddle with -bull-fighting affairs. Every one comes out of it as best he can, by his -own skill or his own courage, there is no protection to be had from -either earth or heaven.... You have talents, Sebastian; you ought to -have studied for a profession." - -In the optimism of his triumph he regarded the banderillero as a sage, -quite forgetting the laughter with which at other times he had always -greeted his very involved reasonings. - -On arriving at his lodging he found a crowd of admirers in the lobby -waiting to embrace him. His exploits, to judge from their hyperbolic -language, had become quite different, so much did their conversation -exaggerate and distort them, even during the short drive from the Plaza -to the hotel. - -Upstairs he found his room full of friends. Gentlemen who called him -"tu" and who imitated the rustic speech of the peasantry, shepherds, -herdsmen, and such like, slapping him on the back and saying, "You were -splendid ... absolutely first class." - -Gallardo freed himself from this warm reception, and went out into the -passage with Garabato. - -"Go and send off the telegram home. You know--'nothing new.'" - -Garabato excused himself, he wished to help his master to undress. The -hotel people would undertake to send off the wire. - -"No: I want you to do it. I will wait.... There's another telegram too -that you must send. You know for whom it is--for that lady, for Dona -Sol.... Also 'nothing new.'" - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[2] "Good shadow"--lucky. - -[3] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[4] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[5] Two Matadors. "Little Lizard" and "Flask." - -[6] Frascuelo dressed in black in the bull-ring on account of his -political opinions. - -[7] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[8] A cafe specially frequented by toreros. - -[9] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[10] Easter. - -[11] Aficion. _Vide_ Glossary. - -[12] The knot of hair, dressed with ribbons, worn at the back of the -head by toreros, principally to lessen the shock of a fall. The Mona was -only "lowered" when a torero retired finally from the ring, either on -account of age or inefficiency. - -[13] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[14] Garabato. Balafre--scarred. - -[15] The Snail. - -[16] Lettuce seller. - -[17] A kind of Anisette made at Cazalla, in the Sierra Morena. - -[18] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[19] Muira, a famous breeder whose bulls have a reputation for ferocity. - -[20] About L40. A peseta is worth about 9-1/2 d. - -[21] A contraction of "Vuestra Merced"--Your Worship. The usual Spanish -address to an equal or superior. - -[22] Mozo d'estoque--sword or rapier, about a yard long, sharpened on -both sides. The hilt is very small, in the shape of a cross, and is -bound round with red stuff to give a better hold. At the top of the hilt -is a knob which fits into the palm of the hand and strengthens the -thrust. - -[23] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[24] A small portmanteau. Term applied to a torero's valet, but an -insult if applied to a torero. - -[25] Maestro--one high up in the profession. - -[26] Before the fight the bulls are divided and those chosen for the -day's work are put into separate boxes or stalls. - -[27] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[28] Nickname of one of the banderilleros forming part of Gallardo's -cuadrilla. - -[29] Old Spanish head-dress, a kind of net. - -[30] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[31] Toreador's small round hat, like a pork pie. - -[32] Procession cape. - -[33] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[34] These servants have to strip the harness off dead horses and -sprinkle sand over the pools of blood. - -[35] The name of a fountain. - -[36] 'Of the stables.' - -[37] _Vide_ Glossary. - -[38] Banderilleros, Chulos, etc., who fight on foot. - -[39] Lit.:--excitement. - -[40] Square of red silk fastened to a wand--used to irritate the bull -and to throw over his eyes as he charges. - -[41] Brindis.--The matador has to declare before the president in whose -honour--man or woman--he will kill the bull. There is an ancient formula -used: "I dedicate this bull to so and so--either I will kill him or he -will kill me." He then throws his montero on the ground behind him and -fights the bull bareheaded. - -[42] Maestria--complete knowledge. - -[43] As the fox's brush or otter's pad is given with us. - -[44] The banderillas ought to be evenly and symmetrically placed in -pairs--three pairs is the proper complement. - -[45] Term applied to a bull which, after much punishment, is still -plucky and strong. - -[46] Trastos de Matar. - -[47] A man who finishes the bull with a dagger thrust. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -When the husband of Senora Angustias died, the Senor Juan Gallardo, an -excellent cobbler long established under a doorway in the suburb de la -Feria, she wept as disconsolately as was appropriate to the event, but -at the same time in the bottom of her heart, she felt the comfort of one -who rests after a long march, and lays down an overwhelming burden. - -"Poor dear soul! God has him in His glory! So good! ... so hard -working!"... - -During the twenty years of their life together, he had not given her -more troubles than those endured by the other women in the suburb. Of -the three pesetas that, one day with another, he earned by his work, he -gave one to the Senora Angustias for the maintenance of the house and -the family, reserving the other two for the up-keep of his own person, -and the expenses of the "representacions."[48] He must respond to the -civilities of his friends when they invited him to drink a glass, and -the wine of Andalusia, although it is the glory of God, costs dear. -Besides he must inevitably go to the bull-fights, for a man who neither -drinks nor attends corridas ... why is he in the world at all?... - -The Senora Angustias, left with her two children, Encarnacion and Juan, -had to sharpen her wits and develop a multiplicity of talents to carry -the family along. She worked as charwoman in the wealthiest houses in -the suburb, sewed for the neighbours, mended clothes and laces for a -certain pawnbroking friend of hers, made cigarettes for gentlemen, -availing herself of the dexterity acquired in her youth when the Senor -Juan, an ardent and wheedling lover, used to wait for her at the -entrance of the Tobacco factory. - -She never had to complain of infidelities or bad treatment on the part -of the defunct. On Saturdays when he returned to the house in the small -hours of the night, tipsy, supported by his friends, happiness and -tenderness came with him. The Senora Angustias was obliged forcibly to -push him in, for he persisted in remaining at the door, clapping his -hands, and chanting doleful love songs in a drivelling voice, all in -praise of his voluminous companion. And when at last the door was closed -behind him, and the neighbours deprived of a source of amusement, the -Senor Juan, in the fullness of his drunken sentimentality would insist -on seeing the little ones, kissing them and wetting them with huge -tears, all the while chanting his love songs in honour of the Senora -Angustias (Ole! The best woman in the world!) and the good woman ended -by relaxing her frown and laughing, while she undressed him, and petted -him like a sick child. - -This was his only vice. Poor dear! ... of women or gambling there was -never a sign. His selfishness in going well dressed while his family -were in rags, and the inequality in the division of the proceeds of his -work, were compensated for by generous treats. The Senora Angustias -remembered with pride how on the great holidays Juan made her put on her -Manila silk shawl, the wedding mantilla, and with the children in front -walked by her side in a white Cordovan sombrero, with a silver headed -stick, taking a turn through las Delicias,[49] looking just like a -family of tradespeople of the Calle de las Sierpes. On the days of cheap -bull-fights he would treat her magnificently before going to the Plaza, -offering her a glass of Manzanilla in La Campana, or in a cafe of the -Plaza Nueva. - -This happy time was now nothing but a faded though pleasant recollection -in the poor woman's memory. - -Senor Juan became ill of consumption, and for two years his wife had to -nurse him, working harder than ever at her various jobs to make up for -the peseta that her husband formerly gave her. Finally he died in the -hospital, resigned to his fate, having come to the conclusion that life -was worth nothing without bulls and Manzanilla. His last looks of love -and gratitude were for his wife, as though he were crying out with his -eyes, "Ole! the best woman in the world!"... - -When the Senora Angustias was left alone, her situation became no worse; -on the contrary, she was much less hampered in her movements, freed from -the man who in the last two years of his life had weighed more heavily -on her than all the rest of the family. Being a woman of prompt and -energetic action, she immediately struck out a line for her children. -Encarnacion, who was now seventeen, went to the Tobacco factory, where -her mother was able to introduce her, thanks to her relations with -certain friends of her youth, who were now overseers. Juanillo, who from -his babyhood had spent his days under the doorway in the suburb de la -Feria, watching his father work, should become a shoemaker, by the will -of Senora Angustias. - -She took him away from school, where he had only learnt to read very -badly, and at twelve years old he was apprenticed to one of the best -shoemakers in Seville. - -Now commenced the martyrdom of the poor woman. Ay! that urchin. The son -of such honoured parents!... Almost every day instead of going to his -master's shop, he would go to the slaughter-house with certain -ragamuffins, who had their meeting place on a bench in the Alameda de -Hercules, and for the amusement of shepherds and slaughtermen, would -venture to throw a cloak before the oxen, frequently getting knocked -over and trampled. The Senora Angustias, who watched many nights needle -in hand, so that her son should go decently clad to the workshop in -clean clothes, would find him at the house door, afraid to come in, but -from the extremity of his hunger equally afraid to run away, with his -trousers torn, his jacket filthy, and bruises and grazes on his face. - -To the bruises of the treacherous oxen would be added his mother's blows -and beatings with a broomstick: but the hero of the slaughter-house -endured everything, as long as he could get his poor pittance, "Beat me, -but give me something to eat," and with an appetite sharpened by the -violent exercise, he would swallow the hard bread, the weevilled beans, -the putrefied salt cod, all the damaged goods that the thrifty woman -found in the shops, which enabled her to maintain the family on very -little money. - -Busy all day scrubbing the floors of other people's houses, it was only -now and again in the evenings that she was able to look after her son, -going to his master's shop to enquire about the apprentice's progress. -When she returned from the shoemaker's she was usually panting with -rage, promising herself to administer the most stupendous punishments in -order to correct the rascal. - -On most days he never went near the shop at all. He spent the mornings -at the slaughter-house, and in the evenings formed one of a group of -other vagabonds at the entrance of the Calle de las Sierpes, prowling -round the groups of toreros without contracts, who assembled in La -Campana, dressed in new clothes with spick and span hats, and scarcely a -peseta between them in their pockets, each one boasting of his own -imaginary exploits. - -Juanillo viewed them as creatures of amazing superiority, he envied -their fine carriage, and the coolness with which they ogled the women. -The idea that each one of those men had in his house a set of silk -clothes embroidered with gold, and being dressed in these would march -past before the crowd to the sound of music, produced a shiver of -respect. - -The son of Senora Angustias was known to all his ragged companions as -"Zapaterin,"[50] and he seemed delighted at having a nickname, like -almost all the great men who appeared in the circus. Everything must -have a beginning. Round his neck he wore a red handkerchief filched from -his sister, and from beneath his cap the hair fell over his ears in long -locks, which he smoothed with saliva. He wanted to have his drill -blouses made short to the waist with many pleats, his trousers, old -remains of his father's wardrobe, high in the waist, full in the legs, -well fitting over the hips; and he wept with humiliation when his mother -would not give in to these requirements. - -A cape! Oh! to possess a fighting cape, not to have to implore the loan -of the coveted garment for a few moments from others more fortunate than -himself!... In a small room in their house lay an old empty mattress -from which Senora Angustias had sold the wool in days of distress. The -Zapaterin spent one morning shut up in that room, taking advantage of -his mother's absence, who was working that day at a canon's house. With -the ingenuity of a ship-wrecked man, left to his own resources on a -desert island, who has to make everything for himself, he cut out a -fighting cape from the damp and ravelled linen. Afterwards he boiled in -a pipkin a handful of red aniline which he had bought at a druggists, -and dipped the old linen in the dye. Then Juanillo looked at the result -of his work. A cape of the most brilliant scarlet which would arouse -many envies at the "capeas" in different villages!... It only wanted -drying. So he hung it in the sun among the neighbours' white clothes. -The wind waving the dripping rag, spotted the neighbouring garments, and -a chorus of maledictions and threats, of clenched fists, and mouths -uttering the most abusive words against him and his mother, obliged the -Zapaterin to seize his cape of glory and bolt; his hands and face -covered with red, as if he had just committed a murder. - -The Senora Angustias was a strong woman, obese and mustachioed, who -feared no man, and compelled respect from other women by her energetic -determination, but with her son she was weak and soft-hearted. What -could she do?... She had laid violent hands on every part of the boy's -body, and broom sticks had been broken with no apparent result. That -cursed one, said she, had the hide of a dog. Accustomed out of the house -to the tremendous butting of the calves, the cruel tramplings of the -cows, to the sticks of the herdsmen and slaughtermen, who thrashed the -tauric aspirants without mercy, his mother's blows seemed a natural -event, a continuation of his out-door life prolonged into his family -life, which he accepted without the slightest intention of amendment, as -a fine he had to pay in return for food. So he gnawed the hard bread -with starving gluttony, while the maternal blows and maledictions rained -on his shoulders. - -As soon as his hunger was satisfied he ran away from the house, availing -himself of the liberty perforce left by Senora Angustias, who was -absent, busy at her tasks. - -In La Campana, the venerable agora of tauric gossip, where all the great -news of the "aficion" circulated, he got tidings from his friends which -made him tremble with delight. - -"Zapaterin, there is a corrida to-morrow." - -The country villages celebrated the feast-day of their patron saint by -"capeas" of already[51] tried bulls, and there the young toreros walked, -in the hope of being able to say on their return, that they had spread -their cloaks in the celebrated Plazas of Aznalcollar, Bollullos or -Mairena. They would begin their journey at night, with their cloaks over -their shoulders if it were summer, or wrapped round them if it were -winter, their stomachs empty, talking all the time of bulls. - -If their tramp lasted several days they would camp on the ground, or be -admitted out of charity to the hay-loft of some inn. Alas! for the -grapes, the melons and the figs they came across on their way in the -warm season. Their only anxiety was lest some other party, some other -cuadrilla should have had the same inspiration, and would arrive in the -town before them, thus establishing a rough competition. - -When they came to the end of their journey, their brows dusty and their -mouths parched, tired and foot weary from the tramp, they presented -themselves before the alcalde, and the boldest among them, who fulfilled -the functions of director spoke of the merits of the troup, who thought -themselves lucky if municipal generosity lodged them in the inn stables, -and gave them in addition an "olla"[52] which was emptied in a few -seconds. - -In the square of the town, enclosed with carts and boarded scaffolding, -old bulls would be loosed, veritable castles of flesh, covered with -seams and scars, with enormous sharp horns, brutes that for many years -had been baited at all the holidays in the province, venerable animals -who "knew Latin."[53] Their cunning was so great that accustomed to the -perpetual baiting they were in the secrets of all the possibilities of -the fight. The boys of the town pricked these beasts from a safe place, -and the people derived more amusement from the "toreros" from Seville -even than from the bull. The youngsters spread their cloaks with -trembling legs, but their hearts comforted by the weight in their -stomachs. There was great delight among the crowd when any one of them -was knocked over; and when any lad among them in sudden terror took -refuge behind the palisades, the peasant barbarians received him with -insults, striking the hands clutching hold of the wood, and thrashing -him on the legs to make him jump again into the Plaza. "Arre, coward! -show your face to the bull. Cheat!" - -Sometimes one of the "diestros" would be carried out of the Plaza by -four of his companions, pale with the whiteness of paper, his eyes -glassy, his head hanging, and his breast heaving like a broken bellows. -The barber would arrive, reassuring them all as he saw no blood, it was -only the shock the lad had suffered in being tossed to a distance of -several yards, and falling on the ground like a bundle of clothes. At -other times it was the agony of being trampled under foot by some -enormously heavy animal; then a pail of water would be dashed on his -head, and when he recovered his senses, he would be treated to a long -draught of aguardiente from Cazalla de la Sierra. Not even a prince -could be better cared for, and back he went to the Plaza again. - -When the grazier had no more bulls to loose and night was beginning to -fall, two of the cuadrilla, choosing the best cloak of the company, and -holding it by the corners, would go from stand to stand asking for some -gratuity. Copper money would rain into the red cloth according to the -amusement the strangers had given to the inhabitants, and the corrida -being ended they would recommence their tramp home, knowing their credit -at the inn was exhausted. Very often on the way home they quarrelled -over the division of the coins which were carried tied up in a -handkerchief. - -All the rest of the week would be spent narrating their exploits before -the wide open eyes of the chums who had not been of the expedition. They -would tell of their "veronicas"[54] in El Garrobo, of their -"navarras"[55] in Lora, or of a terrible goring in El Pedroso, imitating -the airs and attitudes of the true professionals, who, a few steps away -from them, were consoling themselves for their failure to get contracts, -by every sort of bragging and lies. - -On one occasion the Senora Angustias was more than a week without news -of her son. At last vague rumours came that he had been wounded in a -"capea" at the village of Tocino. Dios mio! Where might that village be? -How should she get to it?... She made sure her son was dead and wept for -him, nevertheless she wished to go to the place herself. While, however, -she was considering the journey Juanillo arrived, pale and weak, but -speaking with manly pride of his accident. - -It was nothing. A prick in the buttock, which, with the shamelessness -born of his triumph he wished to show to all the neighbours, declaring -that he could put his finger in several inches without its coming to the -end. He was proud of the smell of iodoform which he dispersed as he -passed, and he spoke gratefully of the attentions which had been paid to -him in that town, which, according to him, was the finest in all Spain. -The richest people there, the aristocracy as one might say, were -interested in his mishap, and the alcalde had been to see him, -afterwards giving him his return fare. He still had three duros in his -purse, which he made over to his mother with the air of a grand -gentleman. So much fame at fourteen! His pride was all the greater when -in La Campana, several toreros (real toreros) deigned to take notice of -him, enquiring how his wound was getting on. - -After this accident he never again returned to his master's shop. He -knew now what bulls were, and his wound only served to increase his -boldness. He would be a torero; and nothing but a torero! The Senora -Angustias abandoned all her projects of correction, judging them to be -useless. She tried to ignore her son's existence. When he arrived home -at night, at the time his mother and sister were supping together, they -gave him his food in silence, intending to crush him with their -contempt, but this in no way interfered with his appetite. If he arrived -late, they did not even keep a scrap of bread for him, and he was -obliged to go out again, as empty as he had come in. - -He was one of the evening promenaders in the Alameda de Hercules, with -other vicious-eyed lads, a confused mixture of apprentices, criminals, -and toreros. The neighbours met him sometimes in the streets talking to -young gentlemen whose airs made the women laugh, or grave caballeros to -whom slander gave feminine nicknames. Sometimes he would sell -newspapers, or during the great festivals of Holy Week he would sell -packets of caramels in the Plaza de San Francisco. At the time of the -fair, he would loiter about the hotels waiting for an "Englishman," -because for him all travellers were English, hoping to be engaged as -guide. - -"Milord!... I am a torero!" ... he would say, seeing a foreign figure, -as if this professional qualification was an undeniable recommendation -to strangers. - -In order to establish his identity, he would take off his cap, letting -the pigtail fall down behind, the long lock of hair which as a rule he -wore rolled up on the top of his head. - -His companion in wretchedness was Chiripa, a lad of the same age, small -of body and malicious of eye. He had neither father nor mother, and had -wandered about Seville ever since he could remember anything. He -exercised over Juanillo all the influence of greater experience. He had -one cheek scarred by a bull's horn, and this visible wound the Zapaterin -considered greatly superior to his invisible one. - -When at the door of an hotel some lady, bitten by the idea of "local -colour," spoke with the young toreros, admired their pig-tails, listened -to the stories of their exploits, and ended by giving them some money, -Chiripa would say in a whining voice. - -"Do not give it to him, he has a mother, and I am alone in the world. He -who has a mother does not know what he has!" - -And the Zapaterin, seized with a feeling of compunction, would allow the -other lad to take possession of all the money, murmuring: - -"That is true; that is true." - -This filial tenderness did not prevent Juanillo continuing his abnormal -existence, only putting in an occasional appearance at Senora Angustias' -house, and often undertaking long journeys away from Seville. - -Chiripa was a past master of a vagabond life. On the days of a corrida -he would make up his mind to get into the Plaza de Toros somehow with -his comrade, and would employ for this end every sort of stratagem, such -as scaling the walls, slipping in among the people unperceived, or even -softening the officials by humble prayers. A fiesta taurina,[56] and -they who were of the profession not there to see it!... When there were -no "capeas" in the provincial towns, they would go and spread their -cloaks before the young bulls in the pastures of Tablada. These -attractions of Sevillian life, however, were not sufficient to satisfy -their ambition. - -Chiripa had wandered much, and told his companion of all the things he -had seen in the distant provinces. He was expert in the art of -travelling gratuitously and hiding himself cleverly on the trains. The -Zapaterin listened with delight to his description of Madrid, that city -of dreams with its Bull-ring, which was a kind of Cathedral of -bull-fighting. - -One day a gentleman at the door of a cafe in the Calle de las Sierpes -told them, in order to take a rise out of them, that they might earn a -great deal of money in Bilbao, as toreros did not abound there as they -did in Seville. So the two lads undertook the journey with empty purses, -and no luggage but their capes--real capes, which had belonged to -toreros whose names figured on placards, and bought by them for a few -reals in an old clothes shop. - -They crept cautiously into the trains, hiding themselves beneath the -seats, but hunger and other necessities obliged them to divulge their -presence to their fellow travellers, who ended by pitying their plight, -laughing at the queer figures they cut, with their pig-tails and capes, -and finally giving them the remains of their victuals. When any official -gave chase at the stations, they would run from carriage to carriage, or -try to climb on the roofs to await, lying flat, the starting of the -train. Many times they were caught, seized by the ears to the -accompaniment of blows and kicks, and left, standing on the platform of -a lonely station, to watch the train vanish like a lost hope. - -They would wait for the passing of the next train, bivouacing in the -open air, or if they found they were being watched would start to walk -over the deserted fields to the next station, in the hope that there -they would be more fortunate. And so they arrived at Madrid after an -adventurous journey of many days, with long waits and not a few cuffs. -In the Calle de Sevilla and the Puerta del Sol, they admired the groups -of unemployed toreros, superior beings, from whom they ventured to -beg--without any result--a little alms to continue their journey. A -servant of the Plaza de Toros who came from Seville had pity on them, -and let them sleep in the stables, procuring them further the delight of -seeing a corrida of young bulls in the famous circus, which, however, -did not seem to them as imposing as the one in their own country. - -Frightened at their own daring, and seeing the end of their excursion -ever further and further off, they decided to return to Seville in the -same way that they had come, but from that time they took a pleasure in -these stolen journeys on the railway. They travelled to many places of -small importance in the different Andalusian provinces, whenever they -heard vague rumours of "fiestas" with their corresponding "capeas." In -this way they travelled as far as La Mancha, and Estremadura, and if bad -luck obliged them to go on foot, they took refuge in the hovels of the -peasants, credulous, good-natured people, who were astounded at their -youth, their daring and their bombastic talk, and took them for real -toreros. - -This wandering existence made them exercise the cunning of primitive -man to satisfy their wants. In the neighbourhood of country houses, they -would crawl on their stomachs to steal the vegetables without being -seen. They would watch whole hours for a solitary hen to come near them, -and having wrung her neck would proceed on their tramp, to light a fire -of dry wood in the middle of the day, and swallow the poor bird scorched -and half raw with the voracity of little savages. The field mastiffs -they feared more than bulls; these watchdogs were difficult brutes to -fight, when they rushed upon the boys showing their fangs, as if the -strange aspect of the latter infuriated them and they scented enemies to -personal property. - -Sometimes when they were sleeping in the open air near a station waiting -for a train to pass, a couple of Civil Guards would rouse them. However, -the guardians of law and order were pacified when they saw the red cloth -bundles which served these vagabonds as pillows. Very civilly they would -take off the urchins' caps, and finding the hairy appendage of the -pig-tail, they would move off laughing, and make no further enquiries. -They were not little thieves; they were "aficionados" going to the -"capeas." In this tolerance there was a mixture of sympathy for the -national pastime, and respect towards the obscurity of the future. Who -could tell if perhaps one of these ragged lads, with poverty stricken -exterior, might not become in the future a "star of the art," a great -man who would pledge[57] bulls to kings, would live like a prince, and -whose exploits and sayings would be recorded in the newspapers! - -At last an evening came, when, in a town of Estremadura the Zapaterin -found himself alone. - -In order the more to astonish the rustic audience who were applauding -the famous toreros "come purposely from Seville," the two lads thought -they would fix banderillas in the neck of an old and very tricky bull. -Juanillo had fixed his darts in the beast's neck and stood near a -staging, delighting in receiving the popular ovation, which expressed -itself in tremendous thumps on his back and offers of glasses of wine. -An exclamation of horror startled him out of this intoxication of -triumph. Chiripa was no longer standing on the ground of the Plaza. -Nothing remained of him but the banderillas rolling on the ground, one -slipper and his cap. The bull was tossing his head as if irritated at -some obstacle, carrying impaled on one of his horns a bundle of clothes -like a doll. By violent head-shakes the shapeless bundle was flung off -the horn pouring out a red stream, but before it reached the ground it -was caught by the other horn, and twirled about for some time. At last -the luckless bundle fell into the dust, and lay there limp and lifeless, -pouring out blood, like a pierced wine skin letting out the wine in -jets. - -The grazier with his bell oxen drew the brute into the yard, for no one -dared to approach him, and the unhappy Chiripa was carried on a straw -mattress to a room in the Town Hall which usually served as a prison. -His companion saw him there with his face as white as plaster, his eyes -dull, and his body red with blood which the cloths soaked in -vinegar--applied in default of anything better--were unable to staunch. - -"Adio, Zapaterin!" he sighed. "Adio, Juaniyo!" and spoke no more. - -The dead lad's companion, quite overcome, started on his return to -Seville, haunted by those glassy eyes, hearing those moaning farewells. -He was afraid. A quiet cow crossing his path would have made him run. He -thought of his mother and the wisdom of her advice. Would it not be -better to devote himself to shoe-making and live quietly?... Those -ideas, however, only lasted as long as he was alone. - -On arriving in Seville he once more felt the influence of the pervading -atmosphere. His friends surrounded him anxious to hear every detail of -poor Chiripa's death. The professional toreros enquired about it in La -Campana, recalling pitifully the little rascal with the scarred face who -had run so many errands for them. Juan, fired by such marks of -consideration, gave rein to his powerful imagination, and described how -he had thrown himself on the bull when he saw his unlucky companion -caught, how he had seized the brute by the tail, with other portentous -exploits, in spite of which poor Chiripa had made his exit from this -world. - -This painful impression soon disappeared. He would be a torero and -nothing but a torero; if others became that, why not he? He thought of -the weevilled beans, and his mother's dry bread, of the abuse which each -new pair of trousers drew on him, of hunger, the inseparable companion -of so many of his expeditions. Besides he felt a vehement longing for -all the enjoyments and luxuries of life, he looked with envy at the -coaches and horses; he stood absorbed before the doorways of the great -houses, through whose iron wickets he could see court-yards of oriental -luxury, with arcades of Moorish tiles; floors of marble and murmuring -fountains, which dropped a shower of pearls day and night over basins -surrounded by green leaves. His fate was decided. He would kill bulls or -die. He would be rich, so that the newspapers should speak of him, and -people bow before him, even though it were at the cost of his life. He -despised the inferior ranks of the torero. He saw the banderilleros who -risked their lives, just like the masters of the profession, receive -thirty duros only for each corrida, and, after a life of fatigues and -gorings, with no future for their old age but some wretched little shop -started with their savings, or some employment at a slaughter-house. -Many died in hospitals; the majority begged for charity from their -younger companions. Nothing for him of banderilleros, or of spending -many years in a cuadrilla, under the despotism of a master! He would -kill bulls from the first and tread the sand of the Plazas as an espada -at once. - -The misfortune of poor Chiripa gave him a certain ascendancy among his -companions, and he formed a cuadrilla, a ragged cuadrilla who tramped -after him to the "capeas" in the villages. They respected him because he -was the bravest and the best dressed. Several girls of loose life -attracted by the manly beauty of the Zapaterin, who was now eighteen, -and also by the prestige of his pig-tail, quarrelled among themselves in -noisy rivalry, as to who should have the care of his comely person. -Added to this, he now reckoned on a Godfather, an old patron and former -magistrate, who had a weakness for smart young toreros, but whose -intimacy with her son made Senora Angustias furious, and caused her to -give vent to all the most obscene expressions she had learnt while she -was at the Tobacco factory. - -The Zapaterin wore suits of English woollen cloth well fitted to his -elegant figure, and his hats were always spick and span. His female -associates looked to the scrupulous whiteness of his collars and shirt -fronts, and on great days he wore over his waistcoat a double chain of -gold like ladies wear, a loan from his respected friend, which had -already figured round the necks of several youngsters who were beginning -their careers. - -He now mixed with the real toreros, and he could afford to stand treat -to the old servants who remembered the exploits of the famous masters. -It was rumoured as true, that certain patrons were working in favour of -this "lad," and were only waiting for a propitious occasion for his -debut, at the baiting of novillos[58] in the Plaza of Seville. - -The Zapaterin was already a matador. One day at Lebrija, a most lively -bull was turned into the arena, his companions egged him on to the -supreme feat: "Do you dare to put your hand to him?" ... and he did put -his hand. Afterwards, emboldened by the facility with which he had come -out of the peril, he went to all the "capeas" in which it was announced -that the novillos would be killed, and to all the farm houses where they -baited and killed cattle. - -The proprietor of La Rinconada--a rich grange with its own small -bull-ring--was an enthusiast, who kept the table laid, and his hay-loft -open for all the starving "aficionados" who wished to amuse themselves -fighting his cattle. Juanillo had been there in the days of his poverty -with other companions, to eat to the health of the rural hidalgo. They -would arrive on foot after a two days' tramp, and the proprietor seeing -the dusty troup with their bundles of cloaks would say solemnly: - -"To whoever does best, I will give his ticket to return to Seville by -train." - -The master of the farm spent two days smoking in the balcony of his -Plaza, whilst the youngsters from Seville fought his young bulls, being -often knocked over and pawed. - -"That's no use whatever, blunderer!" he would cry, reproving a cloak -pass ill delivered. - -"Up from the ground, coward!... And tell them to give you some wine to -get over your fright," ... he would shout when a lad continued lying -full length on the ground after a bull had passed over his body. - -The Zapaterin killed a novillo so much to the taste of its owner, that -the latter seated him at his own table, while his comrades remained in -the kitchen with the shepherds and labourers, dipping their horn spoons -into the common steaming pot. - -"You have earned your journey in the railway, Gacho. You will go far, if -your heart does not fail you. You have capabilities." - -When the Zapaterin began his return journey to Seville in a second-class -carriage, while the cuadrilla commenced theirs on foot, he thought a new -life was opening for him, and he cast looks of envy on the enormous -grange, with its extensive olive-yards, its mills, its pastures which -lost themselves to sight, on which thousands of goats grazed and bulls -and cows ruminated quietly with their legs tucked under them. What -wealth! If he could only some day arrive at possessing something -similar! - -The fame of his prowess in baiting the young bulls in the villages -reached Seville, attracting the notice of some of the restless and -insatiable amateurs, who were always hoping for the rise of a new star -to eclipse the existing ones. - -"He looks a promising lad" ... they said, seeing him pass along the -Calle de las Sierpes, with a short step swinging his arms proudly. "We -shall have to see him on the 'true ground.'" - -This ground for them and for the Zapaterin was the circus of the Plaza -of Seville. The youngster was soon to find himself face to face with -"the truth."[59] His protector had acquired for him a gala dress a -little used, the cast-off finery of some nameless matador. A corrida of -novillos was being organized for some charitable purpose, and some -influential amateurs, anxious for novelty, succeeded in including him -in the programme--gratuitously--as matador. - -The son of Senora Angustias would not allow himself to be announced on -the placards by his nickname of Zapaterin, which he wished to forget. He -would have nothing to do with nicknames, still less with any subordinate -employment. He wished to be known by his father's names, he intended to -be Juan Gallardo; and that no nickname should remind the great people, -who in the future would indubitably be his friends, of his low origin. - -All the suburb of la Feria rushed "en masse" to the corrida, with -turbulent and patriotic ardour. Those of la Macarena also showed their -interest, and all the other workmen's suburbs were roused to the same -enthusiasm. A new Sevillian Matador!... There were not places enough for -all, and thousands of people remained outside anxiously awaiting news of -the corrida. - -Gallardo baited, killed, was rolled over by a bull without being -wounded; keeping his audience on tenter hooks with his audacities, which -in most cases turned out luckily, provoking immense howls of enthusiasm. -Certain amateurs whose opinions were worthy of respect smiled -complacently. He still had a great deal to learn, but he had courage and -goodwill, which is the most important thing. Above all he goes in to -kill truly, and he is at last on the "true ground." - -During the corrida the good-looking girls, friends of the diestro, -rushed about frantic with enthusiasm, with hysterical contortions, -tearful eyes, and slobbering mouths, making use in broad daylight of all -the loving words they generally kept for night. One flung her cloak into -the arena, another, to go one better, her blouse and her stays, another -tore off her skirt, till the spectators seized hold of them laughing, -fearing they would throw themselves next into the arena, or remain in -their shifts. - -On the other side of the Plaza, the old magistrate smiled tenderly -under his white beard, admiring the youngster's courage, and thinking -how well the gala dress became him. On seeing him rolled over by the -bull, he threw himself back in his seat as if he were fainting. That was -too much for him. - -Between the barriers Encarnacion's husband strutted with pride, he was a -saddler with a small open shop; a prudent man, detesting vagrancy, he -had fallen in love with the cigarette maker's charms, and married her, -but on the express condition of having nothing to do with that bad lot, -her brother. - -Gallardo, offended by his brother-in-law's sour face, had never -attempted to set foot in his shop, situated on the outskirts of la -Macarena, neither had he ever ceased to use the ceremonious "Uste" when -he met him sometimes in the evening at Senora Angustias' house. - -"I am going to see how they will pelt that vagabond brother of yours -with oranges to make him run," he had said to his wife as he left for -the Plaza. - -But now from his seat he was applauding the diestro, shouting to him as -Juaniyo, calling him "tu," peacocking with delight when the youngster, -attracted by the shouting at last saw him, and replied with a wave of -his rapier. - -"He is my brother-in-law" ... explained the saddler, in order to attract -the attention of those around him. "I have always thought that youngster -would be something in the bull-fighting line. My wife and I have helped -him a great deal." - -The exit was triumphal. The crowd threw themselves on Juanillo, as if -they intended to devour him in their expansive delight. It was a mercy -his brother-in-law was there to restore order, to cover him with his -body, and conduct him to the hired carriage, in which he finally took -his seat by the side of the Novillero. - -When they arrived at the little house in the suburb of la Feria, an -immense crowd followed the carriage, and like all popular manifestations -they were shouting vivas which made the inhabitants run to their doors. -The news of his triumph had arrived before the diestro, and all the -neighbours ran to look at him and shake his hand. - -The Senora Angustias and her daughter were standing at the house door. -The saddler almost lifted his brother-in-law out in his arms, -monopolizing him, shouting and gesticulating in the name of the family -to prevent anyone touching him as though he were a sick man. - -"Here he is; Encarnacion"--he said pushing him towards his wife. "He is -the real Roger de Flor!"[60] - -Encarnacion did not need to ask any more, for she knew that her husband, -as a result of some far off and confused reading, considered this -historic personage as the embodiment of all greatness, and only ventured -to join his name to portentous events. - -Other neighbours who had come from the corrida insinuatingly flattered -Senora Angustias, as they looked admiringly at her portly figure. - -Blessed be the mother who bore so brave a son!... - -The poor woman's eyes wore an expression of bewilderment and doubt. -Could it be really her Juanillo who was making everyone run about so -enthusiastically?... Had they all gone mad? - -But suddenly she threw herself upon him, as if all the past had -vanished, as if her sorrows and rages were a dream; as if she were -confessing to a shameful error. Her enormous flabby arms were flung -round the torero's neck, and tears wetted one of his cheeks. - -"My son! Juaniyo!... If your poor father could see you!" - -"Don't cry, mother ... for this is a happy day. You will see. If God -gives me luck I will build you a house, and your friends shall see you -in a carriage, and you shall wear a Manila shawl which will make -everyone...." - -The saddler acknowledged those promises of grandeur with affirmative -nods, standing opposite his bewildered wife, who had not yet got over -her surprise at this radical change. "Yes, Encarnacion; this youngster -can do everything if he takes the trouble ... he was extraordinary! the -real Roger de Flor himself!" - -That night in the taverns of the people's suburbs, nothing was talked of -but Gallardo. - -The torero of the future. As startling as the roses! This lad will take -off the chignons[61] of all the Cordovan caliphs. - -In this speech Sevillian pride was latent, the perpetual rivalry with -the people of Cordova, also a country of fine bull-fighters. - -From that day forward Gallardo's life was completely changed. The -gentlemen saluted him and made him sit among them in front of the cafes. -The girls who formerly kept him from hunger, and looked after his -adornment found themselves little by little repelled with smiling -contempt. Even the old protector withdrew in view of certain rebuffs, -and transferred his tender friendship to other youths who were -beginning. - -The management of the Plaza de Toros sought out Gallardo, flattering him -as though he were already a celebrity. When his name was announced on -the placards, the result was certain: a bumper house. The rabble -applauded Senora Angustias' son with transports, telling tales of his -courage. Gallardo's renown soon spread throughout Andalusia, and the -saddler, without anyone having asked for his assistance, now mixed -himself up in everything, arrogating to himself the role of protector of -his brother-in-law's interests. - -He was a hard-headed man, very expert, according to himself, in -business, and he saw his line of life marked out for ever. - -"Your brother ..." he said at nights to his wife as they were going to -bed ... "wants a practical man at his side who will look after his -interest. Do you think it would be a bad thing for him to name me his -manager? It would be a great thing for him. He is better than Roger de -Flor! And for us...." - -The saddler's imagination pictured to himself the great wealth that -Gallardo would acquire, and he thought also of the five children he -already had and of the rest which would surely follow, for he was a man -of unwearied and prolific conjugal fidelity. Who knew if what the espada -earned might not eventually be for one of his nephews!... - -For a year and a half Juan killed novillos in the best Plazas in Spain. -His fame had even reached Madrid. The amateurs of that town were curious -to know the "Sevillian lad" of whom the newspapers spoke so much, and of -whom the intelligent Andalusians told such stories. - -Gallardo escorted by a party of friends from his own country, who were -living in Madrid, swaggered on the pavement of the Calle de Sevilla near -the Cafe Ingles. The girls smiled at his gallantries, fixing their eyes -on the torero's thick gold chain and his large diamonds, jewels bought -with his first earnings and on the credit of those of the future. A -matador ought to show by the adornment of his person, and also by his -generous treatment of everyone, that he has over and above enough -money. How distant those days seemed, when he and poor Chiripa, -vagabonds on that same pavement, in fear of the police, looked at the -toreros with wondering eyes and picked up the fag ends of their cigars! - -His work in Madrid was fortunate. He made friendships, and soon gathered -round him a party of enthusiasts, anxious for novelty, who also -proclaimed him "the torero of the future," protesting loudly at his not -yet having received "la alternativa." - -"He will earn money by basketsful, Encarnacion," said his -brother-in-law. "He will have millions, unless any bad accident happens -to him." - -The family life had completely changed. Gallardo, who now mixed with the -gentry of Seville, did not care for his mother to continue living in the -hovel of the days of her poverty. For his own part, he would have liked -to move into the best street in the town, but Senora Angustias wished to -remain faithful to the suburb of la Feria, with that love which simple -people feel as they grow older for the places in which their youth has -been spent. - -They now lived in a much better house. The mother no longer worked, and -the neighbours courted her, foreseeing in her a generous lender in their -days of distress. Juan, besides the heavy and startling jewelry with -which he adorned his person, possessed that supreme luxury of a torero, -a powerful sorrel mare, with a Moorish saddle, and a large blanket, -adorned with multi-coloured tassels rolled up on the bow. Mounted on her -he trotted through the streets, his only object being to receive the -homage of his friends who greeted his elegance with noisy Ole's. This -for the time being satisfied his desire for popularity. At other times -joining some gentlemen, the gallant cavalcade would ride to the pastures -of Tablada, on the eve of some great corrida, to inspect the cattle -that others were to kill. - -When I shall have received "la Alternativa" ... he said perpetually, -making all his plans for the future depend on this event. - -For that future time he also left several projects with which he -intended to surprise his mother; who, poor woman! already frightened by -the comfort which had crept suddenly into her house, would have thought -any farther augmentation an impossibility. - -At last the day of "la Alternativa" arrived, the public recognition of -Gallardo as matador. - -A celebrated master ceded his sword and muleta to him in the full circus -in Seville, the crowd were nearly mad with delight, seeing how he killed -with one sword thrust the first "formal"[62] bull which was placed -before him. The following month this doctorate of tauromachia was -countersigned in the Plaza in Madrid, where another no less celebrated -master gave him "la Alternativa" in a corrida of bulls from Muira. - -He was now no longer a novillero; he was a recognized matador, and his -name figured on the placards by the side of all the old espadas, whom he -had admired as unapproachable divinities, in the days when he went -through the little towns taking part in the "capeas." He remembered -having waited for one of them at a station near Cordova to beg a little -help from him as he passed with his cuadrilla. That night he had -something to eat, thanks to the fraternal generosity existing between -the people of the pigtail, and which made an espada living in princely -luxury give a duro and a cigar to the needy wretch who was trying his -first "capeas." - -Engagements began to pour in to the new espada. In all the Plazas of -the Peninsula they were curious to see him. The professional papers -popularized his portrait and his life, not without adding romantic -episodes to this latter. No matador had as many engagements as he had, -and it would not be long before he made a fortune. - -Antonio, his brother-in-law, viewed this success with scowling brow and -grumbling protests to his wife and his mother-in-law. The fellow was -ungrateful; it was the way of all those who rose too rapidly. Just think -how he had worked for Juan! How obstinately he had discussed matters -with Managers when they were arranging the runs of Novillos!... And now -that he was "Maestro" he had taken for agent a certain Don Jose, whom he -scarcely knew, who did not belong in any way to the family, and for whom -Gallardo had taken a great affection simply because he was an old -amateur. - -He will suffer for it; he ended by saying: "One can only have one -family. Where will he meet with affection like ours, who have known him -since his earliest childhood? So much the worse for him! With me, he -would have been like the real Roger...." - -But here he stopped short, swallowing the rest of the famous name, from -fear of the laughter of the banderilleros and amateurs who frequented -the matador's house, and who had not been slow in noticing this -historical adoration of the saddler's. - -Gallardo, with the good nature of a successful man, had endeavoured to -give his brother-in-law some compensation, entrusting him with the -supervision of the house he was building. He gave him carte-blanche for -all expenses, for the espada, bewildered with the ease with which money -was pouring into his hands, was not sorry his brother-in-law should make -a profit, and he was pleased to make it up to him in this way for not -having retained him as agent. - -The torero was now able to carry out his cherished wish of building a -house for his mother. The poor woman, who had spent her life in -scrubbing rich people's floors, was now to have her own beautiful -patio,[63] with arches of Moorish tiles, and marble floors, her rooms -with furniture like that of the gentry, and servants, a great many -servants, to wait on her. Gallardo also felt himself drawn by -traditional affection to the suburbs where he had spent his miserable -childhood. It pleased him to dazzle the people who had employed his -mother as charwoman, or to give a handful of pesetas in times of -distress to those who had taken their shoes to his father to mend, or -had even given himself a crust of bread when he was starving. - -He bought several old houses, amongst them the very one with the doorway -under which his father had worked, pulled them down, and commenced a -fine building, which should have white walls, the iron work of its -windows and balconies painted green, a vestibule with a dado of Moorish -tiles, and an iron wicket of fine workmanship, through which would be -seen the patio with its fountain, and arcades with marble pillars -between which would hang gilded cages full of singing birds. - -The pleasure his brother-in-law felt on finding himself completely at -liberty with regard to the direction and progress of the works, was -damped by a terrible piece of news. - -Gallardo had a sweetheart. It was then full summer and the matador was -travelling from end to end of Spain, from one Plaza to another, giving -estocades, and receiving tumultuous applause; but almost every day he -wrote to a young girl in the suburb, and during the brief respite -between two corridas, he would leave his companions, taking the train -to spend a night in Seville "Pelando la Pava"[64] with her. - -"Just fancy that," cried the saddler aghast, in what he called "the -bosom of the hearth," that is to his wife and mother-in-law. "A -sweetheart, without ever saying a word to his family, which is the only -real thing that exists in this world! The Senor wishes to marry--no -doubt he is tired of us.... What a shame!" - -Encarnacion assented to her husband's grumbles by energetic nods of her -fierce looking but handsome head, pleased on the whole to express what -she thought about that brother, whose good fortune had always been a -source of envy. Yes, no doubt he had always been utterly shameless. - -But his mother raised her voice. - -"As for that--No. I know the girl, and her poor mother was a friend of -mine at the Fabrica. She is as pure as a river of gold, well mannered, -good--handsome.... I have already told Juan that as far as I am -concerned ... the sooner the better." - -She was an orphan living with some uncles who kept a small provision -shop in the suburb. Her father, a former wine merchant, had left her two -houses in the suburb of la Macarena. - -"It is not much," said Senora Angustias; "still the girl will not come -empty handed, she brings something of her own.... And for clothes? -Jesus; those little hands are worth their weight in gold, see how she -embroiders; how she is preparing her dowry!" - -Gallardo remembered vaguely having played with her as a child, close to -the doorway where the cobbler worked, while their mothers gossiped. She -was then like a little dry, dark lizard with gipsy eyes, the whole -pupil as black as a drop of ink, the whites blueish and the corners -pale pink. When she ran, nimbly as a boy, she showed legs like thin -reeds, and her hair flew wildly about her head in rebellious and tangled -curls like black snakes. Afterwards he had lost sight of her, not -meeting her again till many years after when he was a novillero, and was -already beginning to make a name. - -It was on a day of Corpus, one of the few festivals in which the women, -generally kept at home by their almost Oriental laziness, all come forth -like Moorish women set at liberty, in their lace mantillas, pinned to -their breasts with bunches of carnations, Gallardo saw a young girl, -tall, slim but at the same time strongly built, her waist well poised -above her curved and ample hips, showing the vigour of youth. Her face, -of a rice-like paleness, flushed as she saw the torero, and her eyes -fell, hidden beneath their long lashes. - -That gachi knows me, ... thought Gallardo vainly, most probably she has -seen me in the Plaza. - -But after following the young girl and her aunt he learnt that it was -Carmen, the playmate of his childhood, and he felt confused and -delighted at the marvellous transformation of the little black lizard of -former days. - -In a short time they became betrothed, and all the neighbours spoke of -the courtship, which they considered so flattering to the suburb. - -"I am like that," said Gallardo, assuming the air of a good prince. "I -do not care to imitate those toreros who, when they marry ladies, marry -nothing but hats, and feathers and flounces, I prefer what belongs to my -own class, a rich shawl, a good figure, grace.... Ole, ya!" - -His friends, delighted, hastened to praise the girl. - -A queenly presence, curves that would drive anyone mad, and such a -figure.... - -But the torero frowned. Enough of these jests if you please. Eh? And -the less you all talk of Carmen the better. - -One night, as he was talking with her through the iron grating of her -window, and looking at her Moorish face framed among the pots of -flowers, the waiter from a neighbouring tavern came bearing a tray on -which stood two glasses of Manzanilla. It was the messenger come to -"Cobrar el piso,"[65] the traditional Sevillian custom, which allows of -this offering to fiances as they talk at the grating. - -The torero drank a glass, offering the other to Carmen, and then said to -the boy: - -"Thank these gentlemen very much from me, and say I will look in -presently; ... tell Montanes also that he is not to take any payment -from them, for Juan Gallardo will pay for everything." - -And as soon as his interview with his lady-love was ended, he walked -across to the tavern where those who had offered the civility were -waiting for him, some of them friends, others strangers, but all anxious -to drink a glass at the espada's expense. - -On his return from his first tour as recognized matador, he spent his -nights standing by the iron grating of Carmen's window, wrapped in his -elegant and luxurious cape of a greenish cloth embroidered with sprays -and arabesques in black silk. - -"They tell me you drink a great deal," sighed Carmen, pressing her face -against the iron grating. - -"What nonsense!... Only the civilities of my friends that I am obliged -to return, nothing more. And besides, you see, a torero is ... a torero, -and he cannot live like a brother of 'the Mercy.'" - -"They tell me also that you go with loose women." - -"Lies!... That might have been in former days before I knew you. -Rascals! Curse them! I should like to know who the slanderers are who -whisper such things to you...." - -"And when shall we be married?" she continued, cutting short her lover's -indignation by this query. - -"As soon as the house is finished, and would to God that were to-morrow! -That blockhead, my brother-in-law, never gets done with it. The rascal -finds it profitable and rests on his oars." - -"I will get everything into order when we are married, Juaniyo. You will -see, everything will go on all right, and you will see how your mother -loves me." - -And so the dialogues went on, while they were waiting for the marriage -of which all Seville was talking. Carmen's uncle talked over the affair -with Senora Angustias, whenever they met, but all the same, the torero -scarcely ever set foot in Carmen's house, it seemed as though some -terrible prohibition forbade him the door, anyhow the two preferred to -see each other at the grating according to custom. - -The winter was passing by, Gallardo rode and hunted over the country -estates of several wealthy gentlemen, who used the familiar "thou" with -a patronizing air. It was necessary for him to preserve his bodily -agility by continual exercise, till the time of the corridas came round -again. He was afraid of losing his great advantages of strength and -lightness. - -The most indefatigable advertiser of his fame was Don Jose, the -gentleman who acted as his agent, and who called him "his own matador." -He had a hand in every act of Gallardo's, not even yielding any prior -claims to "the family." He lived on his own income, and had no other -employment than that of talking perpetually of bulls and toreros. For -him there was nothing interesting in the world beyond corridas, and he -divided the nations into two classes, the elect who had bull-rings, and -the numberless others who had neither sun, gaiety, nor good Manzanilla, -and yet thought themselves powerful and happy, although they had never -seen even the worst run of novillos. - -He carried to his love of "the sport" the energy of a champion of the -faith, or of an inquisitor. Although he was young he was stout and -slightly bald with a light beard; but this sociable man, so jovial and -laughter-loving in ordinary life, was fierce and unbending on the -benches of a Plaza, if his neighbours expressed opinions differing from -his own. He felt himself capable of fighting the whole audience for a -torero he liked, and he disturbed the plaudits of the public by -unexpected objections, when those plaudits were given to any torero who -had not been lucky enough to gain his affection. - -He had been a cavalry officer, more on account of his love of horses -than of his love of war. His stoutness and his enthusiasm for bulls had -made him retire from the service.... Oh! to be the guide, the mentor, -the agent of an espada! - -When he became possessed of this vehement desire, all the "maestros" -were already provided, so the advent of Gallardo was a God-send to him. -The slightest doubt cast on his hero's merits made him crimson with -rage, and he generally ended by turning a bull-fighting discussion into -a personal quarrel. He considered it a glorious heroic act to have come -to blows with two evil minded amateurs who censured "his own matador" -for being too bold. - -The press seemed to him quite insufficient to proclaim Gallardo's fame, -so on winter mornings he would go and sit at a sunny corner at the -entrance of the Calle de las Sierpes, through which most of his friends -passed. - -"No. There is only one man!" he would say in a loud voice as if talking -to himself, pretending not to see the people who were approaching. "The -first man in the world! If anyone thinks the contrary let him speak.... -Yes, the only man!" - -"Who?" enquired his friends chuckling, pretending not to understand. - -"Who should it be?" ... "Juan." - -"What Juan?" - -A gesture of indignation and surprise. - -"What Juan is it? As if there were many Juans!... Juan Gallardo." - -"Bless the man!" said some of them, "one would think it was you who were -going to marry him!" - -Seeing other friends approaching he ignored their chaff, and began -again: - -"No, there is only one man!... The first man in the world! If anyone -doesn't believe it, let him open his beak! ... here am I to answer!" - -Gallardo's wedding was a great event. At the same time the new house was -inaugurated, of which the saddler was so proud, that he showed the -patio, the columns, and the Moorish tiles, as if they were all the work -of his own hands. - -They were married in San Gil, before the "Virgin of Hope," also called -la Macarena. As they came out of the church the sun shone on the -tropical flowers and painted birds on hundreds of shawls of Chinese -design, worn by the bride's friends. A deputy was best man, among the -black or white felt hats, shone the tall silk ones of his agent and -other gentlemen, enthusiastic supporters of Gallardo, who smiled, well -pleased with the increase of popularity they gained by being seen at the -torero's side. - -At the house door during the day there was a distribution of alms; many -poor people had come even from distant villages, attracted by the -reports of this splendid wedding. - -There was a grand repast in the patio and several photographers took -snapshots for the Madrid papers, for Gallardo's wedding was a national -event. Well on in the night the melancholy tinkling of the guitars was -still going on, accompanied by the rhythmic clapping of hands and the -rattle of castanets. The girls, their arms raised, danced with dainty -feet on the marble pavement, and skirts and shawls waved round the -pretty figures in the rhythm of Sevillanas. Bottle of rich Andalusian -wine were opened by the dozen, glasses of hot Jerez, of heady Montilla, -and Manzanilla of San Lucar, pale and perfumed, passed from hand to -hand. They were all tipsy, but their drunkenness was gentle, quiet, and -melancholy, and only betrayed itself in their sighs and songs; often -several would start at once singing melancholy airs, which spoke of -prisons, murders and the "poor mother," that eternal theme of Andalusian -popular songs. - -At midnight the last of the guests departed, and the newly-married -couple were left alone in their house with Senora Angustias. The saddler -on leaving made a gesture of despair; tipsy, he was besides furious, for -no one had taken any notice of him during the day. Just as if he were a -nobody! As if he did not belong to the family! - -"They are turning us out, Encarnacion. That girl with her face like the -'Virgin of Hope,' will be mistress of everything, and there will not -even be _that_ for us! You will see the house full of children!..." - -And the prolific husband became furious at the idea of the posterity -that would come to the espada, a posterity sent into the world with the -sole object of damaging his own children. - -Time went by and a year passed without Senor Antonio's prognostications -being verified. Gallardo and Carmen went to all the fetes, with the -ostentation and show suitable to a rich and popular couple. Carmen with -Manila shawls which drew cries of admiration from poorer women; Gallardo -displaying all his diamonds, ever ready to take out his purse to treat -friends, or to help the beggars who came in swarms. The gitanas, -loquacious and copper coloured as witches, besieged Carmen with their -good auguries.... Might God bless her! She would soon have a child, a -"churumbel" more beautiful than the sun. They knew it by the whites of -her eyes. It was already half way on.... - -But in vain Carmen dropped her eyes and blushed with modesty and -pleasure; in vain the espada drew himself up, proud of his work, and -hoped the prediction would come true. But still the child did not come. - -So another year passed, and still the hopes of the couple were not -realized. Senora Angustias became sad as she spoke of their -disappointment. She certainly had other grandchildren, the children of -Encarnacion, whom the saddler was careful should spend most of their -time in their grandmother's house, doing their best to please their -Senor tio.[66] But she, who wished to compensate for her former -unkindness by the warm affection she now showed Juan, wished to have a -son of his to bring up in her own way, giving it all the love she had -been unable to give its father during his miserable childhood. - -"I know what it is," said the old woman sadly, "poor Carmen has too many -anxieties, you should see the poor thing when Juan is wandering about -the world!..." - -During the winter, the season of rest when the torero was for the most -part at home, or only went into the country for the "trials" of young -bulls or for hunting parties, all went well. Carmen was happy, knowing -her husband ran no risks; she laughed at anything, ate, and her face was -bright with the hues of health. But as soon as the spring time came -round, and Juan left home to fight in the different Plazas in Spain, the -poor girl became pale and weak, and fell into a painful languor, her -eyes, dilated by terror, ready to shed tears on the slightest occasion. - -"He has seventy-two corridas this year," said the intimates of the -house, speaking of the espada's engagements. "No one is so sought after -as he is." - -Carmen smiled with a sorrowful face. Seventy-two afternoons of anguish, -in the chapel like a criminal condemned to death, longing for the -arrival of the telegram in the evening, and yet dreading to open it. -Seventy-two days of terror, of vague superstitions, thinking that one -word forgotten in a prayer might influence the fate of the absent one; -seventy-two days of pained surprise at living in a great house, seeing -the same people, and finding life go on in its usual way; as though -nothing extraordinary was going on in the world, hearing her husband's -nephews playing in the patio, and the flower sellers crying their wares -outside while down there far away, in unknown towns, her beloved Juan -was fighting those fierce beasts before thousands of eyes, and seeing -death lightly pass by his breast with every wave of the red rag that he -carried in his hand. - -Ay! Those days of a corrida, those holidays, when the sky seemed bluer, -and the usually solitary street echoed beneath the holiday maker's -footsteps, when guitars tinkled, accompanied by hand clappings and songs -in the tavern at the corner!... Then Carmen, plainly dressed, with her -mantilla over her eyes, flying from those evil dreams, would leave her -house to take refuge in a church. - -Her simple faith, which anxiety peopled with vague superstitions, made -her go from altar to altar, weighing in her mind the merits and miracles -of each image. Some days she would go to San Gil, the popular church -which had witnessed the happiest day of her life, to kneel before the -Virgin de la Macarena. By the light of the numerous tapers she ordered -to be lighted, she would gaze at the dark face of that statue with its -black eyes and long lashes, which many said so singularly resembled her -own. In her she trusted, she was not "the Lady of Hope" for nothing, -surely at that time she was protecting Juan with her divine power. - -But suddenly uncertainty and fear crept through her beliefs, rending -them. The Virgin was only a woman, and women can do so little! Their -fate is to suffer and to weep, as she was weeping for her husband, as -that other had wept for her Son. She must confide in stronger powers, so -with the egoism of pain, she abandoned la Macarena without scruple, like -a useless friend, and went to the church of San Lorenzo in search of -"Our Father, Jesus of Great Power." The Man-God with His crown of -thorns, and His cross by His side, perspiring, and tearful, an image -that the sculptor Montanes had known how to make terrifying. - -The dramatic sadness of the Nazarene, stumbling over the stones, borne -down by the weight of His cross, seemed to console the poor wife. The -Lord of Great Power! ... this vague but grandiose title tranquilised her. -If that God dressed in purple velvet with gold embroideries would only -listen to her sighs and prayers, repeated hurriedly, with dizzy -rapidity, so that the greatest possible number of words should be said -in the shortest possible time, she was sure that Juan would come safe -and sound out of the arena, where he was at that moment fighting. At -other times she would give money to a sacristan to light some wax -tapers and would spend hours watching the rosy reflection of the red -tongues on the image, fancying she saw on its varnished face in the -changing light and shadow, smiles of consolation, which augured -happiness. - -The Lord of Great Power did not deceive her. When she returned to her -house the little blue paper arrived, which she opened with trembling -hands. "Nothing new." She could breathe again, and sleep, like the -criminal who is freed for the moment from the fear of instant death, but -in two or three days the torment of uncertainty, the terrible fear of -the unknown, would begin afresh. - -In spite of the love Carmen professed for her husband, there were times -when her heart rose in rebellion. If she had only known what this life -was before her marriage!... Now and then, impelled by the community of -suffering she would go and see the wives of the men who composed Juan's -cuadrilla, as if those women could give her news. - -The wife of El Nacional, who had a tavern in the same quarter, received -the chief's wife tranquilly, and seemed surprised at her fears. She was -used to the life, and her husband must be quite well as he sent no news. -Telegrams were dear, and a banderillero earned little enough. When the -newspaper sellers did not shout an accident, it meant that nothing -untoward had happened, and she went on attending to the affairs of her -tavern, as if anxiety could not penetrate the hard rind of her -susceptibilities. - -Other times she would cross the bridge and penetrate into the suburb of -Triana, in search of the wife of Potaje the picador, a kind of gitana, -who lived in a hovel like a fowl house, surrounded by dirty copper -coloured brats, whom she ordered about and terrified by her stentorian -shouts. The visit of the chief's wife filled her with pride, but her -anxieties made her laugh. She ought not to be afraid, the men on foot -nearly always got clear of the bull, and the Senor Juan was very lucky -in throwing himself on the beast. Bulls killed few people, the terrible -things were the falls from horse-back. It was well known what was the -end of nearly all picadors after a life of horrible tosses: he who did -not end his life in an unforeseen and sudden accident, generally died -mad. No doubt poor Potaje would die in this way, he would have endured -all these hardships for a handful of duros, whereas others.... - -She did not conclude her sentence, but her eyes expressed a mute protest -against the injustice of fate, against those fine fellows who directly -they handled a sword, appropriated all the plaudits, the popularity, and -the money, running no more risk than their humble colleagues. - -Little by little Carmen became accustomed to the existence. The cruel -waits on the days of a corrida, the visits to the saints, the -superstitions, doubts, were all accepted as forming part and parcel of -her life. Besides her husband's usual good luck, and the constant -conversation in the house on the chances of the fight, ended by -familiarizing her with the danger. And at last the bull came to be for -her a fairly good-natured and noble animal, who had come into the world -for the express purpose of enriching and giving fame to their matadors. - -She had never been to a corrida of bulls. Since the afternoon when she -had seen her future husband at his first novillada, she had never been -near the Plaza. She felt she should not have the courage to see a -corrida, even though Gallardo were taking no part in it. She should -faint with terror seeing other men face the danger, dressed in the same -costume as Juan. - -After they had been married three years, the espada was wounded in -Valencia. Carmen did not hear of it at once. The telegram came at the -usual hour, bearing the habitual "nothing new," and it was through the -kindness of Don Jose, who visited Carmen daily and performed clever -sleight of hand tricks to prevent her seeing the papers, that the news -was kept from her for over a week. - -When through the indiscretion of some neighbours Carmen at last heard of -the accident, she wished at once to take the train to join her husband, -and nurse him, feeling sure he was neglected. But there was no need, the -espada arrived before she could leave, pale from loss of blood, and -obliged to keep one leg quiet for some time, but gay and jaunty in order -to reassure his family. - -The house became at once a kind of sanctuary, all sorts of people passed -through the patio, in order to salute Gallardo "the first man in the -world," who, sitting in a cane arm-chair, with his leg on a footstool, -smoked quietly, as though his flesh had not been torn by a horrible -wound. - -Doctor Ruiz, who had brought him back to Seville, declaring he would be -cured in a month, was astonished at the vigour of his constitution. The -facility with which toreros were cured was a mystery for him, in spite -of his long practice as a surgeon. The horn, filthy with blood and -excrement, very often broken at the ends by blows into small splinters, -broke the flesh, lacerated it, perforated it, so that it was at the same -time a deep penetrating wound, and a crushing bruise, but all the same -these awful wounds were cured far more easily than those of daily life. - -"How it can be I know not--it is a mystery"--said the old surgeon, much -perplexed. "Either these lads have flesh like a dog, or the horn in -spite of its filth has some curative property unknown to us." - -Shortly afterwards Gallardo recommenced fighting, his wound, in spite -of his enemies' predictions, having in no way abated his fighting -ardour. - -After they had been married about four years, the espada gave his wife -and mother a great surprise. They were going to become landed -proprietors--proprietors on a large scale--with lands of which they -could not see the end, olive yards, mills, herds innumerable, an estate -as fine as that of the richest men in Seville. - -Gallardo was like all toreros who only dream of being owners of the -soil, and to be horse and cattle breeders. Town property, stocks and -shares in no way tempt them, and they understand nothing whatever about -them. But bulls make them think of the broad plains, and horses remind -them of the country; besides, the necessity of constant movement and -exercise by hunting and walking during the winter months adds to their -desire to possess the soil. - -According to Gallardo's ideas, no one could be rich unless he owned a -large farm, and immense herds of cattle. Ever since the years of his -poverty, when he had wandered on foot, through the cultivated lands and -pastures, he had always nourished the fervent desire of possessing -leagues and leagues of land, that should be his very own, and that -should be enclosed by strong palings from the trespass of other people. - -Don Jose knew of this wish. He it was who ran Gallardo's affairs, -receiving the money due to him from the different managers, and keeping -accounts which he endeavoured in vain to explain to the matador. - -"I don't understand that music," said Gallardo, rather pleased at his -own ignorance. "I only understand how to kill bulls. Do whatever you -like, Don Jose. I am quite confident that whatever you do will be for -the best." - -And Don Jose, who never looked after his own affairs, leaving them to -his wife's rather ineffectual management, thought day and night of the -matador's fortune, investing the money at good interest, with the -keenness of a money-lender. - -One day he came gaily to his protege. - -"I have got what you longed for--an estate as big as the world, and very -cheap--a splendid bargain. Next week we shall sign all the papers." - -Gallardo enquired the name and situation of the domain. - -"It is called La Rinconada." - -His dearest wishes were fulfilled. - -When Gallardo went with his wife and mother to take possession of the -Grange, he showed them the hay-loft where he had slept with his -companions in misery, the room where he had dined with the former owner, -the little Plaza where he had killed the yearling, thereby earning for -the first time the right to travel by train without being obliged to -hide himself under the seats. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[48] _i.e._ bull-fights, etc. - -[49] The lovely gardens by the Guadalquiver at Seville. - -[50] Little shoemaker. - -[51] Toros corridas. - -[52] Olla--stew. - -[53] _i.e._ knew all about it. - -[54] Pass in which the torero stands with his feet in line with the -bull's forefeet. When the animal is in the act of charging he turns it -by a pass of the cape either to right or left. It is considered a very -brilliant stroke. - -[55] Another pass, when the cape is spread nearly flat on the ground, -and when the bull is in the act of charging it, it is drawn up suddenly -over his head. - -[56] Bull-fighting festival. - -[57] Brindis, dedication or pledge. - -[58] Young bulls--up to about three years old. - -[59] La verdad--full-grown bulls fought according to rules laid down. - -[60] A soldier of fortune of the Middle Ages. - -[61] Quitar la mona--expression used when a torero cuts off his pigtail -or chignon and retires into private life. - -[62] Toro formal--a bull who fulfils all the conditions necessary for a -large bull-fight, age, size, breed, temper, etc. - -[63] Central courtyard of a Spanish house--which is always a garden with -fountain--and arched round like a cloister. - -[64] Plucking the turkey--an expression used of Andalusian lovers who -spend the night at a window spooning. - -[65] Lit.--recover the rent--something akin to paying the footing. - -[66] Uncle. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -During the winter months, when Gallardo was not at La Rinconada, a party -of his friends gathered every evening in his dining-room after supper. - -The first to arrive were always the saddler and his wife, two of whose -children lived in the espada's house. Carmen, as though she wished to -forget her own sterility, and felt the silence of the big house oppress -her, kept her sister-in-law's two youngest children with her. These -children, from natural affection and also probably by their parents' -express orders, were perpetually petting their beautiful aunt and their -generous and popular uncle, kissing them and purring on their knees like -kittens. - -Encarnacion, now almost as stout and heavy as her mother, her figure -deformed by the birth of her numerous children, while advancing years -were bringing a slight moustache to her upper lip, smiled cringingly at -her sister-in-law, apologizing for the trouble her children gave. - -But before Carmen could reply the saddler broke in: - -"Leave them alone, wife! They are so fond of their uncle and aunt! The -little girl especially, she cannot live without her 'titita'[67] -Carmen." - -So the two children lived there as if it were their own house, guessing, -with their infantile cunning, what was expected of them by their -parents, exaggerating their caresses and pettings of those rich -relations, of whom they heard everyone speak with respect. - -As soon as supper was ended, they kissed the hands of Senora Angustias -and of their father and mother, threw their arms round the necks of -Gallardo and his wife, and then left the room to go to bed. - -The grandmother occupied an armchair at the head of the table. But when -the espada had guests--and they were all people of a certain social -position--she refused to take the place of honour, but Gallardo -insisted. - -"No," protested Gallardo, "the little mother must preside. Sit you down -there, mother, or we won't have any supper." - -Offering her his arm, he would conduct her to her chair, lavishing on -her the most affectionate caresses, as if he wished to make up for the -torments his vagabond youth had caused her. - -When El Nacional looked in during the evening for an hour, rather with -the feeling of fulfilling a duty towards his chief, the party became -more lively. Gallardo, wearing a rich zamorra,[68] like a wealthy -landowner, his head bare, and the pig-tail smoothed forward almost to -his forehead, welcomed his banderillero with loquacious amiability. What -were the amateurs of "the sport" saying? What lies were they spreading? -How were the affairs of the Republic getting on? - -"Garabato, give Sebastian a glass of wine." - -But El Nacional refused the preferred civility. No wine, thanks, he -never drank. Wine was the cause of all the working classes being so -hopelessly behindhand. All the assembly burst out laughing, as if -something amusing had been said which they were expecting, and the -banderillero began at once to air his opinions. - -The only one who remained silent, with hostile eyes, was the saddler. He -hated El Nacional, seeing in him an enemy. He also, like a good and -faithful husband, was prolific, and a swarm of brats tumbled about the -tavern, hanging on to their mother's skirts. The two youngest were -godchildren of Gallardo and his wife, so that in this way there was a -sort of connection between the two. Hypocrite! Every Sunday he brought -the two children, dressed in their best to kiss the hands of their -godparents, and the saddler grew pale with anger whenever El Nacional's -children received any present. "He came to rob their own children. -Possibly the banderillero even dreamed that part of Gallardo's fortune -might come to those godchildren. Thief! A man who did not even belong to -the family!"... - -When the saddler did not receive El Nacional's discourses in sulky -silence or with looks of hatred, he endeavoured to mortify him by saying -that in his opinion every one who propagated revolutionary ideas among -the people was a danger to honest people and ought to be shot at once. - -El Nacional was ten years older than his chief. When the latter was -beginning to bait at the capeas, Sebastian was already banderillero in -recognized cuadrillas,[69] and had lately returned from America, where -he had killed bulls in the Plaza at Lima. At the commencement of his -career he had enjoyed a certain amount of popularity because he was -young and agile. He also for some little time had figured as "the torero -of the future," and the amateurs of Seville, fixing their eyes on him, -hoped that he would have eclipsed the matadors from other towns. But -this lasted only a short time. On his return from his American journey -with the prestige of distant and possibly nebulous feats, all the -populace of Seville rushed to the Plaza to see him kill. Thousands of -people could not obtain admittance. But at this moment of decisive proof -"his heart failed him," as the amateurs said. He planted the banderillas -steadily as a serious and conscientious worker fulfilling his duty, but -when it was a case of killing, the instinct of self-preservation, -stronger than his will, kept him at a distance from the bull, and he was -unable to take advantage of his great stature and his strong arm. - -El Nacional therefore renounced the higher glories of tauromachia, he -would be a banderillero and nothing more. He must resign himself to -being, as it were, a day labourer of his art, serving others younger -than himself, in order to earn the poor wages of peon, with which to -maintain his family, and save sufficient to start some small business. -His kindness and his honourable habits were proverbial among his -colleagues of the pig-tail, consequently his chief's wife was much -attached to him, seeing in him a kind of guardian angel of her husband's -fidelity. When in summer Gallardo, with all his men, went to a cafe -chantant in some provincial town, anxious to enjoy himself and have a -fling, El Nacional would stand silent and grave among the singers in -diaphanous dresses, with painted mouths, like some ancient Father of the -desert amid the Alexandrian courtezans. - -It was not that he felt shocked, but he thought of his wife and little -ones down in Seville. According to him all the defects and vices in the -world were the result of want of education, and most certainly those -poor women knew neither how to read nor write. It was also the case with -himself, and as he attributed his own insignificance and poverty of -brain to this deficiency, he attributed to the same cause all the misery -and degradation which exists in the world. - -In his early youth he had worked as a founder, and had been an active -member of the "International of Workmen." He had been an assiduous -listener to those of his fellow workmen, who, happier than himself, -could read aloud what was said in the papers devoted to the welfare of -the people. During the time of the National Militia, he had played at -being a soldier, figuring in those battalions who wore a red cap in sign -of their federal "intransigeance." He had spent whole days in front of -those platforms erected in public places, or in those clubs which had -declared themselves in permanent sitting, where the orators succeeded -each other day and night, ranting with Andalusian facility on the -divinity of Jesus, or the rise in price of articles of the first -necessity, till the time for repression came, when a strike left him in -the trying position of being a workman marked for his revolutionary -opinions, and excluded from every workshop. - -Then as he was fond of bull-runs, he became torero at twenty-four, just -as he might have chosen any other line of life. Besides, he knew a great -deal and spoke with contempt of the absurdities of existing society. He -had not spent many years listening to papers being read in vain. However -bad a torero he might be, he would earn more, and would lead an easier -life than ever so skilled a workman. His friends, remembering the days -when he shouldered the musket of the National Militia, nicknamed him El -Nacional. - -He always spoke of the taurine profession with a kind of remorse, -apologising for belonging to it in spite of his many years' service. The -committee of his district who had decreed the expulsion from the party -of all their co-religionists who attended corridas, as being barbarous -and retrograde, had made an exception in his favour, keeping him on the -list of voters. - -"I am well aware," he would say in Gallardo's dining-room, "that -bull-fights are reactionary ... something akin to the days of the -Inquisition.... I do not know if I am explaining myself clearly. But to -read and write is quite as necessary to the people as to have bread, -and it is wrong that money should be spent on us, while schools are so -sadly wanted. That is what the papers that come from Madrid say. But my -co-religionists esteem me, and the committee after a lecture from Don -Joselito, kept me on the register of the party." - -His great gravity, that not even the jokes or the comic exaggerations of -fury on the part of the espada and his friends could shake, expressed an -honourable pride in this exceptional favour with which his -co-religionists had honoured him. - -Don Joselito, master of a primary school, verbose and enthusiastic, who -presided over the district committee, was a young man of Jewish origin, -who brought into political strife all the ardour of the Maccabees, and -was proud of his swarthy ugliness, pitted with smallpox, because he -thought it made him resemble Danton; El Nacional always listened to him -open-mouthed. - -When Don Jose and the maestro's other friends, after dinner, ironically -attacked El National's doctrines with all sorts of extravagant -arguments, the poor man would look confused, and scratching his head -would say: - -"You are gentlemen, and you have been educated, I know neither how to -read nor write, and that is why we of the lower orders are such -simpletons. Oh! if only Don Joselito were here!... By the life of the -blue dove! If only you could hear him when he starts speaking like an -angel!"... - -And in order to strengthen his faith, perhaps a little shaken by these -attacks of ridicule, he would go next day to see his idol, who seemed to -take a bitter pleasure, as a descendant of the great persecuted nation, -in showing him what he called his museum of horrors. This Jew, returned -to the natal country of his ancestors, had collected in a room attached -to the school souvenirs of the Inquisition, and with the meticulous -vindictiveness of a fugitive prisoner endeavoured to reconstruct hour -by hour the skeleton of his jailor. There on the shelves of a cupboard -were rows of books and parchments, accounts of autos da fe and lists of -questions wherewith to interrogate the criminals during their torture. -On one wall was hung a white banner with the dreaded green cross, and in -the corner were piles of torturing irons, fearful scourges, every -instrument that Don Joselito could pick up on the hucksters' stalls that -had been used to split, to tear with pincers, or to shred, which was -catalogued immediately as an ancient possession of the Holy Office. - -El Nacional's good-heartedness, and his simple soul, quick to feel -indignation, rose up against those rusty irons and those green crosses. - -"Good heavens!... And there are people who say.... By the life of the -dove!... I wish I had some of them here." - -The desire of proselytism made him air his convictions on every -occasion, regardless of his companion's jests, but even in this he -showed himself kind-hearted, as he was never personally bitter. -According to him, those who remained indifferent to the fate of the -country and did not figure on the party register, were "poor victims of -the national ignorance." The salvation of the people depended on their -learning to read and write. For his own part he was obliged modestly to -renounce this regeneration, as he felt himself too thick skulled; but he -made the whole world responsible for his ignorance. - -Very often in summer, when the cuadrilla was travelling from one -province to another, and Gallardo changed into the second-class carriage -where "his lads" were travelling, the door would open and some country -priest or a couple of friars would enter. - -The banderilleros would nudge each others' elbows and wink as they -looked at El Nacional, become even more grave and solemn than usual in -presence of the enemy. The picadors, Potaje and Tragabuches, rough and -aggressive fellows, fond of quarrels and practical jokes, who besides -had an instinctive dislike to the cassocks, egged him on in a low voice. - -"Now you have got him!... Go in at him straight!... Give him one in the -eye in your own fashion."... - -But the maestro, with his authority as chief of the cuadrilla, which no -one dare to contest or discuss, rolled his eyes fiercely as he looked at -El Nacional, who was obliged to observe a silent obedience. But the zeal -of proselytism was stronger in this simple soul than his subordination, -and one insignificant word was sufficient to start him on a discussion -with his fellow travellers, trying to convince them of the truth. But -indeed the truth, according to him, seemed an inextricable and tangled -skein of ranting that he had gathered from Don Joselito. - -His companions looked on with astonishment, delighted that one of their -own set could make head against educated men, and even put them in a -corner, which by the way might not be very difficult, as the Spanish -clergy, as a rule, are not highly educated. - -The priests, bewildered by El Nacional's fiery arguments and the -laughter of the other toreros, ended by appealing to their final -argument. How could men who exposed their lives so frequently not think -of God, and believe such things! Did they not think that at that very -time their wives and their mothers were most probably praying for them? - -The cuadrilla became suddenly silent, a silence of fear, as they thought -of the holy medals and scapularies that their women's hands had sewn -into their fighting clothes before they left Seville. The espada, -wounded in his slumbering superstitions, was furious with El Nacional, -as if the banderillero's impiety would place his own life in danger. - -"Shut up, and stop your blasphemies!... Your pardon, Sirs, I pray you. -He is a good fellow, but his head has been turned by all these lies.... -Shut up, and don't answer me! Curse you!... I will fill your mouth -with...." - -And Gallardo, to appease those gentlemen whom he considered as -depositaries of the future, overwhelmed the banderillero with threats -and curses. - -El Nacional took refuge in a contemptuous silence. "It was all ignorance -and superstition, all from not knowing how to read and write." And -strong in his faith, with the obstinacy of a simple man who only -possesses two or three ideas and clutches hold of them in the face of -the roughest shocks, he would shortly afterwards renew the discussion -regardless of the matador's anger. - -His anti-clericalism did not leave him even in the circus among those -peons and picadors, who having said their prayer in the chapel, entered -the arena, in the hope that the sacred scapularies sewn into their -clothes would guard them from danger. - -When an enormous bull, "of many pounds,"[70] as it is called, with a -powerful neck and a black coat arrived at the "turn" of the -banderilleros, El Nacional, with his arms open and the darts in his -hand, would stand a short distance from the animal, shouting -insultingly,-- - -"Come along, priest!" - -The "priest" threw himself furiously on El Nacional, who fixed the darts -firmly in his neck as he rushed past, shouting loudly as if he were -proclaiming a victory. - -One for the clergy! - -Gallardo ended by laughing at El Nacional's extravagances. - -"You are making me ridiculous. People will notice my cuadrilla, and say -we are nothing but a band of heretics. You know there are some audiences -whom this might not please. A torero ought to be nothing but a torero." - -All the same he was greatly attached to his banderillero, remembering -his devotion, which more than once had reached the point of -self-sacrifice. It signified nothing to El Nacional that he should be -hissed, when he stuck the banderillos into a dangerous bull anyhow, so -as to end the matter more quickly. He did not care for glory, and he -only fought to earn his livelihood. But once Gallardo advanced rapier in -hand towards a savage animal, his banderillero remained close by his -side, ready to assist him with his heavy cloak and his strong arm which -obliged the brute to lower his poll. On two occasions, when Gallardo had -been rolled over in the arena, and was in danger of being gored by the -horns, El Nacional had thrown himself on the beast, forgetful of his -children, his wife, the tavern, everything, intending to die himself in -order to save his master. - -On his entry into Gallardo's dining-room in the evenings he was received -like a member of the family. The Senora Angustias felt that affection -for him so often existing between people of a lower class, when they -find themselves in a higher atmosphere, and which draws them together. - -"Come and sit by me, Sebastian. Won't you really take anything? ... tell -me how the establishment is getting on. Teresa and the children well, I -hope?" - -Then El Nacional would enumerate the sales of the previous day; so many -glasses of wine over the counter, so many bottles of country wine -delivered at houses, and the old woman listened with the attention of -one used to poverty and who knows the value of money to the very last -farthing. - -Sebastian spoke of the possibility of increasing his trade. A "bureau de -tabac"[71] in his tavern would suit him down to the ground. The espada -could get him this, through his friendship with great people, but -Sebastian felt scruples at asking such a favour. - -"You see, Sena Angustias, the bureau is a thing that depends on the -Government, and I have my principles. I figure on the register of my -party and am also on the committee. What would my co-religionists say?" - -The old woman was indignant at these scruples. What he had to do was to -bring as much bread into the family as he could. That poor Teresa! with -such a lot of children! - -"Don't be foolish, Sebastian, get all these cobwebs out of your -brain.... Now don't answer me. Don't start telling me all sorts of -impieties like the other night; remember I am going to hear Mass at La -Macarena to-morrow morning." - -But Gallardo and Don Jose, who were smoking the other side of the table, -with a glass of cognac within reach of their hands, and who delighted in -making El Nacional talk so that they could laugh at his ideas, egged him -on by depreciating Don Joselito: an imposter who upset ignorant men like -him. - -The banderillero received his master's jokes meekly enough. To doubt Don -Joselito! Such a patent absurdity could not make him angry. It was as -though some one was hitting at his other idol Gallardo, by saying he did -not know how to kill a bull. - -But when he heard the saddler, who inspired him with an unconquerable -aversion, take part in these jests, he lost his calm. Who was that -scamp, living by hanging on to his master, that he should dare to argue -with him? With him!... And then losing all restraint, taking no notice -of the espada's wife and mother, or of Encarnacion, who, imitating her -husband, pursed up her mustachioed lip, looking contemptuously at the -banderillero, the latter launched himself full sail on the exposition of -his ideas, with the same ardour as when he discussed in committee. - -For want of better arguments he overwhelmed the beliefs of others with -insults. - -"The Bible?... Rubbish![72] The creation of the world in six days.... -Rubbish!... The story of Adam and Eve? Rubbish!... The whole of it lies -and superstition." - -And this word rubbish, that he employed, in order not to use one even -more disrespectful, and that he applied to everything which seemed to -him false and ridiculous, took on his lips an astonishing intensity of -contempt. - -The history of Adam and Eve was for him the subject of never-ending -sarcasm; he had reflected much on this point during the hours of quiet -drowsiness, when he was travelling with the cuadrilla, during which time -he had discovered an irrefutable argument, drawn entirely from his own -inner consciousness. "How could it be thought that all human beings were -descended from one only pair?" - -"I call myself Sebastian Venegas, and so it is; and you, Juaniyo, you -call yourself Gallardo; and you, Don Jose, have also your own name; -every one has his own, and when the names are the same people must be -relations. If then we were all grandchildren of Adam, and Adam's name -was--we will suppose--Perez, we should all be named Perez. That is -quite clear?... Well then if we all have our family names, there must -have been a great many Adams, and so what the priests tell us is all ... -rubbish--retrograde superstition! It is education we want, and the -clergy take advantage of our ignorance.... I think I am explaining -myself!" - -Gallardo, throwing himself back in his chair, screaming with laughter, -greeted the orator with a hurrah, which imitated the bellowing of a -bull--while the manager, with Andalusian gravity, stretched out his hand -congratulating him,-- - -"Here, shake it! You have been very good! as good as Castelar!" - -The Senora Angustias was extremely angry at hearing such things in her -house, feeling that as an old woman she must be drawing near to the end -of her life. - -"Shut up, Sebastian. Shut up your infernal mouth, cursed one! or I shall -turn you out of doors. If I did not know that you are an honest man!" - -However, she soon forgave the banderillero, when she thought of his -affection for Juan, and remembered how he had acted in moments of -danger. Besides, it was a great comfort to her and to Carmen, that so -serious and right-minded a man should belong to the cuadrilla with the -other "lads," for the espada, left to himself, was extremely light of -character, and easily drawn away by his desire for admiration from -women. - -The enemy of Adam and Eve held a secret of his master's, which made him -reserved and grave, when he saw him in his own house, between his mother -and Carmen. If those women only knew what he knew! - -In spite of the respect that every banderillero ought to pay his master, -El Nacional had one day ventured to speak to Gallardo, taking advantage -of his seniority in years, and of their very old friendship. - -"Listen to me, Juaniyo. All Seville knows about it! Nothing else is -spoken of, and the news will get to your house and cause a ruction that -will singe the good God's hair!... Just think--the Senora Angustias will -put on a face like the Mater Dolorosa, and poor Carmen will get in a -rage. Remember the row about that singer, and that was nothing to -this.... This bicho[73] is far more dangerous, so beware." - -Gallardo pretended not to understand, feeling annoyed but flattered at -the same time that all Seville should be aware of the secret of his -amours. - -"But who is this 'bicho?' What are these rows you speak of?" - -"Who should it be! Dona Sol; that great lady who gives every one so much -cause for gossip. The niece of the Marquis de Moraima, the breeder." - -And as the espada remained silent but smiling, delighted to find El -Nacional so well informed, the latter went on like a preacher, -disillusioned of the vanities of life. - -"A married man ought to seek, before everything else, the peace of his -household.... All women are just the same.... Rubbish. One is worth just -as much as the other, and it is a folly to embitter your life by flying -from one to another.... Your servant, for the twenty-five years he has -lived with his Teresa, has never deceived her once even in thought, and -yet I, too, am a torero, and have had my good times and many a girl has -cast sheep's eyes at me." - -Gallardo laughed outright at the banderillero's lecture. He really spoke -like the prior of a convent. And yet it was he who wished to gobble up -all the friars alive!... "Nacional, don't be an idiot! Every one is as -he is, and if the women come to us, well then, let them come. One lives -so short a time! And possibly some day I may be carried out of the -circus feet foremost.... Besides, you do not know what a great lady is! -If only you could see that woman!"... - -Presently he added ingenuously as though he wished to disperse the sad -and shocked look on El Nacional's face: - -"I love Carmen dearly, you know it; I love her as much as ever. But I -love the other one too. It is quite another thing.... I cannot explain -it. It is quite another thing, and that is all." - -And the banderillero could get no more out of his interview with -Gallardo. - -Months before, as the end of the bull-fighting season was approaching -with the autumn, Gallardo had had an accidental encounter in the church -of San Lorenzo. - -He rested a few days in Seville before going to La Rinconada with his -family. When this quiet time came round, nothing pleased him better than -to live quietly in his own house, free from those perpetual journeys in -the train. Killing more than a hundred bulls a year, with all the -dangers and exertions of the fight, did not fatigue him half so much as -those journeys lasting so many months from one Plaza to another all over -Spain. - -Those long journeys in full summer, under a burning sun, over scorched -plains, in old carriages of which the roofs seemed on fire were most -exhausting. The large water jar belonging to the cuadrilla which was -filled at every station, utterly failed to quench their thirst. Besides, -the trains were crowded with passengers, country people going to the -towns to enjoy the fairs and see the corridas. Many a time Gallardo, -after killing his last bull in a Plaza, fearing to lose his train, and -still dressed in his gala costume, had rushed down to the station like -a flash of gold and colours, through the crowds of travellers and piles -of luggage. Often he had changed his clothes in the carriage under the -eyes of his fellow passengers, pleased at travelling with such a -celebrity, and had spent a restless night on the cushions, while the -others squeezed themselves together to give him as much room as -possible. These people respected his fatigue, thinking that on the -morrow this man would give them the pleasure of a perhaps tragic -emotion, without the slightest danger to themselves. - -When he arrived wearied out at a town en fete, the streets decorated -with flags and triumphal arches, he had to endure all the torment of -enthusiastic admiration. The amateurs, bewitched by his name, met him at -the station and accompanied him to the hotel. These light-hearted people -who had slept well, and who mobbed him, expected to find him expansive -and loquacious, as if the very fact alone of seeing them, must cause him -the greatest of pleasures. - -Many times there was not only one bull-run. He had to fight on three or -four successive days, and the espada, when night came, exhausted by -fatigue, by want of sleep, and recent emotions, would throw -conventionalities overboard, and sit in his shirt sleeves in front of -his hotel, to enjoy the cool. The "lads" of the cuadrilla who were -lodged in the same hotel remained near their master like schoolboys in -durance vile. Sometimes the boldest spirit would beg leave to take a -turn through the illuminated streets and the fair. - -"To-morrow there are Muira bulls," said the espada. "I know what these -turns mean. You will come back at dawn to-morrow, having taken a few -glasses too much, or done something else which will impair your vigour. -No, no one goes out; you shall have your fill when we have done." - -When their work was ended, if they had a free day before going on to -the next corrida in another town, the cuadrilla would postpone their -journey, then they would indulge in dissolute merriment away from their -families, in company of the enthusiastic amateurs who imagined that this -was the usual way of life of their idols. - -The ill-arranged dates of the corridas obliged the espada to take -ridiculous journeys. He would go from one town to fight at the other end -of Spain, three or four days afterwards he would retrace his steps to -fight in a town close to the first, so that as the summer months were -most abundant in corridas, he virtually spent the whole of them in the -train, travelling in zigzags over every railway in the Peninsula, -killing bulls by day and sleeping in the trains. - -"If all my journeys in the summer were set in a straight line," said -Gallardo, "they would assuredly reach to the North Pole." - -At the beginning of the season he undertook those journeys gaily enough, -thinking of the audiences who had talked of him the whole year, and who -were impatiently expecting his arrival. He thought of the unexpected -acquaintances he might make, of the adventures that feminine curiosity -might bring him, of the life in different hotels, in which the -disturbances, the annoyances, and the diversity of meals made such a -contrast to his placid existence in Seville, or the mountainous solitude -of La Rinconada. - -But after a few weeks of this dizzy life, during which he earned five -thousand pesetas for each afternoon's work, Gallardo began to fret, like -a child away from his family. - -"Ay! for my house in Seville, so cool, and kept like a silver cup by -poor Carmen! Ay! for the mother's good stews! so delicious."... - -On his return home, to rest for the remainder of the year, Gallardo -experienced the satisfaction of a celebrated man, who, forgetful of his -honours, can give himself over to the enjoyment of everyday life. - -He would sleep late, free from the worry of railway time-tables, and the -anxiety of thinking about bulls. Nothing to do that day, nor the next, -nor the next! None of his journeys need be further than the Calle de las -Sierpes or the Plaza de San Fernando. The family, too, seemed quite -different, gayer and in better health, now they knew he was safe at home -for several months. He would go out with his felt hat well back, -swinging his gold-headed cane, and admiring the big diamonds on his -fingers. - -In the vestibule several men would be standing waiting for him close to -the wicket, through the ironwork of which could be seen the white and -luminous patio, so beautifully clean. Many of them were sun-burnt men, -reeking of perspiration, in dirty blouses and wide sombreros with ragged -edges. Some were agricultural labourers, moving or on a journey, who on -passing through Seville thought it the most natural thing to come and -ask for help from the famous matador, whom they called Don Juan. Some -were fellow townsmen who addressed him as "thou," and called him -Juaniyo. - -Gallardo, with his wonderful memory for faces, gained by constantly -mixing with crowds, would recognise them; they were school-fellows, or -companions of his vagabond childhood. - -"So, affairs are not going on well, eh? Times are hard for every one." - -And before this familiarity could tempt them to further intimacies, he -would turn to Garabato, who held the wicket open. - -"Go and tell the Senora to give each of them a couple of pesetas." - -And he went out into the street, pleased with his own generosity and the -beauty of life. - -At the tavern close by Montane's children and his customers would come -to the door smiling with their eyes full of curiosity. - -"Good-day, gentlemen!... I thank you for your civility, but I do not -drink." - -And freeing himself from the enthusiast who came towards him glass in -hand, he walked on, being stopped in the next street by two old women, -friends of his mother's. They begged him to stand godfather to the -grandchild of one of them; her poor daughter might be confined at any -moment; but her son-in-law, a furious Gallardist, who had often come to -blows to defend his idol as he came out of the Plaza, had not dared to -ask him. - -"But, confound you! do you take me for a child's nurse? I have already -more godchildren than there are foundlings in the Hospital!" - -In order to get rid of the good ladies he advised them to go and talk it -over with his mother, "hear what she had to say about it"; and he walked -on, never stopping till he got to the Calle de las Sierpes, saluting -some, and allowing others to enjoy the honour of walking by his side, in -proud friendship, under the eyes of the passers-by. - -He looked in for a moment at the Club of the "Forty-Five," to see if his -manager were there; this was a very aristocratic club, and, as its name -indicated, limited as to numbers, in which nothing was talked of save -horses and bulls. It was composed of rich amateurs and breeders, among -whom figured as an oracle in the first rank, the Marquis de Moraima. - -During one of these walks on a Friday afternoon, Gallardo, who was going -towards the Calle de las Sierpes, felt a wish to enter the church of San -Lorenzo. - -In the little square were drawn up several sumptuous carriages. All the -best people in the town were going on that day to pray to the miraculous -image of our Father Jesus of Great Power. The ladies descended from -their carriages dressed in black, with rich mantillas, and several men -also went into the church, attracted by the feminine concourse. - -Gallardo also entered. For a torero ought to take advantage of every -opportunity to rub shoulders with people of high position. The son of -Senora Angustias felt a triumphant pride when wealthy men saluted him, -and elegant ladies murmured his name, indicating him with their eyes. - -Besides, he was a devotee of the Lord of Great Power. If he tolerated El -Nacional's opinions about God _or_ Nature without being very much -shocked, it was because for him divinity was something vague and -undecided, something like the existence of a great lord against whom one -may hear every sort of evil-speaking calmly, because one only knows of -him by hearsay. But it was quite another affair with the "Virgin of -Hope" and "Jesus of Great Power"--he had known them since his childhood, -and these, no one should touch. - -His feelings as a rough fellow were touched by the theatrical agony of -Christ, with His cross on His back; the perspiring, agonized and livid -face, reminded him of some of his comrades whom he had seen lying in the -bull-ring infirmary. One must stand well with that powerful Lord; and he -recited fervently several paternosters, as he stood before the image, -the lights of whose wax tapers were reflected like stars on the whites -of his Moorish eyes. - -A rustle among the women kneeling before him, distracted his attention, -greedy of supernatural interventions in his dangerous life. - -A lady was passing through the kneeling devotees and attracting their -attention; she was tall, slight, and of startling beauty, dressed in -light colours, with a dark hat covered with feathers, beneath which -flamed the shining gold of her hair. - -Gallardo recognized her. It was Dona Sol, the niece of the Marquis de -Moraima, the Ambassadress, as she was called in Seville. She passed -through the women, taking no notice of their curiosity, but pleased at -their glances and their murmured words, as if these were a natural -homage due to her wherever she appeared. The foreign elegance of her -dress and the enormous hat, stood out from among the dark mass of -mantillas. She knelt and bent her head for an instant in prayer, and -then her clear eyes of a greenish blue with golden lights wandered -tranquilly through the church as though she were in a theatre seeking -for friends among the audience. Her eyes seemed to smile when they -lighted on a friend, and pursuing their wanderings, they at last met -those of Gallardo fixed on her. - -The espada was not modest. Accustomed to see himself the object of -contemplation by thousands and thousands of eyes on the afternoon of a -corrida, he thought frankly that wherever he was all looks must -necessarily be directed towards himself. Many women, in confidential -hours, had told him of the emotion, the curiosity, and the desire, that -had seized them the first time they had seen him in the circus. Dona -Sol's eyes did not fall as they met those of the torero; on the -contrary, she continued to stare at him with the coldness of a great -lady, and it was the matador, always respectful to the rich, who at last -turned his eyes away. - -What a woman! thought he, with his vanity as a popular idol. Will that -gachi[74] be for me? - -Outside the church, he felt it impossible to go away, and so as to see -her again he waited by the door. His heart told him something was -happening, as on the afternoons of his greatest successes. It was the -same mysterious heart-throb which made him disregard the protests of the -public, throwing himself daringly into the greatest risks, and always -with splendid results. - -When she in her turn came out, she looked at him again without surprise, -as if she had guessed he would be waiting for her at the door. She -mounted into her carriage, accompanied by two friends, and as the -coachman started the horses, she again turned her head to look at him, -and a slight smile passed over her lips. - -Gallardo felt preoccupied all the afternoon. He thought of his previous -amours, of the triumphs his proud bearing as a torero had given him, -conquests that had filled him with pride, making him think himself -invincible, but that now inspired him with shame. But a woman like this, -a great lady, who after travelling throughout Europe, now lived in -Seville like a queen! That would indeed be a conquest!... To his wonder -at Dona Sol's beauty, he added the instinctive respect of the former -vagabond, who in a country where birth and wealth have such great -prestige, had learned to worship the great from his cradle. If only he -could succeed in attracting the attention of such a woman! What greater -triumph could he have! - -His manager, a great friend of the Marquis de Moraima and well in with -all the best sets in Seville, had sometimes spoken to him of Dona Sol. - -After an absence of some years, she had returned to Seville a few months -previously. After her long stay abroad she was enamoured of all the -habits and popular customs of the country, pronouncing them all very -interesting and very ... artistic. She went to the bull-fights in the -ancient maja costume, imitating the manners and dress of the graceful -ladies painted by Goya. She was a strong woman accustomed to all sports -and a great rider, and the people saw her galloping in the outskirts of -Seville in a dark riding habit, a red cravat, and a white felt hat -poised on the golden glory of her hair. Often too she carried the -garrocha[75] across her saddle, and with a party of friends as picadors, -would ride out to the pastures to spear and overthrow bulls, delighting -in this rough sport, so full of danger. - -She was not a girl. Gallardo remembered dimly having seen her in her -childhood, in the gardens of Las Delicias, seated by the side of her -mother, a mass of white frills, while he, poor little wretch, ran -underneath the carriage wheels to pick up cigar ends. No doubt she was -the same age as himself, nearing the thirties; but how magnificent! How -different from all other women! - -Don Jose was well acquainted with her history.... A little off her head -that Dona Sol!... And her romantic name agreed well with the originality -of her character and the independence of her habits. - -On the death of her mother, she became possessed of a very good fortune. -She had married in Madrid a personage much older than herself who had as -Ambassador, represented Spain at the principal Courts of Europe, a -prospect which could not fail to be attractive to a woman anxious for -splendour and novelty. - -"How that woman has amused herself, Juan!" said the manager. "How many -heads she has turned during the ten years she has travelled about -Europe. She must be really a book on geography, with secret notes on -every page. Certainly she must have a fine crop of memories about every -capital in Europe.... And the poor Ambassador! He died, no doubt, from -vexation, as there was nowhere left for him to go to. She flew very -high, too. The good gentleman would be sent to represent us at some -court or other, and before the year was out, the Queen or the Empress -would be writing home to beg for the removal of the Ambassador and his -seductive wife.... Oh! the crowned heads that gachi has turned!... -Queens trembled at her arrival. Finally, the poor Ambassador, finding no -place open to him except the American Republics--and as he was of good -principles and a friend of kings--died. And don't imagine for a moment -that she contented herself only with people living in royal palaces! if -all that is told of her be true!... Everything she does is most extreme, -everything or nothing. Sometimes fixing on the highest, sometimes on the -lowest in the land. I have been told that in Russia she ran after one of -those shaggy-haired fellows who throw bombs, who did not care much for -her because she disturbed his plots, because she followed him -everywhere, till at last his secret society strangled him. Afterwards -she appears to have taken up with a painter in Paris, but possibly these -may be exaggerations. However, it seems quite certain that she was great -friends with some musician in Germany who writes operas. If you could -only hear her play the piano! And when she sings! it is like one of the -sopranos who come to San Fernando's theatre at Eastertide. And she not -only sings in Italian, but in French, German, and English. Her uncle, -the Marquis de Moraima, who, between ourselves, is just a little rough, -says he even suspects she knows Latin!... What a woman, eh, Juanillo? -What an interesting woman!" - -Don Jose spoke of Dona Sol with admiration, thinking every act of her -life extraordinary and original, those that were certain as well as -those that were hazy. - -"In Seville," continued he, "she leads an exemplary life, for which -reason I think a great deal that has been said about her is untrue--the -calumnies of certain people who found the grapes were sour. She appears -to have fallen in love with Sevillian life, as though she had never seen -it before! with our warm sunny climate, with our picturesque customs.... -She has been made a member of the charitable brotherhood of the Cristo -de Triana and spends a fortune on Manzanilla for the brothers. Some -nights she fills her house with singers and dancers, who bring their -families and even their most distant relations; they all fill themselves -with olives, sausages and wine, and Dona Sol, seated in an arm-chair -like a queen, spends hours asking for dance after dance. Her servants -who have come with her, dressed in their liveries and as stiff and grave -as lords, hand round trays of wine and sweets to these dancers, who pull -their whiskers and throw the olive stones in their faces!... A most -proper and amusing diversion!... Now, Dona Sol receives every morning an -old gipsy called Lechuzo, who gives her lessons on the guitar...." and -so Don Jose rambled on, explaining to the matador all Dona Sol's -originalities. - -Four days after Gallardo had seen her in the church of San Lorenzo, the -manager came up to him in a cafe in the Calle de las Sierpes and said -mysteriously: - -"Gacho, you are the spoiled child of fortune! Who do you think has been -talking to me about you?" - -And putting his mouth close to the torero's ear, he murmured: "Dona -Sol!" - -She had been questioning him about "his matador" and had expressed a -wish that he should be presented to her. He was such an original type! -So thoroughly Spanish! - -"She says she has several times seen you kill, once in Madrid, and in -other places which I forget. She has applauded you, and she knows that -you are very brave. Now see, if she took a fancy to you! What an honour! -You would be brother-in-law or something of the sort to all the kings in -Europe." - -Gallardo smiled modestly, dropping his eyes, but at the same time he -drew up his fine figure, as if he did not consider his manager's -hypothesis at all extraordinary or out of the way. - -"But all the same you must have no delusions, Juanillo," continued Don -Jose. "Dona Sol wants to see a torero close, just as she takes lessons -from old Lechuzo.... Local colour, and nothing more." - -"Bring him with you to Tablada the day after to-morrow," she said. "You -know what that is; a derribo[76] of cattle at the Moraima breeding farm, -that the Marquis has arranged for his niece's amusement; we will go -together, for I also am invited." - -Two days afterwards, the maestro and his manager rode out in the -afternoon through the suburb de la Feria, dressed as "garrochistas," -amid the expectant crowd who had assembled at the gate or were loitering -in the streets. - -"They are going to Tablada," they said, "there is a 'derribo' of -cattle." - -Don Jose riding a bony white mare was in country dress; a rough coat, -cloth breeches with yellow gaiters, and over the breeches those leather -leggings called "zajones." The espada had put on for this festivity the -bizarre costume that the ancient toreros used to wear, before modern -habits had made them dress like every one else. On his head he wore a -small round hat with turned up edges, made of rough velvet, fastened -under the chin by a strap. The collar of his shirt, which had no cravat, -was fastened by two diamonds, and two other larger ones flashed on his -goffered shirt frills. The jacket and waistcoat were of wine coloured -velvet with black tags and braidings. The sash was of crimson silk, the -tight-fitting breeches with dark embroideries showed off to advantage -the torero's muscular thighs, and were tied at the knees by black -garters with large ribbon bows. The gaiters were amber coloured, with -leather fringes hanging the whole length of the opening; his boots of -the same colour were almost hidden in the large Moorish stirrups, -leaving only the large silver spurs visible. On his saddle bow, above -the rich Jerez blanket whose coloured tassels danced right and left on -the horse's back was strapped a grey overcoat with black trimmings and a -scarlet lining. - -The two riders galloped along, carrying the "garrocha" of fine strong -wood, over their shoulders like a lance with a ball at the end to -protect the iron point. They received quite an ovation as they rode -through the suburb. Ole the brave men! And the women waved their hands. - -"May God go with you, fine fellow! Enjoy yourself Senor Juan!" - -They spurred their horses to leave behind the swarm of children running -after them. And the little streets with their blueish pavement and white -walls rang with the rhythm of the horses' hoofs. - -In the quiet street where Dona Sol lived, a street of aristocratic -houses, with curved ironwork gratings and large glazed balconies, they -found the other "garrochistas" who were waiting at the door, motionless -in their saddles and leaning on their lances. They were mostly young -men, relations or friends of Dona Sol's, who saluted the torero with -courteous amiability, pleased that he should be of the party. At last -the Marquis de Moraima came out of the house, and mounted his horse -immediately. - -"My niece will be down directly. Women, you know! ... they are never -ready." - -He said this with the sententious gravity with which he always spoke, as -if his words were oracles. He was a tall spare man, with large white -whiskers, but his eyes and mouth preserved an almost childlike -ingenuousness. Courteous and measured in his language, quick in his -gestures, seldom smiling, he was quite a great nobleman of the olden -days: Clad almost always in riding dress he hated town life, bored by -the social obligations that his rank imposed on him when he was in -Seville, longing to range the country with his farmers and herdsmen whom -he treated familiarly as comrades. He had almost forgotten how to write -from want of practice, but when anyone spoke to him of fighting bulls, -of the rearing of horses and bulls, or of agricultural work, his eyes -sparkled with determination, and you recognised at once the great -connoisseur. - -Some clouds passed over the sun, and the golden light faded from the -white walls of the street; some looked up at the sky, to the narrow -strip of blue visible between the two lines of roofs. - -"Do not be uneasy," said the Marquis gravely.... "As I came out of the -house I saw the wind blowing a piece of paper in a direction I know. It -will not rain." - -Every one seemed reassured. It could not rain, as the Marquis had said -it would not. He knew the weather just as well as an old shepherd, and -there was no danger of his being mistaken. - -Then he came up to Gallardo. - -"This year I shall provide you with magnificent corridas. What bulls! We -shall see if you will kill them like good Christians. Last year, you -know, I was not at all pleased, the poor brutes deserved better." - -Dona Sol now appeared, raising with one hand her dark riding habit, -beneath which appeared her high grey leather riding boots. She wore a -man's shirt with a red cravat, a jacket and waistcoat of violet velvet, -and her small velvet Andalusian hat rested gracefully on her curling -hair. - -She mounted lightly, taking her garrocha from a servant. While she -saluted her friends, apologizing for having kept them waiting, her eyes -were watching Gallardo. Don Jose pricked on his horse to make the -presentation, but Dona Sol was beforehand with him, going up to the -torero. - -Gallardo felt perturbed by the lady's presence. What a woman! What would -she say to him?... - -He saw that she held out a delicate, scented hand, and in his -bewilderment he only knew that he seized and pressed it in the strong -grasp used to overthrowing bulls. But the hand, so white and pink, was -not crushed in the rough involuntary grip, which would have made another -cry out with pain, but after a strong clasp it disengaged itself easily. - -"I thank you much for having come. Delighted to know you." - -And Gallardo, in his flurry, feeling that he must answer something, -stammered as if he were speaking to an amateur: - -"Thanks; and the family, quite well?" - -A little ripple of laughter from Dona Sol was lost in the clatter of -the hoofs, in the noise of their first start. The lady put her horse to -a trot, and the cavalcade of riders followed her, Gallardo, unable to -get over his stupefaction, bringing up the rear, feeling dimly that he -had made a fool of himself. - -They galloped through the outskirts of Seville alongside the river -leaving the Torre Del Oro[77] behind them and then on through the shady -gardens strewn with yellow sand, till they reached a road bordered on -either side by small taverns and eating-houses. - -When they arrived at Tablada, they saw on the green plain a large -concourse of people and carriages drawn up close to the palisades which -separated the meadow from the animals' enclosure. - -The broad stream of the Guadalquivir rolled along the edge of the -pasture; on the opposite side rose the hill of San Juan de Aznalfarache, -crowned by its ruined castle, and many white country houses peeped out -from among the silver grey of the olive trees. On the opposite side of -the wide horizon, on which a few woolly clouds were floating, lay -Seville, the line of its houses dominated by the imposing mass of the -Cathedral, and the marvellous Giralda, dyed a tender pink in the evening -light. - -The riders advanced with no little trouble among the moving crowd. The -curiosity inspired by Dona Sol's originalities had attracted all the -ladies of Seville. Her friends saluted her as she passed their -carriages, thinking she looked very beautiful in her manly dress. Her -relations, the Marquis's daughters, some unmarried, others accompanied -by their husbands, recommended prudence. - -"For God's sake, Sol! do not risk anything".... - -The "derribadores" entered into the enclosure, being greeted as they -went through the palings by the shouts of the populace, who had come to -see the sport. - -The horses, seeing their enemies and sniffing them from afar, began to -prance, neighing and kicking beneath the firm hands of their riders. - -The bulls were in the centre in a group, some were quietly grazing, -while others lay sleepily ruminating on the grass which was a little -rusted by the winter; others, wilder, trotted towards the river, the old -oxen, the prudent "cabestros"[78] immediately starting in pursuit, the -big bells round their necks ringing, while the cowherds assisted them in -collecting the stragglers by slinging stones which struck the tips of -the fugitives' horns. - -The riders remained a long time motionless, holding a council under the -impatient eyes of the crowd who were longing for something exciting. - -The first to ride out was the Marquis accompanied by one of his friends; -the two galloped towards the group of bulls, and when within a short -distance stopped their horses, standing up in their stirrups, waving -their "garrochas" and shouting loudly to frighten them. A black bull -with powerful thighs detached himself from the rest, trotting to the -further end of the enclosure. - -The Marquis had every right to be proud of his herd, composed entirely -of fine animals, carefully selected from judicious crossing. They were -not animals destined only for the production of meat, with rough and -dirty coats, big hoofs, hanging heads, and large and ill-placed horns. -They were animals of nervous vivacity, strong and robust, making the -ground shake as they went along raising clouds of dust under their -hoofs. Their coats were fine and shining like well-groomed horses, their -eyes fiery, the neck broad and proudly carried, their legs short, their -tails long and fine, their horns well shaped, sharp and polished as if -by hand, and their hoofs short, small and round, but hard enough to cut -the grass like a steel. - -The two riders galloped after the animal, attacking him from either -side, barring his way as he tried to make for the river, till the -Marquis, spurring his horse, gained on him, and, nearing the bull with -his garrocha in front of him, drove the iron on to his croup, the -combined impetus of the horse and the rider's arm causing him to lose -his balance, and roll over on the ground belly upwards, his horns stuck -in the ground and his four legs in the air. - -The rapidity and ease with which the breeder had accomplished this feat, -raised shouts of delight from the other side of the paling. Ole for the -old men!... No one understood bulls like the Marquis. He managed them as -if they were his own children, tending them from the day they were born, -till the day they entered the Plazas to die like heroes worthy of a -better fate. - -Immediately other riders wished to go out, and gain the applause of the -crowd, but the Marquis stopped them, giving the preference to his niece. -If she wished to accomplish a "derribo" she had better go out at once, -before the herd got infuriated with the constant attacks. - -Dona Sol spurred her horse, which did not cease rearing, frightened by -the bulls. The Marquis wished to accompany her, but she refused his -escort. No, she preferred having Gallardo, who was a torero. Where was -Gallardo? The matador, still ashamed of his awkwardness, rode up to the -lady's side in silence. - -The two galloped towards the herd, Dona Sol's horse reared up -frequently, refusing to go on, but the strength of the rider forced him -to advance; Gallardo waved his garrocha, giving shouts that were really -bellowings, just as he did in the Plazas when he wished to excite the -animal to attack him. - -It was not difficult to make one animal come out from the rest; a huge -white bull with red spots, an enormous neck and hanging brisket, with -horns of the finest point, soon detached himself. He trotted to the -further end of the enclosure as if he had there his "querencia,"[79] -which irresistibly attracted him; Dona Sol galloped after him, followed -by the espada. - -"Take care, Senora!" shouted Gallardo. "This is an old and malicious -bull, he is drawing you on ... take care he does not turn short." - -And so it was. When Dona Sol prepared to make the same stroke as her -uncle, turning her horse obliquely to the bull so as to plant the -garrocha well on his tail and overthrow him, the brute suddenly turned -as if realizing his danger, planting himself menacingly in front of his -attackers. The horse rushed in front of the bull, Dona Sol being unable -to stop him from the impetus of his wild career, and the bull pursued, -the chaser becoming the chased. - -The lady had no thought of flight. Thousands of people were watching her -from afar, she dreaded the laughter of her friends and the pity of the -men, and succeeded at last in checking her horse, and fronting the bull. -She held her garrocha under her arm like a picador, and drove it into -the bull's neck as it rushed forward bellowing with lowered head. Its -enormous poll was covered with a stream of blood, but it rushed on with -an overwhelming impetus, not seeming to care for the wound, till it -drove its horns under the horse's belly, shaking it, and lifting it off -the ground. - -The rider was thrown out of her saddle, while a wild cry of horror went -up from the palisades; the horse, freed from the horns, rushed on -madly, its belly stained with blood, the girths broken and the saddle -flapping on its loins. - -The bull turned to follow it, but at the same moment something nearer -attracted its attention. It was Dona Sol who, instead of remaining -motionless on the grass, stood up, picking up her garrocha, and putting -it bravely in rest under her arm to confront the brute afresh. It was a -mad display of courage, but she thought of those who were watching her; -a challenge to death certainly, but far better than compounding with -fear and incurring ridicule. - -No one shouted from the palisade. The crowd were motionless in terrified -silence. The groups of cavaliers were approaching at a mad gallop, but -their help would come too late, the bull was already pawing the ground -with its forefeet, and lowering his head, to attack that slight figure -threatening him with her lance. One simple blow of those horns and all -would be over. But at that instant a ferocious bellowing drew the bull's -attention and something red passed before his eyes like a flame of fire. - -It was Gallardo, who had thrown himself off his horse, dropping his -lance, to seize the overcoat strapped on to his saddle bow. - -"Eeee! Entra!"[80]. - -And the bull attacked, running after the red lining of the jacket, -attracted by this adversary so worthy of him, turning his hind quarters -to the figure in the black riding skirt and violet jacket, who still -stood stupefied by the danger, with her lance under her arm. - -"Do not be afraid, Dona Sol, he is mine," said the torero, pale with -emotion, but smiling, sure of his dexterity. - -With no other defence but his jacket, he baited the brute, drawing it -away from the lady, and avoiding its furious attacks by graceful -bendings. - -The crowd, forgetting their previous fright, began to applaud -tremendously. What a joy! To have come to see a simple "derribo" and to -see gratuitously an almost regular corrida, with Gallardo fighting! - -The torero, warmed by the impetuosity of the bull's attack, forgot Dona -Sol and everything else, intent only on slipping away from his attacks. -The bull turned again and again, furious at seeing this invulnerable man -slipping away from between his horns, and constantly meeting the red -lining of the coat instead. - -At last he was wearied out, and stood motionless with his head low, and -his muzzle covered with foam; then Gallardo, taking advantage of the -brute's bewilderment, took off his hat and laid it between the horns. An -immense howl of delight arose from the palisade, greeting this exploit. - -Then shouts and bells rang out behind Gallardo, and a crowd of herdsmen -and bell oxen surrounded the brute, and slowly enticed him towards the -main body of the herd. - -Gallardo went in search of his horse, who, accustomed to being near -bulls, had not moved, picked up his garrocha, mounted and then cantered -slowly towards the palisade; prolonging in this way the noisy rounds of -applause from the populace. - -The riders who had escorted Dona Sol greeted the espada with the -greatest display of enthusiasm, his manager winked at him and then -whispered mysteriously: - -"Gacho, you have not been behindhand. Very good: extremely good! Now I -tell you she is yours." - -Outside the palisade, Dona Sol was sitting in a landau, with the -Marquis's daughters. Her terrified cousins felt her all over, determined -to find something put out of joint by her fall. They offered her glasses -of Manzanilla to get over her fright, but she, smiling vaguely, received -these evidences of feminine concern with contemptuous indifference. - -As she saw Gallardo pushing his horse through the ranks of people, -between waving hats and outstretched hands, she smiled cordially. - -"Come here to me, Cid Campeador![81] Give me your hand." - -And once again their right hands met, in a long, vigorous clasp. - -That evening the affair of which all Seville was talking, was also much -canvassed in the matador's house. The Senora Angustias was beaming as -after a great corrida. Her son saving one of those great ladies, whom -she, accustomed to years of servitude, had always looked upon with such -deference and admiration! but Carmen remained silent, not knowing quite -what to think of the occurrence. - -Many days passed without Gallardo having any news of Dona Sol. His -manager was out of town, at a hunting party with some of his friends of -the "Forty-Five." But one evening Don Jose went to seek his matador at a -cafe in the Calle de las Sierpes, where many amateurs of "the sport" -gathered. He had only returned a couple of hours previously from the -hunting party, and had gone at once to Dona Sol's house, in consequence -of a note which he had found waiting for him. - -"God bless me, man! you are worse than a wolf!" said the manager, -marching his man out of the cafe. "The lady expected you at her house. -She has stayed at home evening after evening thinking you might come at -any moment. Such things are not done. After being presented, and after -what happened you owed her a visit, were it only to enquire after her -health." - -The espada stopped, scratching his head under his felt hat. - -"It is," he murmured uneasily ... "it is ... well I must say it out.... -It frightens me.... Now, Senor, it is said.... Yes, it frightens me. You -know well enough I am no laggard, that I can carry on with most women, -and say a few words to a 'gachi' as well as anyone else. But this -one--no. She is a lady who knows more than Lepe,[82] and when I see her -I feel I am an ignorant brute, and keep my mouth shut, as I cannot speak -without putting my foot in it. No, Don Jose.... I am not going. I ought -not to go!" - -But Don Jose ended by over persuading him, and finally carried him off -to Dona Sol's house, talking as he went of his interview with that lady. -She seemed rather offended at Gallardo's neglect. All the best people in -Seville had been to see her after her accident, except himself. - -"You know that a torero ought to stand well with people of good -position. It is only a matter of having a little education and showing -that you are not a cowherd brought up in a stable. Just think. A great -lady like that to distinguish you and expect you!... Stuff and nonsense, -I shall go with you." - -"Ah! if you go with me!" - -And Gallardo breathed again, as if freed from the weight of a great -fear. - -The "patio" of Dona Sol's house was in Moorish style, the delicate work -of its coloured arches making one think of the Alhambra. The ripple of a -fountain, in whose basin gold fish were swimming, murmured gently in -the evening silence. In the four galleries with ceilings of inlaid -Moorish work,[83] which were divided from the patio by marble pillars, -he saw ancient carved panels, dark pictures of saints with livid faces, -ancient furniture with rusty iron mountings, so riddled with worm holes, -that they looked as if they had had a charge of shot. - -A servant shewed them up the wide marble staircase, and there again the -torero was surprised to see retablos with dark figures on gold grounds, -massive virgins, who looked as if they had been cut out with a hatchet, -painted in faded colours and dull gilding; tapestries of soft dead leaf -colour, framed in borders of fruit and flowers, of which one represented -scenes of Calvary, while the other represented hairy, horned, and -cloven-footed satyrs, whom lightly-clad nymphs seemed to be fighting -like bulls. - -"See what ignorance is!" said the matador to Don Jose. "I thought that -sort of thing was only good for convents! But it seems that these people -also value them."... - -Upstairs, the electric lamps were lighted as they passed, while the -sunset splendours still shone through the windows. - -Gallardo experienced fresh surprises. He, so proud of his furniture -bought in Madrid, all quilted with bright silks, heavily and richly -carved, which seemed to cry out the amount they had cost, could not get -over seeing light and fragile chairs, white or green; tables and -cupboards of simple outline, walls of one colour, with only a few -pictures wide apart hanging by thick cords--a luxury of which the -beautiful polish seemed due only to the finish of the carpenters' work. -He was ashamed of his own surprise, and at what he had admired in his -own house as supreme luxury. "See what ignorance is!" And he sat down -with fear, dreading that the chair would break under his weight. - -The entrance of Dona Sol disturbed his reflections. He saw her, as he -had never seen her before, without either hat or mantilla, her head -crowned by that shimmering hair which seemed to justify her romantic -name. Her beautiful white arms showed through the hanging silk sleeves -of a Japanese tunic, which also left uncovered the curve of her -beautiful neck, marked by the two lines called Venus' necklace. As she -moved her hands, stones of all colours, set in curiously shaped rings -which covered her fingers, flashed brilliantly. On her delicate wrists -gold bracelets tinkled, one of Oriental filigree worked with some -mysterious inscription, the others heavy and massive to which were hung -various small charms and amulets, souvenirs of foreign travel. When she -sat down to talk she crossed her legs with masculine freedom, balancing -on her toe a small red golden-heeled papouche, like an embroidered toy. - -Gallardo's ears were buzzing, his eyes were dim, he could scarcely -distinguish the two clear eyes fixed on him with an expression at once -caressing and ironical. To conceal his emotion he smiled, showing his -teeth--the stiff stereotyped smile of a child who wishes to be amiable. - -"No indeed, Senora!... Many thanks.... It is not worth the trouble," was -all he could stammer to Dona Sol's grateful acknowledgment of his -exploit the other evening. - -Little by little Gallardo recovered his calm, and as the lady and his -manager began to speak of bulls he at last gained confidence. She had -seen him kill several times, and remembered the principal incidents -with great exactitude. He felt proud to think this woman watched him at -such moments, and had kept the remembrance fresh in her memory. - -She had opened a lacquered box decorated with strange flowers and -offered the two men gold-tipped cigarettes which exhaled a strange and -pungent scent. - -"They have opium in them," she said, "they are very nice." - -She lighted one herself, and with her greenish eyes which in the light -seemed like liquid gold, she followed the waving spirals of smoke. - -The torero, accustomed to strong Havanas, inhaled the smoke of this -cigarette with curiosity. Nothing but straw--a thing to please ladies. -But the strange perfume spread by the smoke seemed slowly to dissipate -his timidity. - -Dona Sol, fixing her eyes on him, questioned him about his life. She -wanted to be behind the scenes of glory, to know the inner lining of -celebrity, the miserable and wandering life of a torero who has not yet -succeeded in gaining the good will of the public, and Gallardo talked -and talked with sudden confidence, telling her of his early days, -dwelling, with proud insistence, on the humbleness of his origin, -although he omitted anything he considered shameful in the story of his -adventurous youth. - -"How very interesting.... How very original" ... said the beautiful -woman. - -Turning her eyes from the torero she seemed lost in the contemplation of -something invisible. - -"The first man in the world!" exclaimed Don Jose, with rough enthusiasm. -"Believe me, Sol, there are not two men like him. And how impervious to -wounds!" - -As proud of Gallardo's strength as though he were his father, he -enumerated the different wounds that Gallardo had received, describing -them as if he saw them through his clothes. The lady's eyes followed -this anatomical journey with sincere admiration. A real hero, simple, -embarrassed, retiring, like all strong men. - -The manager spoke of going away; it was seven o'clock and he would be -expected at home. But Dona Sol remonstrated with smiling insistence; -they really must both of them stay to dinner; it was an unceremonious -invitation, but that evening she was not expecting anyone, she would be -alone as the Marquis and his family had gone into the country. - -"I shall be quite alone.... Not another word, I command it; you must do -penance with me." - -And as if her commands admitted of no reply, she left the room. - -The manager demurred; he really could not stay; he had already come out -that afternoon and so his family had hardly seen him; besides he had -invited two friends. As far as concerned his matador, it seemed quite -correct and natural that he should stay, for really the invitation was -for him. - -"But you really must stay," said the espada in agony. "Curse it!... You -are never going to leave me alone. I should not know what to do, nor -what to say." - -A quarter of an hour afterwards Dona Sol returned to the room, wearing -now one of those creations of Paquin, which were at once the despair and -the wonder of her friends and relations. - -Don Jose persisted; he really must go, it was unavoidable, but his -matador would remain, and he undertook to let them know at his house -that they were not to expect him. - -Gallardo made an agonized gesture, but was a little quieted by a look -from his manager. - -"Don't be uneasy," he whispered as he went towards the door. "Do you -think I am a child? I shall say you are dining with some amateurs from -Madrid." - -What torments the torero suffered the first few moments at dinner!... -The grave and seigniorial luxury of the room intimidated him; he and his -hostess seemed lost in it, sitting opposite to each other in the middle -of that big table with its enormous silver candelabra fitted with -electric light and pink shades. - -The imposing servants, stiff and ceremonious, who looked as if nothing -could upset their gravity, inspired him with respect. He was ashamed of -his clothes and of his manners, feeling the great contrast between the -surrounding atmosphere and his own appearance. - -But this first feeling of shyness and timidity soon vanished, and Dona -Sol laughed at his abstemiousness and the dread with which he touched -the plates and glasses. Gallardo looked at her admiringly, certainly the -golden-haired lady had a fine appetite! Accustomed as he was to the -prudery and abstentions of ladies he had known, who thought it bad form -to eat anything, he was astonished at Dona Sol's appetite. - -Gallardo, encouraged by her example, ate, and above all drank, drank -deeply, seeking in the many fine wines a remedy for that nervousness -which had made him so shamefaced, and unable to do anything but smile as -he constantly repeated, "Many thanks." - -The conversation became more lively. The espada began to be talkative -and told her many amusing incidents of bull-fighting life, ending by -telling her of El Nacional's original ideas, of the feats of his picador -Potaje, who swallowed hard-boiled eggs whole, who was half an ear short, -because a companion had bitten it off, who, when he was taken wounded to -the infirmary of a Plaza, fell on the bed with such a weight of iron -armour and muscles that his big spurs pierced the mattress and he had -subsequently to be disentangled with extreme difficulty. - -"How very interesting! How very original!" - -Dona Sol smiled as she listened to the anecdotes of these rough men, -always face to face with death, whom she had hitherto only admired from -a distance. - -The champagne ended by bewildering Gallardo, and when they rose from the -table he offered his arm to his hostess, amazed at his own audacity. Did -they not do this in the great world? ... decidedly he was not quite so -ignorant as he had appeared at first sight. - -Coffee was served in the drawing-room, where in a corner Gallardo spied -a guitar, no doubt the one on which Lechuzo gave Dona Sol her lessons. -She offered it to him, asking him to play something. - -"I do not know how!... I am the most ignorant man in the world, except -about killing bulls!"... He much regretted that the Puntillero[84] of -his cuadrilla was not there, a lad who drove the women wild with his -beautiful playing. - -There was a long silence, Gallardo sat on a sofa smoking a splendid -Havana, while Dona Sol smoked one of those cigarettes whose perfume -seemed to induce a vague drowsiness. The torero felt sleepy after his -dinner, and scarcely opened his mouth to answer except by a fixed smile. - -Doubtless this silence bored Dona Sol, for she rose and went to the -grand piano, which soon rang under her vigorous touch with the rhythm of -a Malaguena. - -"Ole! That is fine!" said the torero, shaking off his drowsiness! -"Capital.... Very good!" - -After the Malaguenas she played some Sevillanas, and then some -Andalusian popular songs, all melancholy, with an Oriental ring. - -Gallardo interrupted the singing with his exclamations just as he would -have done before the stage of a cafe chantant. - -"Well done, the golden hands! Now for another!" - -"Are you fond of music?" enquired the lady. - -"Oh, very," replied Gallardo, who up to now had never asked himself the -question. - -Dona Sol passed slowly from these lively measures to something slow and -more solemn, which Gallardo with his philharmonic learning recognised as -"Church music." - -There were no exclamations now. He felt himself overcome by a delicious -sleepiness; his eyes were closing, and he felt certain that if this -concert went on much longer he should be fast asleep. - -To prevent this catastrophe Gallardo gazed at the beautiful woman who -had turned her back to him. Mother of God! What a beautiful figure, and -he fixed his African eyes on the round white neck, crowned with the -waving curls of golden hair. An absurd idea floated before his confused -mind, keeping him awake with the itching of its temptation. - -"What would that gachi do if I went up softly on tip-toe and kissed that -beautiful neck?"... - -But his thoughts went no further. The woman inspired him with -irresistible respect. He remembered what his manager had said, and how -she managed men as if they were playthings. Still, he looked at that -neck, though the mist of sleep was spreading before his eyes. He knew he -would fall asleep! And he feared that soon a loud snore would interrupt -that music, which although quite incomprehensible to him must be -magnificent. He pinched his thighs and stretched his arms to keep -himself awake, smothering his yawns with his hand. - -A long time passed. Gallardo was not quite sure he had not been asleep. -Suddenly the sound of Dona Sol's voice woke him from his drowsiness; she -was singing in a low voice that trembled with passion. - -The torero pricked up his ears to listen. He could not understand a -word. It was something foreign. Curse it!... Why could she not sing a -tango or something of the sort?... And she expected a Christian to keep -awake!... - -She was singing, as in a waking dream, Elsa's prayer, the lament for the -strong man, the great warrior, so invincible to men, so tender to women. -That tender and strong man! ... that warrior.... Was it possibly the man -behind her.... Why not?... - -He certainly had not the legendary aspect of that other warrior. He was -rough and heavy. Still she remembered clearly the gallantry with which -he had come to her aid the other day, the smiling confidence with which -he had fought the bellowing brute, just as the other heroes fought with -terrifying dragons; yes; he was her warrior! - -She shook from head to foot with voluptuous dread, acknowledging herself -beforehand as conquered. She thought she could feel the sweet danger -which was approaching her from behind. She could see her hero, her -paladin, rise from the sofa, with his Moorish eyes fixed on her; she -could hear his cautious footsteps, she could feel his hands on her -shoulders, and a kiss of fire on her neck, a sign of passion which would -seal her for ever as his slave.... But the romance ended without -anything happening, without her feeling anything on her spine, beyond -the thrill of her own trembling desire. - -Deceived by his respect, she ceased playing and turned round on her -music stool. The warrior was opposite to her, buried in the sofa -cushions, trying for the twentieth time to light his cigar, opening his -eyes wide to overcome his drowsiness. - -When he saw her eyes fixed on him, Gallardo rose. Ay! the supreme moment -was coming! Her hero was coming towards her to clasp her in his -passionate and manly embrace, to conquer her and make her his own. - -"Good-night, Dona Sol.... It is getting late and I am going. You will -wish to rest." - -Between surprise and pique she also stood up, and scarcely knowing what -she did held out her hand.... Tender and strong as a hero! - -Thoughts of feminine conventionality rushed wildly through her mind, all -those restraints which a woman never forgets even in her moments of -greatest self-abandonment. Her longing was not possible. The first time -he had ever entered her house!... And without the slightest show of -resistance!... - -But as she clasped the espada's hand, and saw his eyes, eyes that could -only look at her with passionate intensity, trusting to the mute -expression of his timid desires. - -"Do not go!... Come! Come!!" - -And nothing more was said. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[67] Little aunt - -[68] Sleeveless coat, generally of sheep or goat skin. - -[69] Cuadrillas de cartel. - -[70] Toro de libras. - -[71] Tobacco is a Government monopoly. - -[72] Liquido. - -[73] A not very complimentary term to the lady--a stinging insect, a -dangerous beast. - -[74] Gachi--uncomplimentary gipsy word, applied to male or female, -generally to a Christian. - -[75] Iron-tipped lance, used in overthrowing young bulls. - -[76] Overthrowing--baiting of bulls by overthrowing them with a spear. - -[77] An old Moorish tower on the banks of the Guadalquivir close to the -gardens Las Delicias. - -[78] Heads of the herds--trained to act as leaders and decoys. - -[79] Pet lair or lurking place. - -[80] The cry used to incite a bull to attack--lit. enter, come along, -and attack. - -[81] It is recorded that the Cid tilted at bulls with his lance. - -[82] A proverbially learned Bishop. - -[83] Artesonada. - -[84] Man who gives the _coup de grace_ to a bull with a dagger, if the -matador has failed to kill it with his sword thrust. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -A great satisfaction to his vanity was added to the numerous other -reasons Gallardo had for being proud of his person. - -When he spoke with the Marquis de Moraima he regarded him with an almost -filial affection. That gentleman, dressed as a countryman, a rough -centaur with "Zajones" and a strong garrocha, was an illustrious -personage, who could cover his breast with ribbons and crosses, and in -the king's palace wore an embroidered coat, with a gold key sewn on to -one flap. His remote ancestors had come to Seville with that monarch who -had expelled the Moors, and had received as reward for their great -exploits, immense territories wrested from the enemy, the remains of -which were those vast plains on which the Marquis now reared his cattle. -And this great nobleman, frank and generous, who preserved, -notwithstanding the simplicity of his country life, the distinction of -his illustrious ancestry, was looked upon by Gallardo as in some sort a -near relation. - -The cobbler's son was just as proud as if he had in reality become a -member of the Marquis's family. The Marquis de Moraima was his uncle, -and though he could neither announce it publicly, nor was the -relationship legitimate, he consoled himself by thinking of the -ascendency he exercised over one female of the family, thanks to a love -which seemed to laugh at all prejudices of rank. - -All those gentlemen who up to now had treated him with the rather -disdainful familiarity with which the patrons of the sport of rank -treat toreros, were now in some sort his cousins, and he began to treat -them as equals. - -His life and habits had completely changed. He seldom entered the cafes -in the Calle de las Sierpes, where most of the amateurs assembled. They -were good sort of people, simple and enthusiastic, but of little -importance; small tradesmen, workmen who had become employers, small -clerks, nondescripts without profession, who lived miraculously by -strange expedients, apparently having no other business than to talk of -bulls. - -Gallardo passed by the windows of these cafes, saluting his admirers, -who waved frantically to him to come in. "I will return presently"; he, -however, did not return, he went further up the street to a very -aristocratic club, decorated in the Gothic style, where the servants -wore knee breeches, and the tables were covered with silver plate. - -The son of Senora Angustias could not repress a feeling of pride each -time he passed through the rows of servants drawn up on either side like -soldiers, or when a Major-domo, with a silver chain round his neck, came -to take his hat and stick. In one room fencing was practised, in another -they gambled from the early hours of the afternoon till dawn. The -members tolerated Gallardo because he was a "decent" torero, who spent a -good deal of money, and had powerful friends. - -"He is very well educated," said the members gravely, realizing that he -knew just about as much as they did. - -The sympathetic personality of his well-connected manager, Don Jose, -served the torero as a guarantee in his new existence. Besides, -Gallardo, with the cunning of a former street urchin, knew how to make -himself popular with this brilliant set, among whom he met "relations" -by the dozen. - -He played heavily. It was the best way of drawing closer to his new -friends. He played and lost, with the proverbial ill-luck of a man -fortunate in other undertakings, and his ill-luck became a matter of -pride to the club. - -"Gallardo was cleared out last night," said the members proudly. "He -must have lost at least eleven thousand pesetas." - -The calmness with which he lost his money made his new friends respect -him, but the new passion soon grew upon him, even to the point of making -him sometimes forget his great lady. To play with all the best in -Seville! To find himself treated as an equal by these gentlemen! Thanks -to the fraternity established by loans of money and common emotions! - -One night a large lamp suddenly crashed down on to the green table. -There was sudden darkness and wild confusion, but the imperious voice of -Gallardo rang out: - -"Calm yourselves, gentlemen. Nothing much has happened. Let the game go -on. They are bringing candles." - -And the game went on, his companions admiring him even more for his -energetic speech, than for the way in which he killed his bulls. - -The manager's friends questioned him as to Gallardo's losses. Surely he -would ruin himself: everything he earned by bull-fighting he lost by -gambling. But Don Jose smiled disdainfully. - -"This year we had more corridas than anyone else. We shall become tired -of killing bulls and piling up money.... Let the lad enjoy himself. He -works for this and is what he is ... the first man in the world." - -In his new existence Gallardo not only frequented this club, but some -afternoons he went to the "Forty-Five," which was a kind of Senate of -tauromachia. The toreros as a rule did not gain easy access to its -precincts, for their absence admitted of the fathers of the "sport" -giving free vent to their various opinions. - -During the spring and summer the members met in the vestibule, and -overflowed into the street, sitting on cane chairs, waiting for -telegrams about the different corridas. They believed very little in the -opinions of the Press; besides it was necessary for them to have the -news before it got into the papers. - -It was an occupation that filled them with pride and elevated them above -their fellow mortals, to sit quietly at the door of their club breathing -the fresh air and knowing exactly, without interested exaggerations, -what had happened that afternoon in the corrida of Bilbao, Coruna, -Barcelona, or Valencia; how many ears one matador had received, how -another one had been hissed, while their fellow-townsmen remained in -complete ignorance, waiting about the streets till the evening papers -were published. When there was "hule" and a telegram came announcing the -terrible wounds of some native torero their feelings and their patriotic -solidarity softened them sufficiently to admit of their imparting the -momentous secret to some passing friend. The news flew instantaneously -through the cafes in the Calle de las Sierpes, and no one could doubt it -for an instant, for was it not a telegram received by the "Forty-Five"? - -Gallardo's manager, with his aggressive and noisy enthusiasm, rather -disturbed the social gravity. They endured it as he was an old friend, -and ended by laughing at his flights. But it was impossible for sensible -men to discuss the merits of the various toreros quietly with Don Jose. -Often when they alluded to Gallardo as "a very brave fellow, but without -much art" they would look timorously towards the door. - -"Hush! Pepe[85] is coming," and Pepe would enter waving a telegram -above his head. - -"Is that news from Santander?"... "Yes! here it is: Gallardo, two -estocades ... two bulls ... and the ear of the second. Just what I said! -The first man in the world." - -The telegrams to the "Forty-Five" often differed, but Don Jose would -pass it over with a gesture of contempt, breaking out into noisy -protests. - -"Lies! All envy! My wire is the true one. What is in yours is only envy -because 'my lad' has lowered so many chignons." - -All the members laughed at Don Jose, lifting a finger to their foreheads -and joking about the first man in the world, and his kind manager. - -Little by little Gallardo had succeeded, as an unheard-of privilege, in -introducing himself into this society. The torero would come at first -under pretext of looking for his manager, and ended by sitting down -among the gentlemen, although there were many who were no friends to him -and who had chosen other matadors from among his rivals. - -The decoration of the house, according to Don Jose, was full of -"character." The lower part of the walls were covered with Moorish -tiles, and on the immaculately white walls hung announcements of ancient -corridas, stuffed bulls' heads, of animals celebrated either for the -number of horses they had killed, or for having wounded some celebrated -torero; together with procession capes and rapiers presented by espadas -who had "cut off their pigtails" and retired from the profession. - -Servants in dress coats served the gentlemen in their country clothes, -or possibly in their shirt sleeves, during the hot summer evenings. -During the Holy Week and other great holidays in Seville, when -illustrious enthusiasts from every part of Spain came and paid their -respects to the "Forty-Five," the servants wore knee breeches and -powdered wigs, donned the royal livery of red and yellow, and dressed -thus, like servants of the royal household, handed glasses of Manzanilla -to these wealthy gentlemen, many of whom had even dispensed with their -ties. - -In the evenings when the doyen, the illustrious Marquis de Moraima, came -in, the members in big arm-chairs formed a circle round him, and the -famous breeder in a chair higher than the others presided over the -conversation. For the most part they began by talking of the weather. -Most of them were great breeders or wealthy landed proprietors, whose -living depended on the necessities of the earth, and the variations of -the weather. The Marquis explained the observations that his wisdom had -gathered, during interminable rides over the lonely Andalusian plains, -so immense and solitary, with wide horizons, like the sea, on which the -bulls, slowly moving among the waves of verdure, seemed like basking -sharks. He could generally see some piece of paper blown about the -street which served as a basis to his predictions. The drought, that -cruel scourge of the Andalusian plains, gave them conversation for a -whole afternoon, and when after weeks of anxious expectation the -overcast sky would discharge a few big hot drops, the great country -gentlemen would smile, rubbing their hands, and the Marquis would say -sententiously, as he looked at the great round splashes on the pavement: - -"Glory be to God!... Each drop of this is worth a five duro piece." - -When they were not anxious about the weather, cattle was the subject of -their conversation, and especially bulls, of whom they spoke tenderly, -almost as if there were some relationship between them. The other -breeders listened with deference to the Marquis's opinions, on account -of the advantage given him by his large fortune. The simple -"aficionados" who never left the town admired his skill in producing -fierce animals. What this man knew!... He himself, as he spoke of the -extreme care required by the bulls, seemed quite convinced of the -importance of his occupation. Out of ten calves, at least eight or nine -were fit only for the butcher, after they had been tried to judge of -their fierceness. Only one or two who had shown themselves brave and -ready to charge against the iron of the garrocha were judged fit to pass -as fighting animals; thenceforward these lived apart, with every sort of -care. And what care! - -"A breeding establishment of wild bulls ought not to be a business," -said the Marquis. "It is an expensive luxury. It is true we are paid -four or five times as much for a fighting bull as for the others, but -then, see what it costs to rear!" - -They must be watched constantly, their food and water considered, moved -from one place to another, according to variations of temperature, in -fact every bull costs more than the maintenance of a family, and when at -last they were brought to the highest pitch, they had still to be -carefully watched up to the last moment, in order that they should not -disgrace themselves in the circus, but be fit to do honour to the badge -of the herd which hung round their necks. - -In certain Plazas the Marquis had even fought with the managers and the -authorities, refusing to hand over his animals, because a band was -stationed just over the bulls' entrance. The noise of the instruments -bewildered the noble animals, robbing them of their bravery and their -calmness as they entered the Plaza. - -"They are just like us," said he tenderly, "they only want speech. How -can I say like us? Many are worth more than any of us." - -And he spoke of Lobito,[86] the old head of the herd, swearing he would -not sell him if he were offered all Seville, with the Giralda thrown in. -As soon as the Marquis, galloping across the vast plains, came in sight -of the herd to which this treasure belonged, he would instantly respond -to the call of "Lobito."... And leaving his companions would come to -meet the Marquis, rubbing his muzzle against the rider's boots, and this -although he was an immensely powerful animal and the terror of the rest -of the herd. Then the breeder would dismount, and search in his saddle -bags for a piece of chocolate to give to Lobito, who would gratefully -shake his head, armed with those immense horns. Then with one arm round -the bull's neck the Marquis would calmly walk in among the herd of -bulls, made restless and fierce by a man's presence. There was no -danger. Lobito walked like a dog, covering his master with his body, -looking all around him, and imposing respect on his companions with his -fiery eyes. If any one, more venturesome than his comrades, approached -to sniff the intruder they met with Lobito's threatening horns. If -several of them with heavy playfulness joined to bar his way, Lobito -would stretch out his armed head and force them to make way. - -When the Marquis related the great deeds of some of the animals reared -on his pastures his white whiskers and his shaven lips would tremble -with emotion. - -"A bull!... He is the noblest animal in the world. If only men were more -like him things would go on better in the world. There you have a -portrait of poor Coronel. Do any of you remember that jewel?" - -As he spoke he pointed to a large photograph finely framed, -representing himself, much younger, in peasant dress, surrounded by -little girls in white, who seemed to be seated in the midst of a meadow, -on a black mound, at one end of which appeared a pair of horns. This -dark and shapeless bank was Coronel. Of enormous size and very fierce to -his comrades in the herd, this beast showed the most affectionate -gentleness to his master and his family. He was like one of those -mastiffs who are so fierce to strangers, but who let the children of the -family pull their ears and tail, and receive all their teazing with -grunts of pleasure. The little girls were the Marquis's daughters; the -beast would sniff at their little white dresses, while they half -frightened at first, clung to their father's legs, but would suddenly -with childish confidence rub his muzzle. "Lie down, Coronel," and -Coronel would lie down with his feet doubled beneath him, while the -children sat on his broad back heaving with his heavy breathing. - -One day, after much hesitation, the Marquis sold him to the Plaza in -Pampeluna, and went himself to assist at the corrida. De Moraima was -deeply moved and his eyes were dim as he recalled the occurrence. Never -in his life had he seen a bull like that one. He rushed gallantly into -the arena, though rather dazed at first by the sudden light after the -darkness of his stall and the roars of thousands of people. But directly -a picador pricked him, he seemed to fill the whole Plaza with his -magnificent onslaughts. - -Soon, there were neither men nor horses nor anything else left! In a -moment all the horses were down and their riders tossed in the air. The -peons ran, and the arena was in disarray, as if a branding[87] had been -going on. The audience clamoured for more horses, while Coronel stood -in the middle of the Plaza waiting to turn and rend anyone who came out -against him. The slightest invitation was sufficient to make him attack, -no one had ever seen anything like him for nobility and power, rushing -in to his charge with a grandeur and a dash which drove the populace -mad. When the death signal sounded, he had fourteen wounds in him and a -complete set of banderillas, yet he was as fresh and as brave as if he -had never left his pasture. Then.... - -When the breeder reached this point he always stopped to steady his -shaking voice. - -Then ... the Marquis de Moraima, who was in a box, found himself, he -knew not how, behind the barrier, among the excited servants of the -Plaza and close to the matador, who was slowly rolling up his muleta, as -though he wished to put off the moment when he should have to meet so -formidable an enemy. "Coronel!" ... shouted the Marquis, throwing his -body half over the barrier and striking the woodwork with his hands. - -The animal did not move, but he raised his head, as though these shouts -reminded him of the pastures he might never see again. "Coronel!"... -Till, turning his head he saw a man leaning over the barrier calling -him, and rushed straight to attack him. But he stopped half way in his -wild rush, then came on slowly till he rubbed his horns against the arms -stretched out to him. He came with his chest splashed with the streams -of blood from the darts fixed in his neck, and his skin torn by the -wounds which showed the blue muscles beneath.... "Coronel! My son!..." -And the bull, as if he understood these tender words, raised his muzzle -and rubbed the breeder's white whiskers. "Why have you brought me here?" -his fierce blood-shot eyes seemed to say; and the Marquis, no longer -knowing what he did, kissed the beast's nostrils, wet with his furious -snorting, again and again. - -"Do not kill him!" some kind soul shouted from the seats, and as though -these words reflected the thoughts of the whole audience, an explosion -of voices shook the Plaza, and thousands of handkerchiefs waved like -white doves. "Do not kill him!" And at that moment the crowd, seized -with a vague tenderness, despised their own amusement, abhorred the -torero in his showy dress with his useless heroism, and admired the -bravery of the brute, to whom they felt themselves inferior; and -recognised that among those thousands of reasoning beings, nobility and -affection were alone represented by this poor animal. - -"I took him away," said the Marquis, almost sobbing. "I returned the -manager his two thousand pesetas. I would have given him my whole -fortune. After a month on the pasture there was not the vestige of a -scar on his neck.... I should have wished him to die of old age, but it -is not always the good who prosper in this world. A sulky bull, who -would not have dared to look him in the face, killed him treacherously -with a blow of his horn." - -The Marquis and his fellow-breeders soon forgot their tender sympathy -for the animals in the pride they felt at their fierceness. You should -have seen the contempt with which they spoke of the enemies of -bull-fighting, and of those who clamoured against this art in the name -of the protection of animals. - -"Follies of foreigners," "Ignorant errors," which confound a butcher's -ox with a fighting bull! The Spanish bull is a wild animal: the bravest -wild beast in the world. And he recalled several fights between bulls -and felines, which had always ended triumphantly for the national -beast. - -The Marquis laughed as he remembered another of his animals. A fight was -arranged in a certain Plaza between a bull, and a lion and a tiger -belonging to a celebrated tamer. The breeder sent Barrabas, a vicious -animal, which had to be kept apart at the farm, because he had fought -with and killed several of his companions. - -"I saw this myself," said the Marquis. "There was a huge iron cage in -the middle of the circus and inside it was Barrabas. They loosed the -lion first, and this accursed feline, taking advantage of a bull being -unsuspicious, sprung upon his hind quarters and began to tear him with -teeth and claws. Barrabas bounded furiously in order to dislodge him and -get him within reach of the horns, which are his defence. At last he -succeeded in throwing the lion in front of him and then ... caballeros! -it was just like a game of ball!... He tossed him from one horn to -another, shaking him like a marionette, till at last, as if he despised -him, he threw him on one side, and there lay the so-called king of -animals, rolled into a ball, and lying like a cat who has just been -beaten.... The second affair was much shorter. As soon as the tiger -appeared Barrabas caught him, tossed him in the air, and after shaking -him well, threw him into the corner like the other.... Then Barrabas, -being an evil-minded beast, trotted up and down, with every indecent -display of triumph over his fallen foes." - -These anecdotes always drew shouts of laughter from the "Forty-Five." -The Spanish bull!... The finest wild animal!... It seemed as if the -arrogant bravery of the national animal established the superiority of -the country and the race over all others. - -When Gallardo began to frequent the club, a fresh topic of conversation -had arisen to interrupt the endless talk of bulls and field work. - -The "Forty-Five," like every one else in Seville, were talking of the -exploits of Plumitas, a brigand, celebrated for his audacity, to whom -the useless efforts of his pursuers daily gave fresh fame. The papers -spoke of his kindly disposition, as if he were a national personage. The -Government, who were questioned in the Cortes, promised a speedy -capture, which was never realized. The civil guard were concentrated, -and a perfect army was mobilized to follow and catch him, while -Plumitas, always alone, with no other help but his carbine and his -horse, slipped through those who were following him like a ghost; he -would turn on them, when they were few in numbers, and stretch many -lifeless, but he was reverenced and helped by all the poor peasantry, -wretched slaves of the enormous landed interest, who looked upon the -bandit as the avenger of the starving, a just but cruel justiciary, -after the fashion of the ancient armour-clad knights errant. He exacted -money from the rich, and then with the manner of an actor before an -immense audience, he would assist some poor old woman, or some labourer -with a large family. These generosities were greatly exaggerated by the -gossip of the rural population, who always had the name of Plumitas on -their lips, but who became both blind and dumb when any enquiries were -made by the Government soldiers. - -He went from one province to another like one perfectly acquainted with -the country, and the landed proprietors of Seville and Cordova -contributed largely to his support.... Whole weeks passed and nothing -would be heard of him, then suddenly he would appear in some farm or -village, utterly regardless of danger. - -They had direct news of him in the "Forty-Five," precisely as if he had -been a matador. - -"Plumitas was at my farm the day before yesterday," a rich farmer would -say. "The overseer gave him thirty duros, and he went away after -breakfasting." - -They paid this contribution contentedly, and gave no information except -to friends. Giving information meant making declarations, and every sort -of annoyance. And for what? The civil guard sought him without success, -and had he become incensed against the informers, their goods and -property would have been at his mercy, without any protection whatever -from his vengeance. - -The Marquis spoke of Plumitas and his exploits without being in the -least scandalized by them, and treated them as though they were a -natural and inevitable calamity. - -"They are poor fellows who have had some misfortune, and have taken to -the road. My father (who rests in peace) knew the famous Jose Maria, and -had twice breakfasted with him. I have run against several of lesser -fame, who went about the neighbourhood doing evil deeds. They are just -the same as bulls, noble and simple creatures. They only attack when -goaded, and their evil deeds increase with punishment." - -He had given orders to all the overseers at his farms and in all his -shepherds' hovels to give Plumitas whatever he asked for; consequently, -as the overseers and cowherds related, the bandit, with the respect of a -country peasant for a kind and generous master, spoke of him with the -greatest gratitude, offering to kill anyone who offended the "Zeno -Marque" in the very slightest degree. Poor fellow! For the wretched -little sums which he demanded, when he made his appearance, wearied and -starving, it was not worth while drawing down on oneself his anger and -revenge. - -The breeder, who was constantly galloping alone over the plains where -his bulls grazed, suspected that he had several times come across -Plumitas. He was probably one of those poor-looking horsemen whom he met -in the solitary plains without so much as a village on the horizon, who -would raise his hand to his greasy sombrero, and say with respectful -civility: - -"Go with God, Zeno Marque." - -The lord of Moraima, when he spoke of Plumitas, looked often at -Gallardo, who declaimed with the vehemence of a novice, against the -authorities for being unable to protect property. - -"Some fine day he will turn up at La Rincona, my lad," said the Marquis, -with his grave Andalusian drawl. - -"Curse him!... But that would not please me, Zeno Marque! God alive! Is -it for this I pay such heavy taxes?" - -No, indeed. It would not please him to run against the bandit during his -excursions at La Rinconada. He was a brave man killing bulls, and in a -Plaza regardless of his own life; but this profession of killing men -inspired him with all the uneasiness of the unknown. - -His family were at the farm. Senora Angustias enjoyed a country life, -after the miseries of an existence spent in town hovels. Carmen also -enjoyed it, and the saddler's children required a change, so Gallardo -had sent his family to La Rincona, promising soon to join them. He, -however, postponed the journey by every sort of pretext, living a -bachelor's life (with no other companion than Garabato), which left him -complete liberty as to his relations with Dona Sol. - -He thought this the happiest time of his life, and he often quite forgot -La Rinconada and its inhabitants. - -He and Dona Sol rode together, mounted on spirited horses, dressed much -the same as on the day when they first met, generally alone, but -sometimes with Don Jose, whose presence was a sop to people's -scandalized feelings. They would go to see bulls in the pastures round -Seville, or to try calves at the Marquis's dairies, and Dona Sol, always -eager for danger, was delighted when, as he felt the prick of the -garrocha, a young bull would turn and attack her, and Gallardo had to -come to her assistance. - -At other times they would go to the station of Empalme, if a boxing of -bulls was announced for the different Plazas which were giving special -corridas at the end of the winter. - -Dona Sol examined this place, which was the most important centre of -exportation of the taurine industry, with great interest. There were -large enclosures alongside the railway siding, and dozens of huge boxes -on wheels with movable doors. The bulls who were to be entrained, -arrived, galloping along a dusty road edged with barbed wire. Many came -from distant provinces, but on getting close to Empalme they were sent -on with a rush, in order to get them into the enclosures with greater -ease. - -In front galloped the overseers and shepherds with their lances on their -shoulders, and behind them the prudent "cabestros" covering the men with -their huge horns. After these came the fighting bulls, well rounded up -by tame bulls who prevented them straying from the road, and followed by -strong cowherds ready to sling a stone at any wandering pair of horns. - -Arrived at the enclosures the foremost riders drew to either side, -leaving the gateway open, and the whole herd, an avalanche of dust, -pawings, snortings and bells, rushed in like an overwhelming torrent and -the gate was immediately closed after the last animal. - -They tore through the first enclosure without noticing that they were -trapped, the "cabestros," taught by experience and obedient to the -shepherds, stood aside to let them pass into the second, where the herd -only stopped on finding a blank wall before them. - -Now the boxing began. One by one they were driven, by shouts, waving -cloths, and blows from garrochas, into a narrow lane, at the end of -which stood the travelling box, with both its side doors lowered. It -looked like a small tunnel, through which the brutes could see a field -beyond, with animals quietly grazing. The suspicious bulls guessed some -danger in this small tunnel, and had to be driven on by clappings and -whistlings and pricks. Finally they would make a dash for the quiet -pasture beyond, making the sloping platform leading to the box shake as -they rushed up it, but as soon as they had mounted this, the door in -front of them was suddenly closed, and then equally quickly the one -behind, and the bull was caught in a cage where he could only just stand -up or lie down comfortably. The box was then wheeled into the railway, -and another one took its place, till all the herd were successfully -entrained. - -When the first intoxication of Gallardo's good fortune had passed off, -he looked at Dona Sol with the utmost astonishment, wondering in the -hours of their greatest intimacy if all great ladies were like this one. -The caprices and fickleness of her character bewildered him. He had -never dared to address her as "tu," indeed she had never invited him to -such a familiarity, and on the one occasion when with slow and -hesitating tongue he had attempted it, he had seen in her golden eyes -such a gleam of anger and surprise, that he had drawn back ashamed, and -had returned to the former mode of speech. - -She, on the other hand, spoke to him as "tu," but only in the hours of -privacy. If she had to write to him asking him not to come, or saying -she was going out with her relations, she always used the ceremonious -"uste" and there were no expressions of affection, only the cold -courtesies that might be written to a friend of an inferior class. - -"Oh! that gachi," murmured Gallardo, disheartened; "it seems as if she -had always lived with rascals who showed her letters to every one. One -would think she cannot believe me to be a gentleman because I am a -matador." - -Some of her eccentricities left the torero frowning and sad. Sometimes -on going to the house one of the magnificent servants would coldly bar -his way. "The Senora was not at home," or "The Senora had gone out," and -he knew that it was a lie, feeling the presence of Dona Sol a short -distance from him, the other side of the curtained doors. - -"The fuel is spent!" said the espada to himself, "I will not return. -That gachi shall not laugh at me." - -But when he did return, she received him with open arms, clasping him -close in her firm white hands, with her eyes wide open and vague, and a -strange light in them which seemed to speak of mental derangement. - -"Why do you perfume yourself?" she said, as if she perceived the most -unpleasant smells. "It is unworthy of you. I should like you to smell of -bulls, of horses. Those are fine scents! Don't you love them? Say yes, -Juanin, my animal." - -One night in the soft twilight of Dona Sol's bedroom, Gallardo felt -something very like fear, hearing her speak, and watching her eyes. - -"I should like to run on all fours. I should like to be a bull, and that -you should stand before me rapier in hand. Fine gorings I would give -you! Here ... and here!" - -And with her clenched fist, to which her excitement gave fresh -strength, she planted several blows on the matador's chest only covered -by his thin silk vest. Gallardo drew back, not wishing to admit that a -woman could possibly hurt him. - -"No, not a bull. I should like to be a dog ... a shepherd's dog ... one -of those with long fangs, to come out and bark at you. Do you see that -fine fellow who kills bulls, and who the public say is so brave? Well, I -shall bite him. I shall bite him like this! Aaaam!" - -And with hysterical delight she fixed her teeth in the matador's arm, -punishing his swelling biceps. Exasperated by the pain the matador swore -a big oath, shaking the beautiful half-dressed woman from him, whose -snake-like golden hair stood up round her head like that of a drunken -bacchante. - -Dona Sol seemed suddenly to awake. - -"Poor fellow! I have hurt you. And it was I!... I who am sometimes mad! -Let me kiss the bite to cure it. Let me kiss all your glorious scars. My -poor little brute, it made you cry out!" - -And the beautiful fury suddenly became tender and gentle, purring round -the torero like a kitten. - -One evening, finding her inclined to be confidential, and feeling some -curiosity as to her past, he questioned her as to the kings and other -great personages, whom report said had crossed her path. - -With a cold stare in her eyes she replied to his curiosity: - -"What does it matter to you? Are you by any chance jealous?... And if it -were true ... what then?" - -She remained silent a long while, with a strange look in her eyes, the -look of madness, which was always accompanied by extravagant thoughts. - -"You must have struck many women," she said, looking at him curiously; -"do not deny it, it interests me greatly! No, not your wife, I know she -is very good, but all those that toreros mix with; women who love better -when they are beaten. No? Say truly, have you never struck any one?" - -Gallardo protested with the dignity of a brave man, incapable of hurting -those weaker than himself. Dona Sol showed a certain disbelief in his -asseverations. - -"One day you will have to beat me.... I should like to know what it is" -... she said resolutely.... - -But her expression darkened, she frowned, and a steely gleam lit up the -golden light in her eyes. - -"No, my brute, pay no attention to me, and do not attempt it. You would -be the loser." - -The advice was just, and Gallardo had cause to remember it. One day, in -a moment of intimacy, a somewhat rough caress from his fighting hand was -enough to rouse this woman's fury, who was attracted by the man, and yet -hated him at the same time. - -"Take that." And with a fist as hard as a club she gave him a blow on -the jaw from below upwards with a precision, which seemed inspired by a -knowledge of the rules of boxing. - -Gallardo remained bewildered by pain and shame, while the lady, as if -she suddenly realized her unprovoked aggression, endeavoured to justify -herself with cold hostility. - -"It is to teach you better. I know what you toreros are. If I were to -let myself be trampled on once, for ever after you would shake me like a -gipsy of Triana. I am glad I did it. You must keep your distance." - -One evening in early spring, they were returning from a trial of calves -at one of the farms belonging to the Marquis, who with some other -friends was riding home along the road. - -Dona Sol, followed by the espada, turned her horse into the fields, -delighting in the soft sward under their hoofs, which at this season was -carpeted with spring flowers. - -The setting sun dyed everything with crimson, lengthening indefinitely -the shadows of the riders with their long lances over their shoulders, -and the broad river half hidden among the vegetation rolled along one -side of the meadows. - -Dona Sol looked at Gallardo with imperious eyes. - -"Put your arm round my waist." - -The espada obeyed, and so they rode on, their horses close together, the -woman watching their shadows thrown as one by the setting sun on the -grass. - -"It seems as though we were living in another world," she murmured,--"a -legendary world, something like one sees on the tapestries, the loving -knight and the amazon travelling together, their lances on their -shoulders in search of adventures and dangers. But you do not understand -all this--dunce of my heart. Answer truly, you do not understand me?" - -The torero smiled, showing his beautiful strong teeth of luminous -whiteness. She, as if attracted by his rough ignorance, drew closer to -him, laying her head on his shoulder, shivering as she felt his breath -on the back of her neck. - -They rode on in silence. Dona Sol seemed to have fallen asleep on the -torero's shoulder. Suddenly her eyes opened, flashing with that strange -light which was always the precursor of the most extraordinary -questions. - -"Say! Have you never killed a man?" - -Gallardo started, and in his astonishment disengaged himself from Dona -Sol. Who! He?... Never. He had been a good fellow who had followed his -profession without doing harm to anyone. He had scarcely even fought -with his companions at the "capeas," when they held on to the peace -because they were the strongest. He had exchanged a few blows with -others of his profession, or fought a round in a cafe, but the life of a -man inspired him with deep respect. Bulls were another affair. - -"So that you have never felt the slightest wish to kill a man?... And I -who thought that toreros...." - -The sun had set, and the landscape, which before had seemed so -brilliant, now looked dull and grey; even the river had disappeared, and -Dona Sol spurred on her horse without saying another word, or even -appearing to notice if the espada were following her. - -Before the Holy Week holidays Gallardo's family returned to Seville. The -espada was to fight at the Easter corrida. It was the first time he -would kill in Dona Sol's presence since he had come to know her, and it -made him doubtful of his powers. - -Besides, he never could fight in Seville without a certain disquietude. -He could accept an unlucky mischance in any other Plaza in Spain, -thinking he would probably not return there for some time. But in his -own native town, where his greatest enemies lived!... - -"We must see you distinguish yourself," said Don Jose. "Think of those -who will be watching you. I expect you to remain the first man in the -world." - -On the Saturday of "Gloria,"[88] during the small hours of the night, -the enclosing of the cattle for the following day's corrida was to take -place, and Dona Sol wished to assist as picqeur at the operation, which -presented the further delight of taking place in the dark. The bulls had -to be brought from the pastures of Tablada to the enclosures at the -Plaza. - -In spite of Gallardo's wish to accompany Dona Sol he was unable to do -so; his manager opposed it, alleging the necessity of his keeping -himself fresh and vigorous for the following afternoon. At midnight the -road leading from the pastures to the Plaza was as lively as a fair. In -the country villas the windows were lighted up, and shadows passed -before them, dancing to the sound of pianos. In the little inns, whose -open doors threw broad streaks of light across the road, the tinkling of -guitars, the clinking of glasses, and shouts and laughter let it be -known that wine was circulating freely. - -About one in the morning a rider passed along the road at a slow trot. -He was "el aviso,"[89] a rough shepherd, who stopped before the taverns -and gay country houses, warning them that the herd would pass in less -than a quarter of an hour, so that lights might be extinguished and -everything be quiet. - -This order, given in the name of the national sport, was obeyed with far -more alacrity than any one given by the authorities. The houses remained -in darkness, the whiteness of their walls confounded with the shadowy -mass of trees. The invisible people, assembled behind the barred and -spiked window gratings, were silent in the expectation of something -extraordinary. In the walks alongside the river the gas lamps were -extinguished one by one as the shepherd advanced shouting the coming of -the herd. - -Everything was absolutely silent. Above the trees the stars were -shining, and below on the ground only the slightest rustle; the faintest -murmur betrayed in the darkness the presence of crowds of people. The -wait seemed very long, till at last in the far distance, the faint sound -of deep bells was heard. "They are coming! They will soon be here!"... - -The clangour of the bells became louder and at last deafening, -accompanied by a confused galloping which shook the ground. First of all -passed several riders, with lances over their shoulders, who appeared -gigantic in the darkness, their horses at full stretch. These were the -shepherds. Then came a group of amateur garrochists, among whom galloped -Dona Sol, delighted at this mad ride through the darkness, in which the -single false step of a horse, or a fall, meant certain death from -trampling beneath the hard hoofs of the fierce herd rushing blindly on -behind in their furious career. - -The herd bells rang wildly; the open mouths of the spectators, hidden by -the darkness, swallowed large gulps of dust, and the furious mob of -cattle rushed by like a nightmare of shapeless monsters of the night, -heavy but at the same time agile, giving horrible snorts, goring at the -shadows with their horns, terrified and irritated by the shouts of the -young shepherds following on foot, and by the galloping of the riders -closing the cavalcade who drove them on with their pikes. - -The transit of this ponderous and noisy troupe only lasted an instant. -There was nothing more to be seen ... and the populace, satisfied by -this fleeting spectacle, came out of their hiding places, and many of -the enthusiasts ran after the herd, hoping to see their entrance into -the enclosures. - -When they arrived near the Plaza the foremost riders drew on one side, -making way for the animals, who, from the impetus of their rush, and -their habit of following the "cabestros," engaged themselves in "la -manga,"[90] a narrow lane formed of palisades leading to the Plaza. - -The amateur garrochists congratulated themselves on the good management -of the enclosing. The herd had been well rounded up without a single -bull being able to stray, or giving work to picqeurs or peons. They were -all well-bred animals, the best from the Marquis' breeding farms, and a -good day might confidently be expected on the morrow. In this hope the -riders and peons soon dispersed. An hour afterwards the surroundings of -the Plaza were completely deserted, and the fierce brutes, safe in their -enclosures, lay down to enjoy their last sleep. - -On the following morning Juan Gallardo rose early. He had slept badly, -with an anxiety that peopled his dreams with nightmares. - -Why did they make him fight in Seville? In other towns he forgot his -family for the moment; he lived as a bachelor in a room in an hotel -completely strange to him, that contained nothing dear to him, and that -reminded him of nothing. But here--to put on his fighting costume in his -own bedroom, where everything about on the table reminded him of Carmen, -to go out and face the danger from the house that he himself had built, -and which contained all that was dearest to him in life, disconcerted -him, and awoke in him as much trepidation as if he were going to kill -his first bull. Besides, he was afraid of his fellow-townsmen, with whom -he had to live, and whose opinion was more important to him than that of -all the rest of Spain. Ay! and that terrible moment of leaving, after -Garabato had put on his gala dress, and he descended into the silent -courtyard. - -The little children came to look at him, frightened by his brilliant -clothes, touching him admiringly, but not daring to speak. His -mustachioed sister kissed him with a look of terror, as if he were being -taken off to die. His mother hid herself in the darkest room. No, she -did not wish to see him; she felt ill. Carmen, deathly pale, was a -little braver, biting her lips white with emotion, blinking her eyes -nervously to keep back the tears, but when she saw him in the courtyard -she immediately raised her handkerchief to her eyes, her whole frame -shaking with the sobs she tried to suppress, and her sister-in-law and -other women had to support her lest she should fall to the ground. - -It was enough to make a coward of even the real Roger de Flor! - -"Curse it all! Come along, man," said Gallardo. "I would not fight in -Seville for all the gold in the world, were it not to give pleasure to -my fellow-townsmen, and to prevent evil speakers from saying I am afraid -of the public in my own town." - -After rising, the espada had wandered about the house, a cigarette in -his mouth, stretching himself to see if his muscular arms still retained -their suppleness. He went into the kitchen and drank a glass of Cazalla, -where his mother, active in spite of years and stoutness, was -superintending the servants, and looking after the proper ordering of -the house. - -Gallardo went out into the patio, so fresh and bright, the birds were -singing gaily in their gilded cages, a flood of sunshine swept over the -marble pavement, and on to the fountain surrounded by plants where the -gold fish swam in the basin. - -The espada saw kneeling on the ground a woman's figure in black, with a -pail by her side, washing the marble floor. She raised her head. - -"Good-day, Senor Juan," she said, with the affectionate familiarity that -all popular heroes inspire, and she fixed on him admiringly the glance -of her solitary eye. The other was lost in a multiplicity of deep -wrinkles which seemed to meet in the hollow black socket. - -The Senor Juan made no reply, but turned away nervously into the -kitchen, calling out to his mother: - -"Little mother, who is that one-eyed woman who is washing the patio?" - -"Who should she be, son? A poor woman with a large family. Our own -charwoman is ill, so I called her in." - -The torero was uneasy, and his look showed both anxiety and fear. Curse -it! Bulls in Seville, and the first person he met face to face was a -one-eyed woman! Certainly those things did not happen to any one else. -Nothing could be of worse augury. Did they want his death? - -The poor woman, shocked by his dismal prognostications and by his -vehement anger, tried to exculpate herself. How could she think of that? -The poor woman wanted to earn a peseta for her children. He must pick up -a good heart and thank God, who had so often remembered them and -delivered them from similar misery.... - -Gallardo was softened by her allusion to their former poverty, which -always made him very tolerant to the good woman. All right, let the -one-eyed one remain, and let what God willed happen. And crossing the -patio with his back turned to her so as not to see that terrible eye, -the matador took refuge in his office close to the vestibule. - -The white walls, panelled with Moorish tiles to the height of a man, -were hung with announcements of corridas printed on silks of different -colours and diplomas of charitable societies with pompous titles, -recording corridas in which Gallardo had fought gratuitously for the -benefit of the poor. Innumerable portraits of himself, on foot, seated, -spreading his cape, squaring himself to kill, testified to the care with -which the papers reproduced the gestures and divers positions of the -great man. Above the doorway was a portrait of Carmen in a white -mantilla, which made her eyes appear darker than ever, with a bunch of -carnations fastened in her black hair. On the opposite wall, above the -arm-chair by the writing bureau, was the enormous head of a black bull, -with glassy eyes, highly varnished nostrils, a spot of white hair on the -forehead, and enormous horns tapering to the finest point, white as -ivory at the base and gradually darkening to inky blackness at the tips. -Potaje, the picador, always broke out into poetic rhapsodies as he -looked at those enormous wide-spreading horns, saying that a blackbird -might sing on the point of one horn, without being heard from the point -of the other. - -Gallardo sat down by the beautiful table covered with bronzes, where -nothing seemed out of place save the thick coating of several days' -dust. On the writing bureau, which was of immense size, the ink bottles -ornamented by two metal horses, were clean and empty; the handsome pen -tray, supported by dogs' heads, was also empty, the great man had no -occasion to write, for Don Jose, his manager, brought him all contracts -and other professional papers to the club in the Calle de las Sierpes, -where on a small table the espada slowly and laboriously affixed his -signature. - -On one side of the room stood the library, a handsome bookcase of carved -oak, through the never-opened glass doors of which could be seen -imposing rows of volumes remarkable for their size and the brilliance of -their bindings. - -When Don Jose began to call Gallardo "the torero of the aristocracy," -the latter felt he must live up to this distinction, educating himself -so that his rich friends should not laugh at his ignorance, as had -happened to sundry of his comrades. So one day he entered a book shop -with a determined air. - -"Send me three thousand pesetas' worth of books." - -When the librarian looked slightly bewildered, as if he did not -understand, the torero proceeded energetically. - -"Books. Don't you understand me? The biggest books, and if you have no -objection, I should like them gilt." - -Gallardo was quite pleased with the look of his library. When anything -was spoken of at the club which he did not understand, he smiled -knowingly, and said to himself: - -"That must be in one of the books I have in the study." - -One rainy afternoon when he felt rather poorly, after wandering -listlessly about the house, not knowing what to do, he had opened the -bookcase and taken out a book, the largest of all. But after a few lines -he gave up the reading, and turned over the pages, looking at the prints -like a child who wants to amuse itself. Lions, elephants, wild horses -with flowing manes and fiery eyes, donkeys striped in colours, regular -as if done by rule.... The torero turned them all over carelessly, till -his eyes fell on the painted rings of a snake. Ugh! The beast! The nasty -beast! And he closed convulsively the two middle fingers of his hand, -throwing out the index and little finger like horns, to exorcise the -evil eye. He went on a little, but all the prints represented horrible -reptiles, till at last with shaking hands he shut the book and returned -it to the bookcase, murmuring: "Lizard, lizard," to dispel the -impression of this evil encounter, and the key of the bookcase remained -thenceforward in a drawer of the bureau, covered with old papers. - -That morning, the time he spent in his study only served to increase his -anxieties and trepidation. Scarcely knowing why, he had been -considering the bull's head, and the most painful episode of his -professional life had vividly recurred to his memory. What a sweating -that brute had given him in the circus at Zaragoza! The bull was as -intelligent as a man; motionless, and with eyes of diabolical -maliciousness, he waited for the matador to approach him, when, not -deceived by the red cloth, he struck underneath it directly at the man's -body. The rapiers were sent flying through the air by his charges -without ever succeeding in wounding him. The populace became impatient, -whistling at and insulting the torero. The latter came behind the bull, -following his every movement from one side of the Plaza to the other, -knowing full well that if he stood straight and square before the animal -to kill, that he himself would be the one to die; until at last, -perspiring and fatigued, he took advantage of an opportunity to finish -him by a treacherous[91] side blow, to the great scandal of the mob, who -pelted him with bottles and oranges; a remembrance which made him hot -with shame, and which, returning unluckily at this time, seemed to him -of quite as evil augury as meeting the one-eyed woman, and seeing the -snake. - -He breakfasted alone and ate little as was his habit on the days of a -corrida, and by the time he went up to dress the women had disappeared. -Ay! how they hated that brilliant costume, kept so carefully wrapped up -in linen. Splendid tools which had built up the luxury of the family! - -The farewells were, as usual, disconcerting and troubling for Gallardo. -The flight of the women not to see him come down, Carmen's attempts at -fortitude, accompanying him as far as the door, the wondering curiosity -of the little nephews, everything irritated the torero, grown arrogant -and hectoring as he saw the danger approaching. - -"One would think I was being taken to the gibbet! Good-bye for the -present. Calm yourselves. Nothing will happen." - -And he got into the carriage, making way for himself through the friends -and neighbours assembled in front of the house to wish "Senor Juan" good -luck. - -The afternoons when the espada fought in Seville were the most agonizing -for the family. When he fought away from home they were obliged to -resign themselves patiently to wait for the evening telegram. Here, the -danger being close at hand, a desperate anxiety for news awoke, and the -necessity of hearing every few minutes how the corrida was going on. - -The saddler, dressed as a gentleman, in a suit of light flannel and a -silky white felt hat, offered to let the women know what was happening. -After every bull that Juan killed he would send some urchin with news. -All the same he was furious at the incivility of his illustrious -brother-in-law, who had not even offered him a seat in the carriage with -the cuadrilla to drive to the Plaza! - -Gallardo knew the soil he was treading: it was familiar to him and was -in a sense his own. The sand of the different Plazas exercised an -influence on his superstitious temperament. He recalled the large Plazas -of Valencia and Barcelona, with their white sand, the dark sand of the -northern Plazas, and the red sand of the huge circus in Madrid. But the -sand in Seville was different from any other; drawn from the -Guadalquivir it was a bright yellow, like pulverized ochre. The -architecture of the buildings, too, had a certain influence over him, -some built in Roman style, others again Moorish, but the Plaza of -Seville was like a cathedral full of memories. There the glorious -inventors of different strokes had brought their art to perfection; the -school of Ronda with its steady and dignified fighting, and the school -of Seville with its light play and mobility which caught the public -fancy; and it was there that he, too, this afternoon would be -intoxicated by the applause, by the sun, by the roar of the crowd, -possibly by the sight of a blue bodice and a white mantilla leaning over -the edge of a box, and he felt capable of the most reckless hardihood. - -Anxious to outshine his companions, and monopolize all the applause, -Gallardo seemed to fill the circus with his agility and boldness. Never -had he been in such form. Don Jose, after each one of his splendid -strokes, stood up shouting, challenging invisible enemies hidden among -the benches. "Who dares to say anything against him! The first man in -the world!" - -At Gallardo's order, El Nacional, by clever cloak-play brought his -master's second bull in front of the box, where the blue bodice with the -white mantilla was seated. It was Dona Sol, accompanied by the Marquis -and his two daughters. - -Followed by the eyes of the audience Gallardo approached the barrier -holding his rapier and the muleta in one hand. When he arrived opposite -the box he stopped, took off his montera, and offered the bull as homage -to the Marquis' niece. Many people smiled maliciously. "Ole! the lad has -good luck." He gave a half turn, threw his montera behind him when he -had ended the "Brindis," and waited for the bull which the peons were -bringing up to him by dexterous cloak-play. - -Keeping the animal in a very limited space, he prevented it moving away -from that spot, and successfully accomplished his task. He wanted to -kill under Dona Sol's eyes, so that she should see him close at the -moment when he defied danger. Every pass from his muleta drew forth -exclamations of enthusiasm and cries of anxiety. The horn seemed to -graze his chest; it seemed impossible that blood should not flow after -the bull's attacks. Suddenly he squared himself, the rapier well in line -forward, and before the public could give its advice, by shouts or -counsels, he had thrown himself swiftly on the bull and for a few -instants man and bull looked as one body. - -When the man disengaged himself, the bull rushed forward with uncertain -step bellowing, its tongue hanging from its mouth, and the red pommel of -the rapier scarcely visible on the crest of its bloody neck. After a few -steps it fell, the spectators rose to their feet as one man and a hail -of applause and furious shouting burst from all parts of the -amphitheatre. There was no one in the world as brave as Gallardo! Had -that man ever felt fear? - -The espada saluted before the box, opening his arms with the rapier and -muleta in either hand, while the white-gloved hands of Dona Sol clapped -feverish applause. - -Then something small was passed down from spectator to spectator, from -the box down to the barrier. It was the lady's handkerchief, the one -which she had held in her hand, a small scented square of lawn and lace, -passed through a diamond ring, which she presented to the torero in -acknowledgment of his "brindis." - -The applause broke out afresh on seeing this recognition, and the -attention of the public, hitherto fixed on the matador, was now turned -on Dona Sol, many turning their backs on the circus to look at her, and -extolling her beauty with the familiarity of Andalusian gallantry. Then -a small hairy and still warm triangle was passed up from hand to hand -to the box. It was the bull's ear, sent by the matador in witness of his -"brindis." - -Before the fiesta was ended the news of Gallardo's great triumph had -spread all over the town, and when the espada returned to his house half -the neighbourhood had assembled to applaud him, as though they had all -been at the corrida. - -The saddler, forgetting his annoyance with the espada, admired him even -more for his friendly relations with the nobility than for his exploits -in the bull-ring. He had his eyes fixed on a certain appointment, and he -made very little doubt about getting it, seeing his brother-in-law's -intimacy with the best people in Seville. - -"Show them the ring. My goodness, Encarnacion, what a present! It is -worthy of Roger de Flor!" - -The ring passed from hand to hand, with cries of admiration from the -women. Carmen only pursed up her lips on seeing it. "Yes, it is very -pretty," and she passed it on hurriedly to her brother-in-law, as if it -burnt her fingers. - -After this corrida, the travelling season began. Gallardo had more -engagements than in any previous year. After the corridas in Madrid, he -was to fight in every Plaza in Spain. His manager was nearly distracted -over the railway time tables, making endless calculations for the future -guidance of his matador. - -Gallardo went from triumph to triumph. Never had he been in such good -form! He seemed to have gained fresh strength. Before the corridas, -cruel doubts overwhelmed him, tremors nearly akin to fear, such as he -had never known in his early days, when he was only beginning to make -his name; but as soon as he found himself in the arena, these fears -vanished and an almost savage bravery possessed him, which was always -accompanied by fresh laurels. - -When his work was over in some provincial town, and he returned to the -hotel with his cuadrilla, for they all lived together, he would sit down -perspiring, wearied with the pleasant fatigue of triumph, and before he -could change his gala dress, all the wiseacres in the locality would -come to congratulate him. He had been "colossal." He was the first -torero in the world! That estocada of the fourth bull!... - -"Yes, indeed," said Gallardo, with almost childish pride. "Really I was -not bad in that." - -With the interminable verbosity of all conversations about bulls, the -time passed without either the espada or his friends wearying of talking -about the afternoon's corridas, or about those of previous years. Night -fell, the lights were lit, but still the aficionados did not go. The -cuadrilla, according to bull-fighting discipline, listened silently to -all this babel of talk at the further end of the room. As long as the -master had not given his permission, his "lads" could neither undress -nor sup. The picadors, fatigued by the iron armour on their legs and the -terrible bruises resulting from their falls from horseback, held their -coarse beaver hats between their knees: the banderilleros, their -skintight silk garments, wet with perspiration, were all hungry after -their afternoon's violent exercise; all were thinking the same thing and -casting furious looks at these enthusiasts. - -"When on earth will those tiresome idiots leave? Curse their hearts!" - -At last the matador noticed them. "You may go," he said. And the -cuadrilla escaped, pushing each other like school boys let loose, while -the maestro continued listening to the praises of the connoisseurs, and -Garabato waited silently to undress him. - -On his days of rest, the maestro, free from the excitements of danger -and glory, turned his thoughts towards Seville. Now and then one of -those short little perfumed notes came for him, congratulating him on -his triumphs. Ay! If only Dona Sol were with him! - -There were moments in which he felt compelled to confide his sadness to -El Nacional with that irresistible impulse of confession which all feel -who carry a heavy weight in their hearts. - -Besides, now he was away from Seville, he felt a greater affection for -the banderillero, a kind of reflected tenderness. Sebastian knew of his -loves with Dona Sol; he had seen her, though from afar, and she had -often laughed when Gallardo told her of the picador's originalities. - -Sebastian received his master's confidences with severe looks. - -"What you have got to do, Juan, is to forget this lady. Family peace is -worth more than anything to us who knock about the world, constantly -exposed to danger and liable to be brought home any day feet foremost. -See! Carmen knows a great deal more than you think. She is perfectly -acquainted with everything, and she has even questioned me indirectly as -to your relations with the Marquis' niece. Poor little thing! It is a -shame to make her suffer!... She has a temper, and if you arouse it, it -may give you some trouble." - -But Gallardo, away from his family, and with his thoughts dominated by -the remembrance of Dona Sol, did not seem to understand the dangers of -which El Nacional spoke, and shrugged his shoulders at these sentimental -scruples. He felt the need of speaking of his remembrances, of making -his friend the confidant of his past happiness. - -"You do not know what that woman is! You are an unlucky man, Sebastian, -who does not know what is good. Take all the beautiful women in Seville -together--they are as nothing. See all those we meet on our -travels--neither are they anything. There is only one--Dona Sol, and -when you know a woman like that, you do not want to know any others. If -you only knew her as I do, gacho! Women of our class reek of health and -clean linen, but this one!... Sebastian, this one!... Picture to -yourself all the roses in the gardens of the Alcazar--No, something -better still--jasmine, honeysuckle, all the bewildering perfumes of the -gardens of Paradise, and those sweet scents seem to belong to her, not -as if she put them on, but as if they were flowering in her veins. -Besides, she is not one of those who once seen are always the same. With -her there is always something still to desire, something to hope for, -something which is never attained. I cannot, Sebastian, express myself -better.... But you do not know what a great lady is; so don't preach any -more, and shut your beak." - -Gallardo no longer received any letters from Seville. Dona Sol was -abroad. He saw her once when he was fighting in San Sebastian. The -beautiful woman was staying in Biarritz and she came over with some -French ladies who wished to know the torero. After that he heard very -little of her; only from the few letters he got, and from the news his -manager collected from the Marquis de Moraima. - -She was at the seaside, then he heard she had gone to England, then to -Germany, and Gallardo despaired of ever seeing her again. - -This possibility saddened the torero, and revealed the ascendancy this -woman had gained both over himself and his will. Never to see her again! -Why then should he expose his life and become famous? Of what use was -the applause of the populace? - -His manager reassured him. She would return: he was quite certain. Even -if it were only for a year, for Dona Sol, with all her mad caprices, was -a very practical woman, and knew how to look after what belonged to her. -She needed her uncle's assistance to disentangle the most involved -affairs, both of her own and her late husband's fortune, produced by -their long and expensive stay abroad. - -The espada returned to Seville towards the end of the summer. He had -still a good many corridas for the autumn, but he wanted to take -advantage of a month's rest, during the absence of his family at the -Baths of San Lucar. - -Gallardo shivered with emotion when one day his manager announced the -unexpected return of Dona Sol. - -He went to see her at once, but after the first few words felt -intimidated by her cold amiability and the expression of her eyes. - -She looked at him as if he were different. In her glance a certain -surprise at his rough exterior, at the difference between herself and -this man, the matador of bulls, could be guessed. - -He also felt this gulf which seemed opening between them. He looked at -her as though she were another woman; a great lady of a different race -and country. - -They talked quietly. She seemed to have forgotten the past, and Gallardo -did not dare to remind her of it, nor to make the slightest advance, -fearing one of her outbursts of anger. - -"Seville!" said Dona Sol. "It is very beautiful ... very pleasant. But -there is more in the world! I warn you. Gallardo, that some day I shall -take flight for ever. I guess that I shall be bored to death. My Seville -seems quite changed." - -She no longer "tutoyed" him, and it was many days before the torero -dared during his visits to make the slightest allusion to the past. He -confined himself to gazing at her in silence, with his moist and adoring -Moorish eyes. - -"I am bored. Some day I shall go away," she exclaimed at all these -interviews. - -Other times the imposing servant would receive the torero at the wicket -and tell him the Senora was out, when he knew quite certainly that she -was at home. - -Gallardo told her one evening of a short excursion he was obliged to -make to his farm of La Rinconada. He wanted to see some olive yards his -manager had bought for him during his absence, and added to the -property. He wanted also to look after the general work. - -The idea of accompanying the espada on this expedition delighted Dona -Sol. To go to that grange where Gallardo's family spent the greater part -of the year! To enter with the startling scandal of irregularity and sin -into the quiet atmosphere of that country house, where the poor fellow -lived with his belongings!... - -The absurdity of the wish decided her. She also would go. The idea of -seeing La Rinconada interested her. - -Gallardo felt afraid. He thought of all the farm people, of the gossips -who would probably tell his family of this trip, but Dona Sol's glance -beat down all his scruples. Who could tell? ... possibly this trip might -bring on a return of their former intimacy. - -All the same he wished to oppose one obstacle to this wish. - -"How about El Plumitas?... According to what I hear, he is wandering -round La Rinconada." - -"Ah! El Plumitas!" Dona Sol's face, darkened by boredom, seemed to light -up with an inward flame. - -"How curious! I should be so delighted if you could present him to me." - -Gallardo arranged the journey. He had thought of going alone, but Dona -Sol's company obliged him to seek an escort, fearing some evil encounter -on the road. - -He looked up Potaje, the picador. He was extremely rough, fearing -nothing in the world but his gipsy wife, who when she was tired of being -beaten would turn and bite him. There would be no need to give him any -explanations, only wine in abundance. Alcohol and his atrocious falls in -the arena seemed to keep him in a perpetual muddle, as if his head were -buzzing, and only permitted his few slow words and a cloudy vision of -everything. - -He ordered also El Nacional to accompany them, he would be one more, and -was of tried discretion. - -The banderillero obeyed from subordination, but he grumbled when he knew -Dona Sol was going with them. - -"By the life of the blue dove! To think of the father of a family mixing -himself up in such ugly doings!... What will Carmen and the Senora -Angustias say of me when they come to hear of it?" - -But when he found himself in the open country, seated by the side of -Potaje, in front of the espada and the great lady, his annoyance -gradually vanished. - -He could not see her well, wrapped up as she was in a large blue veil -which covered her travelling cap, and falling over her yellow silk coat; -but she was very beautiful.... And to hear them talk! What things she -knew! - -Before the journey was half over, El Nacional, in spite of his -twenty-five years of conjugal fidelity, forgave his master's weakness, -and quite understood his infatuation. - -If ever he found himself in a like situation he would do exactly the -same! - -Education!... It was a great thing, capable of infusing respectability -even into the most heinous sins. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[85] Diminutive of Jose. - -[86] Little wolf. - -[87] Branding of young bulls on the thighs with a hot iron. An operation -which is not conducted without some commotion. - -[88] Holy Saturday, so called from a religious ceremony in the Cathedral -during which the "Gloria" is sung. - -[89] The warner. - -[90] The sleeve. - -[91] This is looked upon as "hitting below the belt." - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -"Let him tell you who he is, or let him go to the devil. Cursed bad -luck.... Can't you let a fellow sleep?" - -El Nacional received this answer through his master's bedroom door, and -passed it on to a farm servant who was waiting on the stairs. - -"Tell him to say who he is; otherwise the master won't get up." - -It was eight o'clock, and the banderillero went to a window to watch the -farm servant, who ran down the road in front of the grange, till he came -to the end of the distant fence which bounded the property. Close to the -entrance through this fence, he saw a rider, who appeared very small in -the distance, both man and horse looking as if they had come out of a -toy box. - -A short time afterwards the labourer returned, having talked with the -rider. - -El Nacional, who seemed interested by these comings and goings, waited -for him at the foot of the staircase. - -"He says he must see the master," mumbled the shepherd, stammering. "He -seems to me up to no good. He says the master must come down at once, as -he has something important to tell him." - -The banderillero returned to knock at his master's door, paying no -attention to his grumbling. He ought to get up, it was a late hour for -the country, and the man might bring some important message. - -"I'm coming," said Gallardo ill-humouredly, without however moving from -his bed. - -El Nacional went again to the window, and saw the rider coming up the -road towards the house. - -The shepherd was going to meet him with the reply. The poor man seemed -uneasy, and in his two dialogues with the banderillero, had stuttered -with an expression of fright and doubt, but had not dared to disclose -his thoughts. - -After rejoining the rider, he listened to him for a few minutes and then -retraced his steps, running towards the farm, but this time very -quickly. - -El Nacional heard him running up the stairs no less quickly, coming up -to him pale and trembling. - -"It is El Plumitas, Seno Sebastian. He says he is Plumitas and that he -must see the master.... My heart beat directly I saw him." - -"El Plumitas!" The shepherd's voice, in spite of being shaking and -breathless, seemed to penetrate throughout the whole house as he -pronounced that name. The banderillero stood dumb with surprise, and -from the espada's room came a volley of oaths, the rustle of clothes, -and the sound of some one throwing himself roughly out of bed. From the -room occupied by Dona Sol other sounds also came which seemed in answer -to this astounding news. - -"Curse him! What does the man want? Why has he come to La Rincona? -especially just now!"... - -Gallardo came quickly out of his room, having only drawn his trousers -and jacket over his night clothes. He ran on before the banderillero, -with the blind impulsiveness of his character, throwing himself in hot -haste down the stairs followed by El Nacional. - -At the entrance of the farm the rider was dismounting. A shepherd held -the horse's reins, and the other labourers gathered in a group at a -short distance, watching the new comer with curiosity and respect. - -The new comer was a man of medium stature, rather short than tall, -plump faced, fair, with short strong limbs. He was dressed in a grey -jacket trimmed with black braid, dark-striped breeches with a large -piece of leather inside the knee, and leather gaiters wrinkled and -cracked by the sun and the rain. Underneath his jacket, his waist seemed -swelled out by the folds of a large silk waist sash, and a cartridge -box, to which were added the thickness of a revolver, and a large knife -passed through his belt. In his right hand he carried a repeating -carbine. His head was covered by a sombrero which had once been white, -but which was now stained and ragged by the inclemency of the weather. A -red handkerchief knotted round his throat was the most showy part of his -dress. - -His broad chubby face had the placidity of a full moon. On his cheeks, -whose whiteness showed through the coat of sunburn, sprouted a red -beard, unshaven for several days. The eyes were the only disquieting -things in this good-humoured face, which looked as if it must belong to -a village sacristan; they were small triangular eyes, sunk in rolls of -fat; little pig eyes, with a malignant dark blue pupil. - -As Gallardo appeared at the door, the man recognized him at once, -raising his sombrero from his round head. - -"God give us a good day, Seno Juan ..." he said with the grave courtesy -of an Andalusian peasant. - -"Good day." - -"Are your family quite well, Seno Juan?" - -"Quite well, thanks. And yours?" enquired the espada automatically from -habit. - -"I believe they are quite well. But it is a long time since I have seen -them." - -The two men were standing close together, examining each other as -naturally as possible, as if they were two wayfarers who had met in the -country. The torero was pale, compressing his lips to hide his feelings. -Did the bandit think he was going to frighten him! Possibly at another -time this visit might have scared him, but now--having upstairs what he -had, he felt capable of fighting him just as if he had been a bull, -directly he declared his evil intentions. - -A few moments passed in silence. All the farm men (about a dozen), who -had not gone out to work in the fields, were looking with almost -childish wonder at this terrible personage, whose very name obsessed -them with its gloomy fame. - -"Can they take the mare round to the stable to rest a little?" enquired -the bandit. - -Gallardo signed to a man, who took the reins and walked away with her. - -"Take good care of her," said Plumitas. "Mia is the best thing I have in -the world and I love her more than wife or children." - -A fresh personage had joined the group, standing in the midst of the -amazed people. - -It was Potaje, the picador, who came out half dressed and stretching -himself, with all the rough strength of his athletic body. He rubbed his -eyes, always bloodshot and inflamed by drink, and approaching the bandit -let one huge hand fall on his shoulder with studied familiarity, as if -he enjoyed feeling him squirm under his grasp and wished at the same -time to express his rough sympathy. - -"How are you, Plumitas?"... - -He saw him for the first time. The bandit drew himself together as if he -intended to resent this rough and unceremonious caress, and his right -hand raised the rifle. However, fixing his little blue eyes on the -picador, he seemed to recognize him. - -"You are Potaje, if I am not mistaken. I saw you spear in Seville at -the last fair. Good Lord how you fell! How strong you are!... One would -think you were made of iron." - -And as if to return the salute, he seized the picador's arm with his -horny hand, feeling his biceps with admiration. The two stood looking at -each other, till the picador gave a deep laugh. - -"Jo! Jo! I thought you were much bigger, Plumitas. But that does not -matter; for in spite of it you are a fine fellow." - -The bandit turned to the espada. - -"Can I breakfast here?" - -Gallardo put on the look of a great nobleman. - -"No one who comes to La Rincona leaves it without breakfast." - -They all entered the farm kitchen, an immense room, with a large wide -open chimney, which was the general gathering place. - -The espada sat down in an arm-chair, and a girl, the overseer's -daughter, busied herself with putting on his boots, for in his hurry he -had run down in his slippers. - -El Nacional, wishing to give signs of his existence, and reassured by -the courteous manner of the visitor, appeared with a bottle of country -wine and some glasses. - -"I know you also," said the bandit, treating him as familiarly as the -picador. "I have seen you fix in banderillas. When you like you can do -well enough, but you must throw yourself on the bull better." - -Potaje and the maestro laughed at this advice. As he took up the glass, -Plumitas found himself embarrassed by his carbine, which he had placed -between his knees. - -"Put it down, man," said the picador. "Do you stick to your weapon when -you are paying a visit?" - -The bandit became suddenly serious. It was all right so, it was his -usual habit. The carbine kept him company everywhere, even when he -slept. This allusion to his weapon which seemed another limb of his -body, made him grave. He looked all round uneasily, and suspiciously, -with the habit of living constantly on the alert, trusting no one, -confiding in nothing but his own endeavours, and feeling danger -constantly all round him. - -A shepherd crossed the kitchen going towards the door. - -"Where is that man going to?" - -As he asked this he sat upright in his chair, drawing his loaded carbine -closer to his breast with his knees. - -He was going to a large field near where the rest of the labourers were -working. Plumitas seemed tranquillized. - -"Listen here, Seno Juan. I have come here for the pleasure of seeing you -and because I know you are a caballero, incapable of breathing a -word.... Besides, you will have heard of Plumitas. It is not easy to -catch him, and he who tries it will pay for it." - -The picador intervened before his master could speak. - -"Don't be a brute, Plumitas. You are here among comrades as long as you -behave well and decently." - -And at once the bandit seemed reassured, and began to speak of his mare, -praising her qualities, and the two men hobnobbed with the enthusiasm of -mountain riders who love a horse far better than a man. - -Gallardo, who still seemed anxious, walked about the kitchen, where some -of the farm women, swarthy and masculine, were preparing the breakfast, -looking sideways at the celebrated Plumitas. - -In one of his turns the espada came up to El Nacional. He must go to -Dona Sol's room, and ask her not to come down. The bandit would most -probably leave after breakfast, and why show herself to that -redoubtable personage? - -The banderillero disappeared, and Plumitas, seeing the maestro apart -from the others, went up to him, inquiring with great interest about the -remaining corridas of the year. - -"I am a Gallardista, you know. I have applauded you oftener than you -could imagine. I have seen you in Seville, in Jaen, in Cordoba ... in -ever so many places." - -Gallardo was astounded. How could he, who had a real army of soldiers -after him, go quietly to a corrida of bulls? Plumitas smiled with -superiority. - -"Bah! I go wherever I like. I am everywhere." - -Then he spoke of the occasions on which he had met the espada on the way -to the farm, sometimes accompanied, at other times alone, passing close -to him on the road, and taking no notice of him, thinking him probably -some poor shepherd riding to deliver a message at some hut close by. - -"When you came from Seville to buy those two mills down there, I met you -on the road. You had then five thousand duros on you. Had you not? Tell -the truth. You see I was well informed.... Another time I saw you in one -of those animals they call automobiles, with another gentleman from -Seville, your manager I believe. You were going to sign the papers for -the Oliver del Cura, and you had a much larger pot of money with you -that time." - -Little by little Gallardo recalled the exactitude of those facts, -looking with wonder at this man, who seemed to be informed about -everything. The bandit, in order to show his generosity to the torero on -those occasions, spoke of the ease with which he surmounted -difficulties. - -"You see, about those automobiles,--it is a trifle! I can stop one of -those 'bichos' with only this," showing his carbine. "Once in Cordoba I -had some accounts to settle with a rich gentleman who was my enemy. I -drew up my mare on one side of the road, and when that 'bicho' came -along in a cloud of dust and stinking of petroleum, I shouted 'Halt!' He -did not choose to stop, so I put a ball into one of his wheels. To cut -it short, the automobile stopped a little further on and I galloped up -and settled my accounts with the fellow. A man who can put a ball -wherever he chooses, can stop anything on the road." - -Gallardo felt more and more astonished as he heard Plumitas tell of his -exploits on the road, with quite professional simplicity. - -"I did not wish to stop you. You are not one of those rich men. You are -a poor man like myself, only you have better luck, more than enough in -your profession; if you have made money you have earned it well. I like -you because you are a fine matador, and I have a weakness for brave men. -The two of us are like comrades; we both live by exposing our lives. For -this reason, although you did not know me, I was there, seeing you pass -without even asking a cigarette from you, for fear that some rascal -should take advantage by going on the highway and saying he was -Plumitas; stranger things have happened...." - -An unexpected apparition cut short the bandit's speech, and the torero's -face changed to a look of extreme annoyance. "Curse it! Dona Sol! Had -not El Nacional given his message?"... The banderillero followed the -lady, making various signs from the kitchen door, which meant that all -his prayers and advice had been useless. - -Dona Sol came down in her travelling coat, her golden hair combed and -knotted hurriedly. El Plumitas in the farm: What joy! Part of the night -she had been thinking of him, proposing on the following morning to -ride about the solitudes around La Rinconada, in the hopes that good -luck would make her run against the interesting bandit. And as if her -thoughts exercised a far distant influence in attracting people, the -bandit had obeyed her wishes and had appeared early in the grange. - -El Plumitas! The name alone called up the full figure of the bandit -before her imagination. She scarcely needed to know him; she would -scarcely feel any surprise. She saw him tall, slim, of dark complexion, -a pointed hat placed over a red handkerchief, from under which appeared -curls of hair as black as jet. She saw an active man, dressed in black -velvet, his slim waist encircled by a purple silk sash, and his legs in -gaiters of a fine date colour--a veritable knight errant of the -Andalusian steppes. - -Her eyes, wide open with excitement, wandered over the kitchen, without -seeing either a pointed hat or a blunderbus. She saw an unknown man, -standing up, a kind of keeper with a carbine, just like any of those she -had so often seen on estates belonging to her family. - -"Good day, Senora Marquesa.... Your uncle, the Marquis, is he quite -well?" - -The looks of every one converging on that man, told her the truth. "Ay! -And that was Plumitas!"... - -He had taken off his hat with clumsy courtesy, abashed by the lady's -presence, and continued standing with his carbine in one hand, and the -old felt hat in the other. - -Gallardo was fairly astounded at the bandit's address. That man seemed -to know every one. He knew who Dona Sol was, and by an excess of -respect, extended to her the titles belonging to her family. - -The lady, recovering from her surprise, signed to him to sit down and -cover himself, but though he obeyed the first, he left the felt hat on a -chair close by. - -As if he guessed the question in Dona Sol's eyes, which were fixed on -him, he added: - -"The Senora Marquesa must not be surprised at my knowing her. I have -seen her very often with the Marquis and others going to the trial of -the calves. I have seen also from afar how the Senora attacked the young -bulls with her garrocha. The Senora is very brave and the handsomest -woman I have seen on God's earth. It is a pure delight to see her on -horseback. And men ought to fight for her heavenly blue eyes!" - -The bandit was drawn on quite naturally by his southern warmth to seek -fresh expressions of admiration for Dona Sol. - -She had grown paler, and her eyes were wide open with half pleased -terror; she began to find the bandit decidedly interesting. Had he come -to the farm only for her? Did he propose to carry her off to his hiding -places in the mountains?... - -The torero grew alarmed hearing these expressions of rough admiration. -Curse him! In his own house ... before his very face! If he went on like -this he would go up and fetch his gun, and even though Plumitas were the -other one, they would see which one would carry her off. - -The bandit seemed to understand the annoyance his words had caused, and -went on most respectfully. - -"Your pardon, Senora Marquesa. It is idle talk and nothing more. I have -a wife and four children, who weep for me more than the Virgin of -Sorrows. I am an unhappy man, who is what he is because bad luck has -pursued him." - -As if he were endeavouring to make himself agreeable to Dona Sol, he -broke out into praises of her family. The Marquis de Moraima was one of -the most honourable men in the world. - -"If only all rich men were like him. My father worked for him and often -spoke of his kindness. I spent one hot weather in the hut of one of his -shepherds. He knew it and never said a word. He has given orders on all -his farms to give me what I want and to leave me in peace.... These -things are never forgotten. There are so many rich rascals in the -world!... Very often I have met him alone, riding his horse like a young -man, as if years had stood still for him. 'Go with God, Seno Marque.' -'Your health, my lad.' He did not know me; and could not guess who I was -because my companion (touching his carbine) was hidden under my blanket. -And I should have wished to stop him to take his hand, not to shake -it--that no--how could so good a man shake hands with me, who have so -many deaths and mutilations on my soul, but to kiss it as if he were my -father, and to thank him for what he has done for me." - -The vehemence with which he spoke of his gratitude did not move Dona -Sol. And so that was the famous Plumitas!... A poor sort of man, a good -country rabbit whom every one looked on as a wolf, deceived by his fame. - -"There are very bad rich men," went on the bandit. "What some of them -make the poor suffer!... Near my village lives one who lends money on -usury and who is more perverse than Judas. I sent him a notice that he -should not cause trouble to the people, and he, the thief, gave -information to the civil guards to search for me. Result, that I burnt -his hay-rick, and did a few other little things, and he was more than a -year without ever daring to go into Seville for fear of meeting -Plumitas. Another man was going to evict a poor old woman from the house -in which her parents had lived, because she had not paid any rent for a -year. I went to see the gentleman one evening, when he was sitting at -table with his family. 'My master, I am El Plumitas, and I want a -hundred duros.' He gave them to me, and I took them to the old woman. -'Here, granny, take these--pay that Jew what you owe him, and keep the -rest for yourself, and may they bring you luck.'" - -Dona Sol looked at the bandit with more interest. - -"And dead men?" she enquired. "How many have you killed?" - -"Lady, we will not speak of that," said the bandit gravely. "You would -take a dislike to me, and after all I am only an unhappy man, whom they -are trying to trap, and who defends himself as best he can." - -There was a long silence. - -"You cannot imagine how I live, Senora Marquesa," he went on. "The wild -beasts are better off than I am. I sleep where I can, or not at all. I -rise on one side of the province and lie down to rest on the other. I -have to keep my eyes well open and a heavy hand, so that they may -respect me and not sell me. The poor are good, but poverty is a thing -that turns the best bad. If they had not been afraid of me they would -have betrayed me to the civil guards again and again. I have no true -friends but my mare and this (touching his carbine). Now and then I feel -the longing to see my wife and little ones, and I go by night into my -village. All the neighbours who see me shut their eyes. But some day -this will end badly.... There are times when I am weary of solitude and -feel I must see people. I have thought for a long time of coming to La -Rincona. 'Why should I not pay a visit to Seno Juan Gallardo, I who -admire him and who have so often clapped him?' But I have always seen -you with so many friends, or your wife and your mother and the children -who have been at the farm. I know what that means. They would have died -of fright at the very sight of Plumitas. But now it is different. When I -saw you come with the Senora Marquesa, I said to myself: 'Let us go and -salute these Senores and have a chat with them.'" - -And the cunning smile which accompanied these words at once established -a difference between the torero's family and that woman, giving them to -understand that Gallardo's relations with Dona Sol were no secret to -him. In the bottom of this rough peasant's heart was a deep respect for -legitimate marriage, and he thought himself free to take greater -liberties with the torero's aristocratic friend than with the poor women -who formed his family. - -Dona Sol took no notice, but she pressed the bandit with questions as to -how he had come to be what he was. - -"It was injustice, Senora Marquesa, one of those misfortunes which fall -upon us poor people. I was one of the sharpest in my village, and the -labourers always put me as spokesman when they had anything to ask from -the rich people. I can read and write, for I became sacristan when I was -quite a boy, and I gained my name of Plumitas from running after the -hens and plucking out their tail feathers for pens." - -A thump from Potaje interrupted him. - -"Compare, I had already thought since I saw you that you were a church -rat, or something similar." - -El Nacional was silent, without daring to remark on these confidences, -but he smiled slightly. A sacristan turned into a bandit! What would Don -Joselito say when he told him this! - -"I married my wife and our first child was born. One night two civil -guards came to our house, and carried me out of the village, to the -threshing floors. Some one had fired some shots at the door of a rich -man, and those good gentlemen made up their minds it was I. I denied it -and they beat me with their carbines. I denied it again, and again they -beat me. To cut it short, till dawn they beat me all over the body, -sometimes with the ramrods, sometimes with the butt-ends, till they got -tired and I became unconscious. They had tied both my hands and my feet, -and beat me as if I were a bundle, saying: 'Are you not the bravest in -your village? Get up and defend yourself, let's see how far your fists -can reach.' It was their mockery I felt the most. My poor wife cured me -as best she could, but I could not rest, I could not live remembering -the blows and the mockery.... To cut it short again: one day one of -those civil guards was found dead on the threshing floor, and I, to save -myself annoyance, fled to the mountains ... and up to now...." - -"Gacho, you did well," said Potaje admiringly. "And the other one?" - -"I know not; I think he must still be alive. He fled from the village; -with all his valour he begged to be removed, but I have not forgotten -him. Some day I shall settle with him. Sometimes I am told he is at the -other end of Spain, and there I go. I would go if it were to hell -itself. I leave the mare and the carbine with some friend to keep for me -and I take the train like a gentleman. I have been in Barcelona, in -Valladolid, in many other places. I stand near the prison and watch the -civil guards who go in and out. 'This is not my man, neither is this -one.' My informants must have been mistaken, but it does not signify. I -have searched for him for years and some day I shall meet him--unless he -be dead, which would be a real pity." - -Dona Sol followed this story with great interest. What an original -figure was Plumitas! She had been mistaken in thinking him a rabbit. - -The bandit was silent. He frowned as though he was afraid of having said -too much, and wished to avoid further confidences. - -"With your permission," he said to the espada. "I will go to the stables -and see how they are treating the mare. Are you coming, comrade?... You -will see something good." - -Potaje accepting the invitation, they left the kitchen together. - -When the lady and the torero were left alone his ill humour broke out. -Why had she come down? It was imprudent to show herself to a man like -that: a bandit whose name was the terror of every one. - -But Dona Sol, delighted with the good luck of the meeting, laughed at -the espada's fears. The bandit seemed a good sort of fellow, an -unfortunate man whose evil deeds were exaggerated by the popular -imagination. - -"I had fancied him different, but in any case I am delighted to have -seen him. We will give him some alms when he goes. What an original -country this is! What types!... And how interesting his chase after that -civil guard all over Spain!... With this material one might write a most -delightful feuilleton." - -The farm women were taking the great frying-pans off the fire, which -spread the most excellent smell of pork sausages. - -"To breakfast, caballeros!" shouted El Nacional, who took upon himself -the functions of majordomo, when he was at the matador's farm. - -In the centre of the kitchen stood a large table spread with cloths, -round loaves and bottles of wine. Potaje and Plumitas arrived at the -summons, and various employes of the farm, the steward, the overseer, -and all those fulfilling the more confidential functions. They proceeded -to sit down on two benches placed alongside the table, while Gallardo -looked undecidedly at Dona Sol. She ought to breakfast upstairs in the -family's rooms. But the lady, laughing at this invitation, sat down at -the head of the table. She enjoyed this rustic life, and she thought it -very interesting to breakfast with these people. She had been born for a -soldier. With masculine free and easiness she made the espada sit down, -sniffing the delicious smell of the sausages with her pretty nose. What -a delicious meal. How hungry she was! - -"This is all right," said Plumitas sententiously, as he looked at the -table. "The masters and the servants eating together, as they are said -to have done in ancient times. But this is the first time I have seen -it." - -He sat down by the picador, still holding his carbine, which he placed -between his knees. - -"Get along further up, my lad," said he, pushing Potaje with his body. - -The picador, who treated him with rough comradeship, replied by another -push, and the two men laughed as they pushed each other, amusing the -whole table with their rough horseplay. - -"But curse you!" said the picador. "Put your gun away from between your -knees. Don't you see it is pointing at me, and an accident might -happen?" - -Certainly the bandit's carbine, standing between his legs, was pointing -its black muzzle towards the picador. - -"Put it down, man!" insisted the latter. "Do you want it to eat with?" - -"It is all right as it is. There is no fear," replied the bandit -shortly, frowning, as if he would not admit of any remark as to his -precautions. - -He seized a spoon, took a large piece of bread and looked round at the -others, to make sure, with his rural courtesy, if the proper time for -beginning had arrived. - -"Your health, Senores!" and without more ado he attacked the enormous -dish which had been placed in the middle of the table for him and the -toreros. Another equally large dish smoked further down for the farm -people. - -He soon seemed ashamed of his voracity, and after a few spoonsful -stopped, thinking an explanation necessary. - -"Since yesterday morning I have touched nothing but a scrap of bread and -a drop of milk which they gave me in a shepherd's hut. Good appetite, -gentlemen!"... - -And he again attacked the dish, acknowledging Potaje's jests as to his -voracity by winking and the continued working of his jaws. - -The picador wished to make him drink. Intimidated by his master's -presence, who was afraid of his drunkenness, he looked anxiously at the -flasks of wine placed within reach of his hand. - -"Drink, Plumitas. Dry food is bad; you must wet it." - -But before the brigand could accept his invitation, Potaje drank and -drank again hurriedly. Plumitas only now and then touched his glass, and -even then with great hesitation. He was afraid of wine, and also he had -lost the habit of drinking it. In the country he could not always get -it. Besides, wine was the worst enemy for a man like himself, who had to -live constantly wide awake and on guard. - -"But you are here among friends," said the picador. "Think, Plumitas, -that you are in Seville, beneath the very mantle of the Virgin de la -Macarena. No one would touch you here. And if by any unlucky chance the -civil guards did come, I should place myself by your side, seizing a -garrocha, and we would not leave one of the blackguards alive.... It -would take very little to make me a rider of the mountain! ... that has -always attracted me!" - -"Potaje!" ... roared the espada from the other end of the table, fearing -his loquacity and his propinquity to the bottles. - -Although the bandit drank little, his face was flushed and his blue eyes -sparkled with pleasure. He had chosen his seat opposite the kitchen -door, a place from which he enfiladed the entrance of the grange, seeing -also part of the lonely road. Now and again, a cow or a pig or a goat -would cross over the strip of road, their shadows projected by the sun -in front of them. This was quite enough to startle Plumitas, who would -drop his spoon and clutch his rifle. - -He talked with his neighbours at table without ever diverting his -attention from outside, with the habit of always living ready at any -time for resistance or flight, feeling it a point of honour never to be -surprised. - -When he had done eating, he accepted another glass from Potaje, the -last, and remained with his chin on his hand looking out silently and -sleepily. - -Gallardo offered him an Havana cigar. - -"Thanks, Seno Juan. I do not smoke, but I will keep it for a companion -of mine who is also out on the mountain, a poor fellow who appreciates a -smoke even more than food. He is a young fellow who had a misfortune, -and who now helps me when there is work for two." - -He put the cigar away under his jacket, and the remembrance of that -companion, who at that time was certainly wandering not very far off, -made him smile with ferocious glee. The wine had warmed Plumitas, and -his face had become quite different. His eyes had an alarming metallic -lustre, and his chubby face was contracted by a spasm which seemed to -alter his usual good-natured expression. One could guess also a desire -to talk, to boast of his exploits, to repay the hospitality received by -astonishing his benefactors. - -"Have any of you heard what I did last month on the road to Fregenal? Do -you really know nothing about it?... I placed myself on the road with my -companion, because we had to stop the diligence, and settle with a rich -man, who remembered me every hour of his life--an important man that, -accustomed to move alcaldes, officials and even civil guards at his -will--what they call in the papers a cacique.[92] I had sent him a -message asking for a hundred duros for an emergency, which made him -write to the Governor of Seville, and start a scandal even in Madrid, -making them persecute me more than ever. Thanks to him, I had a brush -with the civiles, in which I got wounded in the leg, and not content -with this, they put my wife in prison, as if the poor woman could know -her husband's doings. That Judas did not dare to leave his village for -fear of meeting Plumitas, but just at that time I disappeared. I went on -one of those journeys I told you about, and our man gained confidence -enough to go to Seville one day on business and to set the authorities -on me. So we waited for the return coach from Seville, and the coach -arrived. The companion, who is a very good hand for anything on the -road, cried 'Halt!' to the driver. I put my head and my carbine in -through the doorway. There were screams from the women, yells from the -children, and the men, who said nothing, were as white as wax. I said to -the travellers: 'I have nothing to do with you, calm yourselves, ladies; -your good health, gentlemen, and pleasant journey.... But make that fat -man get out.' And our man, who had hidden himself among the women's -petticoats, had to get out, as pale as death, looking bloodless, and -staggering as though he were drunk. The coach drove off, and we remained -alone in the middle of the road. 'Listen here, I am el Plumitas, and I -am going to give you something to remember me by.' And I gave it. But I -did not kill him at once. I gave it to him in a certain place I know, so -that he should live twenty-four hours, and that he should be able to -tell the civiles when they picked him up that it was Plumitas who had -killed him, so that there should be no mistake and no one else should -take the credit." - -Dona Sol listened, intensely pale, with her lips compressed by terror, -and in her eyes that strange light which always accompanied her -mysterious thoughts. - -Gallardo frowned, annoyed by this ferocious story. - -"Every one knows his own business, Seno Juan," Plumitas continued, as if -he guessed the matador's thoughts. "We both live by killing; you kill -bulls, I kill men. The only difference is that you are rich and carry -off the palm and the beautiful women, and I often rage with hunger, and -if I am careless I shall be riddled with shot, and left in the middle of -a field for the crows to pick. But all the same the business does not -please me, Seno Juan! You know exactly where you have to strike the bull -for him to fall to the ground at once. I also know exactly where to hit -a Christian so that he shall die at once, or that he should last a -little, or that he should spend weeks raging against Plumitas, who -wishes to interfere with no one, but who knows how to treat those who -interfere with him." - -Dona Sol again felt an intense desire to know the number of his crimes. - -"You will feel repugnance towards me, Senora Marquesa; but after all -what does it matter?... I do not think I can remember them all, -although I try to recall them. Possibly they might be thirty-three or -thirty-five. I really could not quite say. In this very restless life, -who thinks of keeping exact accounts? But I am an unhappy man, Senora -Marquesa, very unfortunate. The fault lay with those who first harmed -me. These dead men are like cherries, if you pull one, the others come -down by dozens. I have to kill in order to go on living, and if ever one -feels any pity one has to swallow it." - -There was a long silence. The lady looked at the bandit's coarse strong -hands, with their broken nails. But Plumitas took no notice of her, all -his attention was fixed on the espada, wishing to show his gratitude for -having been received at his table, and anxious to dispel the impression -that his words seemed to have caused. - -"I respect you, Seno Juan," he added. "Ever since I saw you fight for -the first time, I said to myself: 'That is a brave fellow.' There are -many aficionados who love you, but not as I do!... Just imagine, that to -see you I have often disguised myself, and have gone into the towns, -exposing myself to the risk of anyone laying hands on me. Isn't that -love of sport?" - -Gallardo smiled, nodding his head. He was flattered now in his artistic -pride. - -"Besides," continued the bandit, "no one can say that I ever came to La -Rincona even to ask for a bit of bread. Many a time I have been -starving, or have wanted five duros when I was passing by here, but -never till to-day have I passed through the fence of your farm. I have -always said, 'Seno Juan is sacred to me--he earns his money by risking -his life just as I do.' We are in a way comrades. Because you will not -deny, Seno Juan, that although you are a personage, and that I am of the -very worst, still we are equal, as we both live by playing with death. -Now we are breakfasting together quietly, but some day, if God looses -his hand from us and becomes tired of us, I shall be picked up from the -side of the road, shot like a dog, and you with all your money may be -carried out of the arena feet foremost, and though the papers may speak -of your misfortune for a month or so, it is cursed little gratitude you -will feel towards them when you are in another world." - -"It is true ... it is true ..." said Gallardo, suddenly paling at the -bandit's words. - -The superstitious terror that always seized upon him as the time of -danger approached was reflected in his face. His probable fate seemed to -him just the same as that of this terrible vagabond, who must one day -necessarily succumb in his unequal strife. - -"But do you believe that I think of death? No, I repent of nothing, and -I go on my way. I also have my pleasures and my little prides, just the -same as you, when you read in the papers that you did very well with a -certain bull and were given the ear. Just think that all Spain talks of -el Plumitas, that the papers tell the biggest lies about me, they even -say they are going to exhibit me at the theatres, and in that place in -Madrid, where the deputies meet, they talk daily of my capture. Over and -above this I have the pride of seeing a whole army tracking my -footsteps, to see myself, a man alone, driving thousands mad who are -paid by Government and wear a sword. The other day, a Sunday, I rode -into a village during Mass, and drew up my mare in the Plaza close to -some blind men who were singing and playing the guitar. The people were -lost in admiration before a cartoon carried by the singers, which -represented a fine looking man with whiskers, in a pointed hat, -splendidly dressed and riding a magnificent horse, with a gun across the -saddle bow, and a good looking girl en croupe behind. It was a long -time before I realised that that good looking fellow was Plumitas!... -That did please me. When one goes about ragged and half starving, it is -delightful that people should imagine you something quite different. I -bought the paper they were singing from. I have got it here, the -complete life of Plumitas with many lies, all in verse. But it is a fine -thing. When I lie on the hill-side I read it so as to learn it by heart. -It must have been written by some very clever man." - -The terrible Plumitas showed an almost childish pride in speaking of his -fame. The modest silence with which he had entered the farm had -vanished, that desire that they should forget his personality, and see -in him only a poor wayfarer pressed by hunger. He warmed at the thought -that his name was famous, and that his deeds received at once the -honours of publicity. - -"Who would have known me," he continued, "had I gone on living in my -village?... I have thought a great deal about that. For us of the lower -orders, nothing is open but to eat one's heart out working for others, -or to follow the only career which gives fame and money--killing. I -should be no good at killing bulls. My village is in the mountains where -there are no fierce cattle. Besides, I am heavy, and not very clever.... -So ... I kill people. It is the best thing a poor man can do to make -himself respected and open a way for himself." - -El Nacional, who up to now had been gravely listening to the bandit, -thought it necessary to intervene. - -"What a poor man wants is education--to know how to read and write." - -This was greeted with shouts of laughter by all who knew El Nacional's -mania. - -"Now you have given us your ideas, comrade," said Potaje, "let Plumitas -go on with his stories; what he is telling us is capital." - -The bandit received the banderillero's remarks contemptuously, indeed he -thought very little of him owing to his prudence in the circus. - -"I know how to read and write. And what good has it done me? When I -lived in my village it was useful to get me noticed and to make life -seem a little less hard.... What a poor man wants is justice; that he -may have his rights, but if they are not given then let him take them. -One must be a wolf and spread fear. The other wolves will respect you, -and the herds will let themselves be devoured with pleasure. If they -find you cowardly and without strength even the sheep will spit on you." - -Potaje, who was now very drunk, assented delightedly. He did not exactly -understand, still through the mists of drink he seemed to perceive the -brilliancy of supreme wisdom. - -"That is true, comrade. Go on; capital." - -"I have seen what the world is," continued the bandit. "The world is -divided into two classes--the shorn and the shearers. I do not wish to -be shorn. I was born to be a shearer, because I am a man who fears -nothing. The same thing has happened to you, Seno Juan. By struggling we -have risen from the low herd, but your path is better than mine." - -He was silent for some time, considering the espada. At last he went on -in a tone of conviction: - -"I believe, Seno Juan, that we have come into the world too late. What -things men of valour and enterprise, like ourselves, might have done in -former days! You would not have been killing bulls, neither should I be -wandering over the country hunted like a wild beast. We might have been -viceroys, archipampanos,[93] or something great across the seas. Have -you never heard of Pizarro, Seno Juan?" - -Senor Juan made an indefinable gesture, as he did not wish to admit his -ignorance of this name which he now heard for the first time. - -"The Senora Marquesa knows all about him; I learnt his history when I -was a sacristan, and read the old romances that the priest had. Well, -Pizarro was a poor man like us, who crossed the sea with twelve or -thirteen gachos, as good fighters as himself, and entered a country that -must have been a real paradise, a country in which were the mines of -Potosi: I can't say more. They fought many battles with the inhabitants, -and at last conquered them, seizing their king's treasures, and he who -got least got his house full up to the roof with gold pieces, and there -was not one of them who was not made a Marquis, or a General, or a -Justiciary. Just imagine, Seno Juan, if we had lived then! What you and -I could have done with a handful of brave men like these who are -listening to me!" - -The farm men listened in silence, but their eyes flashed as the bandit -spoke. - -"I repeat, we have been born too late, Seno Juan. The gates are closed -to poor men, the Spaniard does not now know where to go or what to do. -All the places where he might have spread have been appropriated by the -English or other countries. I, who might have been a king in America or -elsewhere, am proclaimed an outlaw, and they even call me a thief. You, -who are a brave man, kill bulls and carry off the palms, still I know -many who look upon a torero's profession as a low one." - -Dona Sol interrupted to ask the bandit why he did not become a soldier. -He could go to distant countries where there were wars and utilize his -talents nobly. - -"I might have done so, Senora Marquesa. I have often thought of it. But -when I sleep at a farm, or hide in my house for a few days, the first -time I lie in a bed like a Christian, or have a hot meal at a table like -this, a feeling of comfort pervades my body, but in a short time I get -restless; it seems as if the mountain, with all its miseries, draws me, -and I long once more to sleep on the ground, wrapped in my blanket with -a stone for my pillow.... Yes, I might have been a soldier, and I should -have been a good one. But where to go? Besides, the same things happen -over again in the army as in the world--the shorn and the shearers. You -do some great thing and the Colonel appropriates it, or you fight like a -wild beast and the General is rewarded.... No, I have been born too late -to be a soldier." - -Plumitas remained some time silent with lowered eyes, as if he were -absorbed in the mental contemplation of his misfortune, at finding no -place for himself in the present age. - -Suddenly he stood up grasping his carbine. - -"I am going.... Many thanks, Seno Juan, for your kindness. Good-bye, -Senora Marquesa." - -"But where are you going?" said Potaje, catching hold of him. "Sit down. -You are better here than anywhere else." - -The picador wanted to prolong the bandit's stay, delighted to think he -should be able to describe this interesting meeting in the town. - -"I have been here three hours, and I must go. I never spend so long a -time in so open and unconcealed a place as La Rinconada. Possibly by now -some one has carried the news that I am here." - -"Are you afraid of the civiles," enquired Potaje. "They will not come, -or if they do, I am at your side." - -Plumitas made a contemptuous gesture. The civiles! They are men like any -others: some of them brave enough, but they are all fathers of families, -and would manage not to see him. They only came out against him when -chance brought them face to face, and there was no means of avoiding it. - -"Last month I was at the farm of 'the five chimnies' breaking fast as I -am here to-day, though not in such good company, when I saw six civiles -on foot coming. I am quite sure they did not know I was there, and only -came for refreshment. It was an unlucky chance, for neither they nor I -could turn tail in the presence of all the farm people. The owner locked -the gates, and the civiles began to knock for them to be opened. I -ordered him and a shepherd to stand by the two leaves of the door. 'When -I say "now" open them wide.' I mounted my mare, with my revolver in my -hand. 'Now!' The door was opened wide, and I galloped out like the -devil. They fired two or three shots, but did not touch me. I also fired -as I went out, and I understand wounded two of the civiles.... To cut it -short, I fled lying on the mare's neck, so that they should not make a -target of me, and the civiles revenged themselves by thrashing the farm -servants; for which reason, Seno Juan, it is best to say nothing about -my visits. For if you do, down come the three cornered hats, sickening -you with enquiries and declarations, as if they were going to catch me -with those." - -Those of La Rinconada assented mutely. They knew it well enough. They -must hold their tongues to avoid annoyances, as they did in all the -other farms or shepherd's ranches. This general silence was the bandit's -most powerful auxiliary. Besides, all these country peasants were -admirers of Plumitas, looking on him as an avenging hero. They need fear -no harm from him. His menaces only touched the rich. - -"I am not afraid of the civiles," continued the bandit. "Those I fear -are the poor. The poor are good, but poverty is such an ugly thing! I -know that those three cornered hats will not kill me: they have no balls -that can touch me. If anyone kills me, it will be one of the poor. I let -them approach without fear because they belong to my own class, but some -day advantage will be taken of my carelessness. I have enemies, people -who have sworn vengeance on me; for one must have a heavy hand, if one -would be respected. If one kills a man outright his family remain to -avenge him, but if one is good natured and contents oneself with taking -down his trousers and caressing him with a bunch of nettles and thistles -he remembers the jest all his life.... It is the poor, those of my own -class that I fear; besides, in every village there is some fine fellow -who thinks he would like to be my heir--and hopes to find me some day -sleeping in the shade of a tree, and will blow off my head point blank." - -A quarter of an hour later Plumitas came out of the stable into the -courtyard mounted on his powerful mare, the inseparable companion of his -wanderings. The bony animal looked bigger and brighter for her brief -hours of plenty in the Rinconada mangers. - -Plumitas caressed her flanks, pausing as he arranged his blanket on the -saddle-bow. She might indeed be content. She would not often be so well -treated as at Senor Juan Gallardo's farm. And now she must carry herself -well, for the day would be long. - -"And whither are you going, comrade?" asked Potaje. - -"Don't ask me--throughout the world! I myself do not know. Where -anything turns up!" - -And putting a foot in his rusty and muddy stirrup with one bound he sat -erect in his saddle. - -Gallardo left Dona Sol's side, who was watching the bandit's -preparations for departure with strange eyes, her lips pale and drawn. - -The torero searched in the inside pocket of his coat, and advancing -towards the rider offered him shamefacedly some crumpled papers that he -held in his hand. - -"What is this?" said the bandit. "Money?... Thanks, Seno Juan. Some one -has told you that it is necessary to give me something when I come to a -farm; but that is for those others, the rich, whose money grows like the -roses. You earn yours by risking your life. We are companions. Keep it -yourself, Seno Juan." - -Senor Juan kept his bank notes, though rather annoyed by the bandit's -refusal, and his persistence in treating him as a comrade. - -"You shall pledge[94] me a bull some time or other when we see each -other in a Plaza. That would be worth more than all the gold in the -world." - -Dona Sol now came forward till she was quite close to the rider's foot, -and taking from her breast an autumn rose, she offered it silently, -looking at him with her green and golden eyes. - -"Is this for me?" said the bandit surprised and wondering. "For me, -Senora Marquesa?" - -As she nodded her head, he took the flower shyly, handling it awkwardly, -as if its weight were overpowering, not knowing where to place it, till -at last he passed it through a button-hole in his jacket, between the -two ends of the red handkerchief he wore tied round his neck. - -"This is good, indeed!" his broad face expanding into a smile. "Nothing -of the sort has ever happened to me before in my life." - -The rough rider seemed moved and troubled by the womanliness of the -gift. Roses for him!... - -He gathered up his reins. - -"Good-bye to you all, caballeros. Till we meet again.... Good-bye, my -fine fellows. Some time or other I will throw you a cigar if you plant a -good lance." - -He gave a rough clasp of the hand to the picador, who replied by a thump -on the thigh which made the bandit's vigorous muscles jump. That -Plumitas, how "simpatico" he was! Potaje, in his drunken tenderness, -would have liked to go with him to the mountain. - -"Adio! Adio!" - -And spurring his horse, he rode out of the courtyard. - -Gallardo seemed relieved on seeing him depart. He turned towards Dona -Sol; she was standing motionless, following the rider with her eyes as -he grew smaller and smaller in the distance. - -"What a woman!" murmured the espada sadly. "What a woman!" - -It was fortunate that Plumitas was ugly and was dirty and ragged as a -vagabond. - -Otherwise, she would have gone with him. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[92] Wealthy yeoman landed proprietor. - -[93] Word used to express an imaginary dignity. - -[94] "Brindar"--to pledge or dedicate. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -"It seems impossible, Sebastian, that a man like you, with a wife and -children, should have lent yourself to this debauchery.... I who -believed you so different and who had such confidence in you when you -went on journeys with Juan! I who felt quite at ease thinking that he -went with a man of good character! Where is all your talk about your -ideas and your religion? Is this what you learn at the meeting of Jews -in the house of Don Joselito, the teacher?" - -El Nacional, terrified by the indignation of Gallardo's mother, and -touched by the tears of Carmen, who was silently weeping, her face -hidden behind a handkerchief, defended himself feebly. - -"Sena Angustias, do not touch my ideas; and if you please, leave Don -Joselito in peace, as he has nothing whatever to do with this. By the -life of the blue dove! I went to La Rincona because my master ordered -me. You know well enough what a cuadrilla is. It is just the same as an -army, discipline and obedience. The matador orders, and we have to obey. -As all this about the bulls dates from the time of the Inquisition, -there is no profession more reactionary." - -"Imposter!" screamed Senora Angustias, "you are fine with all these -fables about the Inquisition and reaction! Between you all you are -killing this poor child, who spends her days weeping like la Dolorosa. -What you want to do is to hide my son's debauchery because he feeds -you." - -"You have said it, Sena Angustias, Juaniyo feeds me; so it is. And as -he feeds me, I must obey him.... But look here, Senora, put yourself in -my place. If my matador tells me I am to go to La Rincona ... all right. -If at the time of our departure I find a very pretty woman in the -automobile! ... what am I to do? The matador orders. Besides, I did not -go alone; Potaje also went, and he is a person of a certain age and -respectability, even though he is rough; but he never laughs." - -The torero's mother was furious at this excuse. - -"Potaje! A bad man, whom Juaniyo would not have in his cuadrilla if he -had any shame. Don't speak to me of that drunkard, who beats his wife, -and starves his children." - -"All right; we'll leave Potaje out. I say, when I saw that great lady, -what was I to do? She is the Marquis' niece, and you know that toreros -have to stand well with people of rank if they can. They have to live on -the public. And what harm was there? And then at the farm there was -nothing. I swear it by my own. Do you think I should have countenanced -this dishonour, even if my matador had ordered me? I am a decent man, -Sena Angustias, and you do wrong to call me the bad names you did just -now. I repeat there was nothing. They spoke to each other just as you -and I do; there was not an evil look or word, each spent the night on -their own side; there was decency at all times, and if you wish for -Potaje to come, he will tell you...." - -But Carmen interrupted in a tearful voice cut by sobs. - -"In my house!" she said with a dazed expression. "At the farm! And she -slept in my bed!... I knew it all, too, and I held my tongue, I held my -tongue! But this! Jesus! This. There is not a man in Seville who would -have dared so much!" - -El Nacional interposed kindly. - -"Calm yourself, Senora Carmen. It certainly is of no importance. Only -the visit of a lady to the farm, who is enthusiastic about the maestro -and wished to see how he lived in the country. These ladies who are half -foreign are very capricious and strange! But if you had only seen the -French ladies, when the cuadrilla went to fight at Nimes and Arles!... -The sum total is--nothing at all. Altogether--rubbish! By the blue dove, -I should like to know the babbler who brought the gossip. If I were -Juaniyo, if it were anyone belonging to the farm, I should turn him out, -and if it were anyone outside I would have him up before the judge and -put in prison as a calumniator and an enemy." - -Carmen still wept as she listened to the banderillero's indignation. But -Senora Angustias seated in an arm-chair, which scarcely contained her -overflowing person, frowned, and pursed up her hairy and wrinkled mouth. - -"Hold your tongue, Sebastian, and don't tell lies," cried the old woman. -"That journey to the farm was an indecent orgy--a fiesta of gipsies. -They even say Plumitas, the brigand, was with you." - -El Nacional fairly jumped with surprise and anxiety. He thought he saw, -coming into the patio, trampling the marble pavement, a rider, dirty, -ragged, with a greasy sombrero, who got off his horse, and pointed his -rifle at him as a coward and informer. And immediately after him -followed many civil guards in shining three-cornered hats, whiskered and -enquiring, writing down notes, and then all the cuadrilla in their gala -dresses, roped together on their way to prison. Most certainly he must -deny it all energetically. - -"Rubbish! All rubbish! What are you talking about, Plumitas? There was -nothing but decency. God alive! They will be saying next that I, a good -citizen, who can carry a hundred votes from my suburb to the urns, am a -friend of Plumitas!" - -Senora Angustias, who was not quite sure about this last piece of news, -seemed convinced by El Nacional's asseverations. All right; she would -say nothing more about El Plumitas. But as for the other thing! The -journey to the farm with that ... female! And firm in her mother's -blindness, which made the responsibility for all the espada's acts fall -on his companions, she continued pouring blame on El Nacional. - -"I shall tell your wife what you are. Poor thing, working herself to -death in her shop from dawn till dark, while you go to that orgy like a -reprobate. You ought to be ashamed of yourself ... at your age! and with -all those brats!" - -The banderillero fairly fled before the wrath of Senora Angustias, who, -moved by her great indignation, developed the same nimbleness of tongue -as in the days when she was at the tobacco factory. He vowed he would -never again return to his master's house. - -He met Gallardo in the street. The latter seemed out of temper, but -pretended to be bright and smiling when he saw the banderillero, as if -he were in no way troubled by his domestic dissensions. - -"All this is very bad, Juaniyo. I will never return to your house, even -if I am dragged there. Your mother insults me, as if I were a gipsy of -Triana. Your wife weeps and looks at me, as if all the fault were mine. -Man alive, do me the pleasure not to remember me next time. Choose some -other of your associates another time, if you take ladies." - -Gallardo smiled, well pleased. It would be nothing at all, these things -passed off quickly. He had often faced worse troubles. - -"What you ought to do is to come to the house. When there are many -people there, there can be no rows." - -"I?" exclaimed El Nacional. "I will be a priest first!" - -After this the espada thought it was no use insisting. He spent the -greater part of the day out of the home, away from the women's morose -silence, interrupted by floods of tears, and when he returned it was -with an escort, availing himself of his manager and other friends. - -The saddler was a great help to Gallardo, who for the first time began -to think his brother-in-law "simpatico," remarkable for his good sense, -and worthy of a better fate. He it was who, during the matador's -absence, undertook to pacify the women, including his own wife, leaving -them like exhausted furies. - -"Let us see," he said. "What is it all about? A woman of no importance. -Every one is as he is, and Juaniyo is a personage who must mix with -influential people. And if this lady did go to the farm, what then? One -must cultivate good friendships, for in that way one can ask favours and -help on one's family. There was nothing wrong. It was all calumny. El -Nacional was there, who is a man of good character.... I know him very -well." - -For the first time in his life he praised the banderillero. Being -constantly in the house he was a valuable auxiliary to Gallardo, and the -torero was not niggardly in his gratitude. The saddler had closed his -shop, as trade was bad, and was waiting for some employment through his -brother-in-law. In the meanwhile the torero supplied all the wants of -the family and finally invited them all to take up their quarters -permanently in his house. In this way poor Carmen would worry less, not -being so much alone. - -One day El Nacional received a message from his matador's wife that she -wished to see him. The banderillero's own wife delivered the message. - -"I saw her this morning. She came from San Gil. The poor thing's eyes -looked as though she were constantly crying. Go and see her.... Ay! -those handsome men. What a curse they are!" - -Carmen received El Nacional in the matador's study. They would be alone -there, and there would be no fear of Senora Angustias coming in with her -vehemence. Gallardo was at the club in the Calle de las Sierpes. He was -away from the house most days to avoid meeting his wife; he even had his -meals out, going with some friends to the inn at Eritana. - -El Nacional sat on a divan, with his head bent, twirling his hat in his -hands, scarcely daring to look at his master's wife. How she was -altered! Her eyes were red and surrounded by black hollows. Her dark -cheeks and the end of her nose were also reddened from the constant -rubbing of her handkerchief. - -"Sebastian, you will tell me the whole truth. You are kind, and you are -Juan's best friend. All the little mother said the other day was temper. -You know how really good she is. It was only an outburst, over directly. -Pay no attention to it." - -The banderillero nodded assent, and then hazarded the question: - -"What did Senora Carmen wish to know?" - -"You must tell me all that happened at La Rincona, all you saw, and all -you fancied." - -Ah! Good Nacional! With what noble pride he raised his head, pleased at -being able to do good, and give comfort to that unhappy woman. - -"See?..." He had seen nothing wrong. "I swear it to you by my father. I -swear it ... by my ideas." - -He supported his oath without fear by the sacrosanct testimony of his -ideas, for in fact he had seen nothing, and having seen nothing, he -reasoned logically in the pride of his perspicuity and wisdom, that -nothing wrong could have occurred. - -"I think they are nothing more than friends ... now.... If there has -been anything before, I know not.... The people here ... talk. They -invent so many lies. But pay no attention, Senora Carmen. Live happily, -that is the best thing!" - -But she insisted. What had happened at the farm? The grange was her -home, and she was indignant, as, joined to the infidelity, this seemed -to her a sacrilege, a direct insult to herself. - -"Do you think me a fool, Sebastian? I have seen it all along. From the -first moment he began to think of that lady ... or whatever she is, I -have known what Juan was thinking. The day he pledged the bull to her, -and she gave him that diamond ring, I guessed what there was between the -two, and I should have liked to snatch the ring and trample on it.... -Very soon I knew everything. Everything! There are always people ready -to carry rumours because it hurts others. Besides, they have never -hidden themselves, going everywhere like man and wife, in the sight of -every one, on horseback, just like gipsies who ride from fair to fair. -When we were at the farm I had news of everything Juan was doing, and -afterwards in San Lucar also." - -El Nacional interposed, seeing Carmen so upset, and weeping at these -recollections. - -"My good woman, do you believe all this humbug? Do you not see they are -inventions of people who wish you ill? All jealousy, nothing more." - -"No, I know Juan. Do you believe that this is the first? He is as he is, -and cannot be otherwise. Cursed profession, which seems to send men -mad! After we had been married two years he fell in love with a handsome -girl in the market, a butcher's daughter. How I suffered when I knew -it.... But I never said a word. Even now he thinks I know nothing. Since -then how many have there been? I do not know how many--dozens--and I -held my tongue, wishing for peace in my home. But this woman is not like -the others, Juan is mad about her; and I know he has lowered himself a -thousand times, remembering that she is a great lady, so that she should -not turn him out, being ashamed of having relations with a torero. Now -she is gone. You did not know it? She is gone because she was bored in -Seville. You see people tell me everything, and she left without saying -good-bye to him. When he went there the other day he found the door -locked. Now he is as wretched as a sick horse, he goes among his friends -with a face like a funeral, and drinks to enliven himself. No, he cannot -forget that woman. He was proud of being loved by a woman of that class, -and now he suffers in his pride that he is abandoned. Ay! what disgust I -feel. He is no longer my husband; he seems like some one else. We -scarcely speak. I am alone upstairs, he sleeps downstairs in one of the -patio rooms. Before, I overlooked everything; they were bad habits -belonging to the profession: the mania of toreros, who think themselves -irresistible to women ... but now I can't bear to see him; I feel -repugnance towards him." - -She spoke energetically, and a flame of hate shone in her eyes. - -"Ay! that woman. How she has changed him!... He is another man! He only -cares now to go with rich people; and the people in the suburbs, and the -poor in Seville, who were his friends and helped him when he first -began, all complain of him; some fine day they will start a disturbance -against him in the Plaza to disgrace him. Money comes in here by -bucketsful, and it is not easy to count it. He himself does not know how -much he has, but I see clearly. He plays heavily, so that his new -friends may welcome him; and he loses largely; the money comes in by one -door and goes out by the other. But I say nothing. After all it is he -that earns it. He has had to borrow from Don Jose for things about the -farm, and some olive yards he bought this year to join to the property -were bought with other people's money. Almost all he earns during the -next season will go to pay his debts. And if he had an accident. If he -found himself obliged to retire like others? He has tried to change me, -as he himself has changed. I know he feels ashamed of us when he returns -from seeing Dona Sol. It is he who has obliged me to put on those -unbecoming hats from Madrid, that make me feel like a monkey dancing on -an organ! And a mantilla is so beautiful! He also it is who has bought -that infernal car, in which I go in fear and which smells like the -devil. If he could he would even put a hat with a cock's tail on the -little mother's head!" - -The banderillero interrupted. No, no, Juan was very kind, and if he did -these things it was because he wished his family to have every comfort -and luxury. - -"Juaniyo may be anything you will, Senora Carmen, but still you must -forgive him a good deal. Remember that many are envious of you! Is it -nothing to be the wife of the bravest torero, with handfuls of money, a -house that is a marvel, and to be absolute mistress of everything, for -the master lets you dispose of all?" - -Carmen's eyes were overflowing, and she raised her handkerchief to wipe -away her tears. - -"I would rather be the wife of a shoemaker. How often have I thought so! -If Juan had only gone on with his trade instead of this cursed -bull-fighting! How much happier I should be in a poor shawl taking his -dinner to the doorway where he worked like his father. At least he would -be mine, and no one would want to take him from me; we might want -necessities, but on Sundays, dressed in our best, we should go to -breakfast at some little inn. And then the frights one has from those -horrid bulls. This is not living. There is money, a great deal of money, -but believe me, Sebastian, it is like poison to me. The people about -think I am happy, and envy me, but my eyes follow the poor women who -want everything, but who have their child on their arm, who when they -are unhappy look at the little one and laugh with it. If only I had one! -If Juan could but see a little one in the house that would be all his -own, something more than the little nephews...." - -The banderillero came out from this interview shocked and troubled and -went in search of his master, whom he found at the door of the -"Forty-five." - -"Juan, I have just seen your wife. Things are going worse and worse. Try -and calm her and set yourself right with her." - -"Curse it! life is not worth living. Would to God a bull might catch me -on Sunday and then all would be over! And for what life is worth...." - -He was rather tipsy. The frowning silence he met in his house drove him -to desperation, and even perhaps more still (although he would not -confess it to anyone) Dona Sol's flight, without leaving a single word, -not even a line to bid him farewell. They had sent him away from the -door worse than a servant, and no one knew where that woman had gone. -The Marquis was not much interested in his niece's journey--a most crazy -woman! Neither had he been informed of her intended departure; however, -he did not think on that account that she was lost. She would give -signs of existence from some far country, whither her caprices had -driven her. - -Gallardo could not conceal his despair in his own home. Maddened by the -frowning silence of his wife, who resented all his efforts at -conversation, he would break out: - -"Curse my bad luck! Would to God that on Sunday one of those Muira bulls -would catch me, trample me, and then I could be brought home to you in a -basket!" - -"Don't say such things, evil one!" exclaimed Senora Angustias. "Do not -tempt God; it will bring you bad luck." - -But the brother-in-law interposed sententiously, taking advantage of the -occasion to flatter the espada. - -"Don't worry yourself, little mother. There is no bull that can touch -him; no horn that can gore him!" - -The following Sunday was the last corrida of the year in which Gallardo -was to take part. The morning passed without those vague terrors, and -superstitious anxieties which usually assailed him; he dressed gaily, -with a nervous excitability which seemed to double the strength of his -muscles. What a joy to tread again the yellow sand, to astonish over -twelve thousand spectators with his grace and reckless daring! Nothing -was true but his art, which gained him the applause of the populace, and -money like heaps of corn. Everything else, family and amours were only -complications of life, serving to create worries. Ay! what estocades he -would give! He felt the strength of a giant: he felt another man free -from fears and anxieties. He was even impatient it was not yet time to -go to the Plaza, so contrary to other occasions; and he longed to pour -out on the bulls the concentrated anger caused by his domestic -dissensions and Dona Sol's insulting flight. - -When the carriage arrived Gallardo crossed the patio without -encountering as heretofore the emotion of the women. Carmen did not -appear. Bah! those women! ... their only use was to embitter life. His -brother-in-law was waiting, extremely proud of himself in a suit of -clothes that he had filched from the espada, and had altered to his own -figure. - -"You are finer than the real Roger de Flor himself!" said he gaily. -"Jump into the coach, and I will take you to the Plaza." - -He sat down beside the great man, swelling with pride that all Seville -should see him sitting among the torero's silk capes and splendid gold -embroideries. - -The Plaza was crammed. It was an important corrida, the last one of the -autumn, and consequently it had attracted an immense audience, not only -from the town but from the country. On the benches of the sunny side -were crowds of people from surrounding villages. - -From the first Gallardo showed a feverish activity. He stood away from -the barrier, going to meet the bull, amusing it with his cape play, -while the picadors waited for the time when the brute would turn on -their miserable horses. - -A certain predisposition against the torero could be noticed. He was -applauded the same as ever, but the demonstrations were far warmer and -more prolonged on the shady side, from the symmetrical rows of white -hats, than from the lively and motley sunny side, where many stood in -their shirt sleeves under the heat of the scorching sun. - -Gallardo understood the danger. If he had the least bad luck, half the -circus would rise up against him vociferating and reproaching him for -his ingratitude towards those who had first started him. - -He killed his first bull with only moderate good fortune. He threw -himself with his usual audacity between the horns, but the rapier struck -on a bone. The enthusiasts applauded, because the estocade was well -placed, and the inutility of the endeavour was no fault of his. He put -himself again in position to kill, but again the sword struck on the -same place, and the bull, butting at the muleta, jerked it out of the -wound, throwing it to some distance. Taking another rapier from -Garabato's hand, he turned again towards the beast, who waited for him, -firm on his feet, his neck dripping with blood and his slavering muzzle -almost on the sand. - -The maestro, spreading his muleta before the brute's eyes, quietly moved -aside with his sword the banderillas which were falling across his poll. -He wished to execute the "descabello."[95] Leaning the point of the -blade on the top of the head, he sought for a suitable spot between the -two horns; he then made an effort to drive in the rapier, the bull -shivered painfully, but still remained on foot, and threw out the steel -with a rough movement of its head. - -"One!" shouted mocking voices from the sunny side. - -"Curse them! Why did the people attack him so unjustly?" - -Again the matador struck in the steel, succeeding this time in finding -the vulnerable spot, and the bull fell suddenly with a crash, his horns -sticking into the sand, his belly upward and his legs rigid. - -The people on the shady side applauded from a class feeling, but from -the sunny side came a storm of whistling and invectives. - -Gallardo, turning his back to these insults, saluted his partizans with -the muleta and the rapier. - -The insults of the populace, who had up to now been so friendly, -exasperated him, and he clenched his fists. - -What do those people want? The bull did not admit of anything better. -Curse them! It is got up by my enemies. - -He spent the greater part of the corrida close to the barrier, looking -on disdainfully at his companions' actions, accusing them mentally of -having promoted this display of dissatisfaction, and he launched -maledictions against the bull and the shepherd who reared him. He had -come so well prepared to do great things, and then to meet with a bull -like this! All the breeders who sent in such animals ought to be shot. - -When he took his killing weapons for his second bull, he gave an order -to El Nacional and to another peon to bring the bull by their cloak play -to the popular side of the Plaza. - -He knew his public. You must flatter those "citizens of the sun," a -tumultuous and terrible demagogy, who brought class hatred into the -Plaza, but who would change their whistling into applause with the -greatest ease, if a slight show of consideration flattered their pride. - -The peons, throwing their capes in front of the bull, endeavoured to -attract him towards the sunny side of the circus. The populace saw this -manoeuvre and welcomed it with joyful surprise. The supreme moment, the -death of the bull, would be enacted under their eyes instead of at a -distance for the convenience of the wealthy people on the shady side. - -The brute, being alone for a moment on that side of the Plaza, attacked -the dead body of a horse. It buried its horns in the open belly, lifting -on its horns like a limp rag the miserable carcass which spread its -entrails all round. The body fell to the ground almost doubled up, while -the bull moved off undecidedly; but it soon turned again to sniff it, -snorting and burying its horns in the cavity of the stomach, while the -populace laughed at this stupid obstinacy, seeking for life in an -inanimate body. - -"Go it.... What strength he has!... Go on, son!... I'm looking at you!" - -But suddenly the attention of the audience was turned from the furious -brute to watch Gallardo, who was crossing the Plaza with light step, -bending his figure, carrying in one hand the folded muleta, and -balancing the rapier in the other like a light cane. - -All the populace roared with delight at the torero's approach. - -"You have gained them," said El Nacional, who had placed himself with -his cloak in readiness close to the bull. - -The multitude, clapping their hands, called the torero: "Here! here!" -every one wishing to see the bull killed in front of his own bench so as -not to lose a single detail, and the torero hesitated between the -contradictory calls of thousands of voices. - -With one foot on the step of the barrier, he was considering the best -place to kill the bull. He had better take him a little further on. The -torero felt embarrassed by the body of the horse, whose miserable -remains seemed to fill all that side of the arena. - -He was turning to give the order to El Nacional to have the body -removed, when he heard behind him a voice he knew, and though he could -not at once recall to whom it belonged, it made him turn round suddenly. - -"Good evening, Seno Juan! We are going to applaud 'the truth.'" - -He saw in the first rank, below the rope of the inside barrier, a -jacket folded on the line of the wall; on it were crossed a pair of arms -in shirt sleeves, on which rested a broad face, freshly shaved, with the -hat pulled down to its ears. It looked like a good-natured countryman -come in from his village to see the corrida. - -Gallardo recognized him; it was Plumitas. - -He had fulfilled his promise; there he was, audaciously among twelve -thousand people who might recognise him, saluting the espada, who felt -pleased and grateful for this mark of confidence. - -Gallardo was astounded at his temerity. To come down into Seville, to -enter the Plaza, far away from the mountains, where defence was so easy, -without the help of his two companions, the mare and the rifle, and all -to see him kill bulls! Truly, of the two, which was the braver man? - -He thought, furthermore, that in his farm he was at Plumitas' mercy, in -the country life which was only possible if he kept on good terms with -that extraordinary person. Certainly this bull must be for him. - -He smiled at the bandit, who was placidly watching him. He took off his -montera, shouting towards the heaving crowd, but with his eyes on -Plumitas. - -"This bull is for you!" - -He threw his montera towards the benches, where a hundred hands were -outstretched, fighting to catch the sacred deposit. - -Gallardo signed to El Nacional, so that with opportune cape play he -should bring the bull towards him. - -The espada spread his muleta, and the beast attacked with a deep snort, -passing under the red rag. "Ole!" roared the crowd, once more bewitched -by their old idol, and disposed to think everything he did admirable. - -He continued giving several passes to the bull, amid the exclamations -of the people a few steps from him, and who seeing him close were giving -him advice. "Be careful, Gallardo! The bull still has his full strength. -Don't get between him and the barrier. Keep your retreat open." - -Others more enthusiastic excited his audacity by more daring advice. - -"Give him one of your own!... Zas! Strike and you pocket him!" - -But the brute was too big and too mistrustful to be put in anybody's -pocket. Excited by the proximity of the dead horse, he constantly -returned to it, as though the stench of the belly intoxicated him. - -In one of his evolutions, the bull fatigued by the muleta, stood -motionless. It was a very bad position, but Gallardo had come out of -worse corners victorious. - -He wanted to take advantage of the brute's quiescence, the public -incited him to action. Among the men standing by the inside barrier, -leaning their bodies half over it so as not to lose a single detail of -the supreme moment, he recognised many amateurs of the people, who had -begun to turn from him, and who were now again applauding him, touched -by his show of consideration for the populace. - -"Take advantage of it, my lad.... Now we shall see the truth.... Strike -truly." - -Gallardo turned his head slightly to salute Plumitas, who stood smiling, -with his moon face leaning on his arms over the jacket. - -"For you, comrade!"... - -And he placed himself in profile with the rapier in front in position to -kill, but at the same instant he thought that the ground was trembling -beneath him, that he was flung to a great distance, that the Plaza was -falling down on him, that everything was turning to deep blackness, and -that a furious hurricane was raging round him. His body vibrated -painfully from head to foot, his head seemed bursting, and a mortal -agony wrung his chest; then he seemed falling into dark and endless -space, plunging into nothingness. - -At the very moment that he was preparing to strike, the bull had reared -unexpectedly against him, attracted by his "querencia" for the horse -which was behind him. - -It was a terrific shock, which made the silk and gold clad man roll and -disappear beneath the hoofs. The horns did not gore him, but the blow -was horrible, crushing, as head, horns, and all the frontal of the brute -crashed down on the man like a blow from a club. - -The bull, who only saw the horse, was going to charge it again, but -feeling some obstacle between his hoofs, he turned to attack the -brilliant figure lying on the ground, lifted it on one horn, shaking it -for a few seconds, and then flinging it away to some distance; again a -third time it turned to attack the insensible torero. - -The crowd, bewildered by the quickness of these events, remained silent, -their hearts tightened. The bull would kill him! Perhaps he had killed -him already! But suddenly a yell from the whole multitude broke the -agonizing silence. A cape was spread between the bull and his victim, a -cloth almost nailed on to the brute's poll by two strong arms, -endeavouring to blind the beast. It was El Nacional who, impelled by -despair, had thrown himself on the bull, choosing to be gored himself if -only he could save his master. The brute, bewildered by this fresh -obstacle, turned upon it, turning his tail towards the fallen man. The -banderillero engaged between the horns, moved backwards with the bull, -waving his cape, not knowing how to extricate himself from this perilous -position, but satisfied all the same, at having drawn the ferocious -brute away from Gallardo. - -The public absorbed by this fresh incident, almost forgot the espada. -El Nacional would fall also; he could not get out from between the -horns, and the brute carried him along as if he were already impaled. - -The men shouted as if their cries could have been of any assistance, the -women sobbed, turning their heads aside and wringing their hands, when -the banderillero, taking advantage of a moment when the brute lowered -his head to gore him, slipped from between the horns to one side, while -the bull rushed blindly on, carrying away the ragged cape on his horns. - -The tense feeling broke out into deafening applause. The unstable crowd, -only impressed by the danger of the moment, acclaimed El Nacional. It -was the finest moment of his life, and in their excitement they scarcely -noticed the inanimate body of Gallardo, who with his head hanging down -was being carried out of the Plaza between the toreros and arena -servants. - -In Seville that night nothing was spoken of but Gallardo's accident, the -worst he had ever had. In many towns special sheets had already been -published, and the papers all over Spain gave accounts of the affair, -which was wired in all directions, as if some political personage had -been the victim of an attempt. - -Terrifying news flew about the Calle de las Sierpes, coloured by the -vivid southern imagination. Poor Gallardo had just died, he who brought -the news had seen him lying on a bed in the infirmary of the Plaza, as -white as paper, with a crucifix between his hands, so it must be true. -According to others less lugubrious, he was still alive, though he might -die at any moment. All his bowels were torn, his heart, his loins, -everything, the bull had made a perfect sieve of his body. - -Guards had been placed around the Plaza to prevent the mob anxious for -news from storming the infirmary. Outside, the populace had assembled, -asking every one who came out as to the espada's state. - -El Nacional, still in his fighting dress, came out several times, -frowning and angry, as the preparations for his master's removal were -not ready. - -Seeing the banderillero, the mob forgot the wounded man in their -congratulations. - -"Senor Sebastian, you were splendid!... Had it not been for you!..." - -But he refused all congratulations. What did it signify what he had -done? Nothing at all ... rubbish. The important thing was Juan's -condition, who was in the infirmary struggling with death. - -"And how is he, Seno Sebastian?" asked the people, returning to their -first interest. - -"Very bad. He has only just recovered consciousness. He has one leg -broken to bits: a gore underneath the arm, and what besides, I know -not!... The poor fellow is to me like my own saint.... We are going to -take him home." - -When the night closed in, Gallardo was carried out of the circus on a -litter. The crowd walked silently after him. Every few moments El -Nacional, carrying the cape on his arm, and still wearing his showy -torero's dress amongst the common clothes of the people, leaned over the -cover of the litter and ordered the porters to stop. - -The doctors belonging to the Plaza walked behind and with them the -Marquis de Moraima, and Don Jose, the manager, who seemed ready to faint -in the arms of some friends of the "Forty-five," one common anxiety -mixing them up with the ragged crew, who also followed the litter. - -The crowd were horrified; it was a sad procession, as though some -national disaster had occurred which levelled all beneath the general -misfortune. - -"What a misfortune, Seno Marque!" said a chubby-faced, red-haired -peasant, who carried his jacket on his arm, to the Marquis de Moraima. - -Twice this man had pushed aside some of the porters of the litter, -wishing to assist in carrying it. The Marquis looked at him -sympathetically. He must be one of those country peasants who were -accustomed to salute him on the roads. - -"Yes, a great misfortune, my lad." - -"Do you think he will die, Seno Marque?" - -"It is to be feared, unless a miracle saves him. He is ground to -powder." - -And the Marquis, placing his right hand on the shoulder of the unknown -man, seemed pleased by the sorrow expressed on his countenance. - -Gallardo's return to his house was most painful. Inside the patio were -heard cries of despair, and outside other women, friends and neighbours -of Juaniyo, were screaming and tearing their hair, thinking him already -dead. - -The litter was carried into a room off the patio, and the espada with -the greatest care was lifted on to a bed. He was wrapped in bloody -cloths and bandages smelling of antiseptics, of his fighting dress he -retained nothing but one pink stocking, and his under garments were all -torn or cut with scissors. - -His pigtail hung unplaited and entangled on his neck, and his face was -as pale as a wafer. He opened his eyes slightly, feeling a hand slipped -into his, and saw Carmen, a Carmen as pale as himself, dry-eyed and -terrified. - -The friends of the torero prudently intervened. She must remember the -wounded man had only received first aid, and a great deal remained for -the doctors to do. - -The wounded man made a sign with his eyes to El Nacional, who leaned -over him to catch the slight murmur. - -"Juan says," he murmured, going out into the patio, "he would like -Doctor Ruiz sent for." - -"It is already done," said the manager, pleased with his prevision. He -had telegraphed at once when he knew the importance of the accident, and -he had no doubt but that Doctor Ruiz was already on the way and would -arrive on the following morning. - -After their first bewilderment, the doctors were more hopeful. It was -possible he might not die. He had such a splendid constitution and such -energy. What was most to be dreaded was the terrible shock, which would -have killed most men instantaneously, but he had recovered -consciousness, although the weakness was great. As far as the wounds -were concerned, they did not think them dangerous. That on the arm was -not much, though it was possible the limb might be less agile than -before. The hurt on the leg did not offer equal hopes, the bones were -fractured, and probably Gallardo would be lame. - -Don Jose, who had endeavoured to keep calm, when hours before he had -thought the espada's death inevitable, quite broke down. His matador -lame! Then he would no longer be able to fight! - -He was furious at the calm with which the doctors spoke of the -possibility of Gallardo becoming useless as a torero. - -"That could not be. Do you think it logical that Juan should live and -not fight?... Who would fill his place? I tell you, it cannot be! The -first man in the world!... And you want him to retire!" - -He spent the night watching with the men of the cuadrilla and -Gallardo's brother-in-law, and next morning early he went to the station -to meet the Madrid express. It arrived and with it Dr. Ruiz. He came -without any luggage, as carelessly dressed as ever, smiling behind his -yellowish beard, bobbing along in his loose coat, with the swinging of -his little short legs and his big stomach like a Buddha. - -As he entered the house, the torero, who seemed sunk in the extreme of -weakness, opened his eyes, reviving with a smile of confidence. After -Ruiz had listened in a corner to the other doctors' opinions and -explanations, he approached the bed. - -"Courage, my lad; this will not finish you! You have good luck!" - -And then he added, turning to his colleagues: - -"See what a magnificent animal this Juanillo is! Another one by now, -would not be giving us any work." - -He examined him very carefully; it was a "cogida" which required great -care. But he had seen so many!... Bull-fighting wounds were his -specialite, and in them he always expected the most extraordinary cures, -as if the horns gave at the same time the wound and its remedy. - -"You may almost say that he who is not killed outright in the Plaza is -saved. The cure becomes then only a matter of time." - -For three days Gallardo endured tortures, his weakness preventing the -use of anaesthetics, and Doctor Ruiz extracted several splinters of bone -from the broken leg. - -"Who has said you would be useless for fighting?" exclaimed the Doctor, -satisfied with his own cleverness. "You will fight, my son. The public -will still have to applaud you." - -The manager agreed with this. Exactly what he had thought; how could -that lad, who was the first man in the world, end his life in that -fashion? - -By order of Doctor Ruiz, the torero's family were moved to Don Jose's -house. The women drove him wild, and their proximity was intolerable -during the hours of the operations. A groan from the torero would -instantly be answered from every part of the house by the howls of his -mother and sister, and Carmen struggled like a mad woman to go to her -husband. - -Sorrow had changed the wife, making her forget her rancour. "The fault -is mine," she would often say despairingly to El Nacional. "He said very -often he wished a bull would end him once for all. I have been very -wrong; I have embittered his life." - -In vain the banderillero recalled all the details to convince her that -the misfortune was accidental. No; according to her, Gallardo had wished -to end it for ever, and had it not been for El Nacional he would have -been carried dead out of the arena. - -When the operations were over the family returned to the house, and -Carmen paid her first visit to the sick man. - -She entered the room quietly, with cast down eyes, as if she were -ashamed of her former hostility, and taking Juan's hand in both hers she -asked: - -"How are you?" - -Gallardo seemed shrunk by pain, pale and weak, with an almost childish -resignation. Nothing remained of the proud and gallant fellow who had -delighted the populace with his audacity. He seemed daunted by the -terrible operations endured in full consciousness, all his indifference -to pain had vanished and he moaned at the slightest discomfort. - -After ten days stay in Seville, the Doctor returned to Madrid. - -"Now, my lad," he said to the sick man, "you don't require me any -longer, and I have a great deal to do. Now don't be imprudent, and in a -couple of months you will be well and strong. It is possible you may -feel your leg a little, but you have a constitution of iron, and it will -go on getting better." - -Gallardo's cure progressed, as Doctor Ruiz had foretold. At the end of a -month the leg was liberated from its enforced quiet, and the torero, -weak and limping slightly, was able to sit in a chair in the patio, and -receive his friends. - -During his illness, when fever ran high, and gloomy nightmares troubled -him, one thought always remained steadfast in his mind, in spite of all -restless wanderings--the remembrance of Dona Sol. Did that woman know of -his accident? - -While he was still in bed, he had ventured to question the manager about -her when they chanced to be alone. - -"Yes, my man," said Don Jose, "she has remembered you. She sent me a -wire from Nice, enquiring after you, two or three days after the -accident. Most probably she saw it in the papers. They spoke about you -everywhere, as if you were a king." - -The manager had replied to the telegram, but had not heard subsequently -from her. - -Gallardo appeared satisfied for some days with this explanation, but -afterwards asked again, with a sick man's persistence, had she not -written? Had she not enquired again after him?... The manager tried to -excuse Dona Sol's silence, and console him. He must remember she was -always moving about. Goodness knows where she might be at that time. - -But the torero's despair, thinking himself forgotten, forced Don Jose to -pious lies. Some days before, he had received a short letter from Italy, -in which Dona Sol inquired after him. - -"Let me see it!" said the espada anxiously. - -And, as the manager made some excuse, pretending to have left it at -home, Gallardo implored this comfort. - -"Do bring it to me. I long to see her letter, to convince myself that -she remembers me." - -To avoid further complications in his pretences, Don Jose invented a -correspondence that did not pass through his hands, but was directed to -others. Dona Sol had written (according to him) to the Marquis about her -money matters, and at the end of every letter she enquired after -Gallardo. At other times the letters were to a cousin, in which were the -same remembrances of the torero. - -Gallardo listened quietly, but at the same time shook his head -doubtfully. When would he see her! Should he ever see her again? Ay! -what a woman to fly like that without any motive, except the caprices of -her strange character. - -"What you ought to do," said the manager, "is to forget all about -women-kind and attend to business. You are no longer in bed, and you are -almost cured. How do you feel as to strength? Say, shall we fight or no? -You have all the winter before you to recover strength. Shall we accept -contracts, or do you decline to fight this year?" - -Gallardo raised his head proudly, as though something dishonouring was -being proposed to him. Renounce bull-fighting?... Spend a whole year -without being seen in the circus? Could the public resign themselves to -such an absence? - -"Accept them, Don Jose. There is plenty of time to get strong between -now and the Spring. You may promise for the Easter corrida. I think this -leg may still give me some trouble, but, please God, it will soon be as -strong as iron." - -He longed for the time to return to the circus. He felt greedy of fame -and the applause of the populace, and in order to get quite strong he -decided to spend the rest of the winter with his family at La Rinconada. -There, hunting and long walks would strengthen his leg. Besides, he -could ride about to overlook the work, and visit the herds of goats, the -droves of pigs, the dairies and the mares grazing in the meadows. - -The management of the farm had not been good, everything cost him more -than it did other landlords, and the receipts were less. His -brother-in-law, who had established himself at the farm as a kind of -dictator to set things right, had only succeeded in disturbing the -routine of the work, and rousing the labourers' anger. It was fortunate -that Gallardo could count on the certain incomings from the corridas, an -inexhaustible source of wealth, which would over and above recoup his -extravagances and bad management. - -Before leaving for La Rinconada, Senora Angustias wished her son to -fulfil her vow of kneeling before the Virgin of Hope. It was a vow she -had made that terrible night when she saw him stretched pale and -lifeless on the litter. How many times she had wept before La Macarena, -the beautiful Queen of Heaven, with the long eye-lashes and swarthy -cheeks, imploring her not to forget Juanillo! - -The ceremony was a popular rejoicing. All the gardeners of the suburb -were summoned to the church of San Gil, which was filled with flowers, -piled up in banks round the altars, and hanging in garlands between the -arches and from the chandeliers. - -The ceremony took place on a beautiful sunny morning. In spite of its -being a working day, the church was filled with people from the suburb. -Stout women with black eyes, wearing black silk dresses, and lace -mantillas over their pale faces, workmen freshly shaved, and the -beggars arrived in swarms, forming a double row at the church door. - -A Mass was to be sung, with accompaniment of orchestra and voices; -something quite out of the way, like the opera in the San Fernando -theatre at Easter. And afterwards the priests would intone a Te Deum of -thanksgiving for the recovery of Senor Juan Gallardo, the same as when -the king came to Seville. - -The party arrived, making their way through the crowd. The espada's -mother and wife walked first, among relations and friends, dressed in -rustling black silks, smiling beneath their mantillas. Gallardo came -after, followed by an interminable escort of toreros and friends, all -dressed in light suits, with gold chains and rings of extraordinary -brilliancy, their white felt hats contrasting strangely with the women's -black clothes. - -Gallardo was very grave. He was a good believer. He did not often -remember God, though he often swore by Him blasphemously at difficult -moments, more by habit than anything else; but this was quite another -affair, he was going to return thanks to the Santisima Macarena, and he -entered the church reverently. - -They all went in except El Nacional, who leaving his wife and children, -remained in the little square. - -"I am a freethinker," he thought it necessary to explain to a group of -friends. "I respect all beliefs; but that inside there is for me ... -rubbish. I do not wish to be wanting in respect to La Macarena, nor to -take away any credit which is hers, but, comrades, suppose I had not -arrived in time to draw away the bull when Juaniyo was on the -ground!"... - -Through the open doors came the wail of instruments, the voices of the -singers, a sweet and flowing melody, accompanied by the perfume of the -flowers and the smell of wax. - -When the party came out, all the poor people scrambled and quarrelled -for the handfuls of money thrown to them. There was enough for -everybody, for Gallardo was liberal, and Senora Angustias wept with joy, -leaning her head on a friend's shoulder. - -The espada appeared at the church door radiant and magnificent, giving -his arm to his wife, and Carmen smiling, with a tear on her eyelashes, -felt as if she were being married to him a second time. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[95] The "descabello" is a _coup de grace_ given to a bull already -pierced by a rapier--the stroke consists in driving the rapier straight -down behind the skull so as to pierce the spinal marrow--if it is badly -delivered the animal only gets a slight wound--and it is considered very -unskilful and rouses the indignation of the populace. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -When the Holy Week came round, Gallardo gave his mother a great -pleasure. - -In previous years as a devotee of "Our Father Jesus of Great Power" he -had walked in the procession of the parish of San Lorenzo, wearing the -long black tunic, with high pointed hood and mask, which only left the -eyes visible. - -It was the aristocratic brotherhood, and when the torero found himself -on the high road to fortune he had entered it, avoiding the popular -brotherhood, whose devotion was generally accompanied by drunkenness and -scandal. - -He spoke with pride of the serious gravity of this religious -association. Everything was well ordered and strictly disciplined as in -a regiment. On the night of Holy Thursday, as the clock of San Lorenzo -struck the second stroke of two in the morning, the church doors would -be suddenly opened, so that the crowd massed on the dark pavement -outside could see the interior of the church, resplendent with lights -and the brotherhood drawn up in order. - -The hooded men, silent and gloomy, with no sign of life but the flash of -their eyes through the black mask, advanced slowly two by two, each -holding a large wax taper in his hand, and leaving a wide space between -each pair for their long sweeping trains. - -The crowd, with southern impressionability, watched the passing of this -hooded train, which they called "Nazarenos," with deepest interest, for -some of these mysterious masks might be great noblemen whom traditional -piety had induced to take part in this nocturnal procession. - -The brotherhood, obliged to keep silence under pain of mortal sin, were -escorted by municipal guards to prevent them being molested by the -drunken rabble, who began their Holy Week holiday on Wednesday night by -visits to every tavern. It happened now and then that the guards relaxed -their vigilance, which enabled these impious tipplers to place -themselves alongside of the silent brothers, and whisper atrocious -insults against their unknown persons, or their equally unknown -families. The Nazarene suffered in silence, swallowing the insults, -offering them as a sacrifice to the "Lord of Great Power." The rascals -emboldened by this meekness would redouble their insults, till at last -the pious mask, considering that if silence was obligatory inaction was -not, would lift their wax tapers and thrash the intruders, which -somewhat upset the holy meditations of the ceremony. - -In the course of the procession, when the porters of the "pasos"[96] -required rest, and the huge platforms hung round with lanthorns on which -the figures stood, halted, a slight whistle was enough to stop the -hooded figures, who turned facing each other, resting their large tapers -on their feet, looking at the crowd through the mysterious slit of the -mask. Above the pointed hoods floated the banners of the brotherhood, -squares of black velvet with gold fringes, on which were embroidered the -Roman letters S.P.Q.R., in commemoration of the part played by the -Procurator of Judea in the condemnation of the Just One. - -The paso of "Our Father Jesus of Great Power" stood on a heavy platform -of worked metal, trimmed all round with hangings of black velvet which -fell to the ground, concealing the twenty half-naked and perspiring -porters. At each of the four corners hung groups of lanthorns and golden -angels, and in the centre stood Jesus, crowned with thorns and bending -under the weight of His cross; a tragical, dolorous, blood-stained -Jesus, with cadaverous face and tearful eyes, but magnificently dressed -in a velvet tunic, covered with gold flowers, which only showed the -stuff as a slight arabesque between the complicated embroideries. - -The appearance of the Lord of Great Power drew sighs and groans from -hundreds of breasts. - -"Father Jesus!" murmured the old women, fixing their hypnotised eyes on -the figure--"Lord of Great Power! Remember us!" - -As the paso stopped in the middle of the Plaza with its hooded escort, -the devotion of this Andalusian people, which confides all its thoughts -to song, broke out in bird-like trills and interminable laments. - -A childish voice of trembling sweetness broke the silence. Some girl -pushing her way to the front would send a "saeta"[97] to Jesus, the -three verses of which celebrated the Lord of Great Power, "The most -divine sculpture," and the artist Montanes, a companion of the artists -of the golden age, who had carved it. The hooded brothers listened -motionless, till the conductor of the paso, thinking the pause had been -long enough, struck a silver bell on the front of the platform. "Up with -it," and the Lord of Great Power, after many oscillations, was hoisted -up, while the feet of the invisible porters began to move like tentacles -on the ground. - -After this came the Virgin, Our Lady of the Greatest Sorrow, for all the -parishes sent out two pasos. Under a velvet canopy her golden crown -trembled in the surrounding lights. The train of her mantle, which was -several yards long, hung down behind the paso, being puffed out by a -frame-work of wood, which displayed the splendour of its rich, heavy and -splendid embroideries, which must have exhausted the skill and patience -of a whole generation. - -To the roll of the drums a whole troup of women followed her, their -bodies in the shadow, and their faces reddened by the glare of the -tapers they carried in her hands. Old barefooted women in mantillas, -girls wearing the white clothes which were to have served them as -shrouds, women who walked painfully, as if they were suffering from -hidden and painful maladies, an assembly of suffering humanity saved -from death by the goodness of the Lord of Great Power and His Blessed -Mother. - -The procession of the pious brotherhood, after having slowly walked -through the streets, with long pauses during which they sang hymns, -entered the Cathedral, which remained all night with its doors open. -With their lighted tapers they wound through the gigantic naves, -bringing out of the darkness the immense pillars hung with velvet -trimmed with gold, but their light was unable to disperse the darkness -gathered in the vaults above. Leaving this crypt-like gloom they came -out again under the starlight, and the rising sun ended by surprising -the procession still wandering about the streets. - -Gallardo was an enthusiast about the Lord of Great Power and the -majestic silence of the brotherhood. It was a very serious thing! One -might laugh at the other pasos for their disorder and want of devotion. -But to laugh at this one!... Never! Besides, in this brotherhood one -rubbed against very great people. - -Nevertheless, this year the espada decided to abandon the Lord of Great -Power, to go out with the brotherhood of la Macarena, who escorted the -miraculous Virgin of Hope. - -Senora Angustias was delighted when she heard his decision. He owed it -to the Virgin, who had saved him after his last "cogida." Besides, this -flattered her feelings of plebeian simplicity. - -"Every one with his own, Juaniyo. It is all right for you to mix with -gentlefolk, but you ought to think that the poor have always loved you, -and that now they are speaking against you, because they think you -despise them." - -The torero knew it but too well. The turbulent populace who sat on the -sunny side of the Plaza were beginning to show a certain animosity -against him, thinking themselves forgotten. They criticised his constant -intercourse with wealthy people, and his desertion of those who had been -his first admirers. Gallardo wished therefor to take advantage of every -means of flattering those whose applause he wanted. A few days before -the procession, he informed the most influential members of la Macarena -of his intention to follow in it. He did not wish the people to know it, -it was purely an act of devotion, and he wished his intention to remain -a secret. - -All the same, in a few days the suburb was talking of nothing else, it -was the pride of the neighbourhood. "Ah! we must see la Macarena this -year," said the gossips as they spoke of the torero's intention. "The -Senora Angustias will cover the paso with flowers, it will cost at least -a hundred duros. And Juaniyo will hang all his jewellery on the Virgin. -A real fortune!" - -And so it was. Gallardo gathered together all the jewellery in the -house, both his own and his wife's, to hang on the image. La Macarena -would wear on her ears those diamond ear-rings which the espada had -bought for Carmen in Madrid, which had cost the proceeds of many -corridas. On her breast she would wear a large double gold chain -belonging to the torero, on which would hang all his rings and the large -diamond studs that he wore on his shirt front. - -"Jesus! How smart our Morena[98] will be," said they often, speaking of -the Virgin. "Seno Juan intends to pay for everything. It will make half -Seville rage!" - -When the espada was questioned about it, he smiled modestly. He had -always felt a deep devotion for la Macarena. She was the Virgin of the -suburb in which he was born, besides his poor father had never failed to -walk in the procession as an armed man. It was an honour of which the -family was proud, and had his own position admitted of it he would have -been delighted to put on the helmet and carry the lance, like so many -Gallardos, his forebears, who were now underground. - -This religious popularity flattered him: he was anxious that every one -in the suburb should know about his following the procession, but at the -same time he dreaded the news spreading about the town. He believed in -the Virgin, and he wished to stand well with her, in view of future -dangers; but he trembled when he thought of the derision of his friends -assembled in the cafes and clubs of the Calle de las Sierpes. - -"They will turn me into ridicule if they recognize me," said he. "All -the same, I must try and stand well with everybody." - -On the night of Holy Thursday he went with his wife to the Cathedral to -hear the Miserere. The immensely high Gothic arches had no light but -that of a few wax tapers hung on to the pillars, just sufficient for -the crowd not to be obliged to feel their way. All the people of better -social position were seated in the side chapels behind the iron -gratings, anxious to avoid contact with the perspiring masses pouring -into the nave. - -The choir was in complete darkness, except for a few lights looking like -a starry constellation, for the use of the musicians and singers. The -Miserere of Eslava was sung in this atmosphere of gloom and mystery. It -was a gay and graceful Andalusian Miserere like the fluttering of doves' -wings, with tender romances like love serenades, and choruses like -drinkers' rounds, full of that joy of life, which made the people -forgetful of death, and rebel against the gloom of the Passion. - -When the voice of the tenor had ended its last romance, and the wails in -which he apostrophised "Jerusalem! Jerusalem!" were lost in the vaults, -the crowd dispersed, much preferring the liveliness of the streets, as -gay as a theatre, with their electric lights, and the rows of chairs on -the pavements, and wooden stages in the Plazas. - -Gallardo returned home quickly to put on his Nazarene dress. Senora -Angustias had prepared his clothes with a tenderness which carried her -back to her youthful days. Ay! her poor dear husband! who on that night -would don his bellicose array, and shouldering his lance, would leave -the house, not to return till the following day, his helmet knocked in, -his "tonelete"[99] a mass of filth, having camped with his brethren in -every tavern in Seville. - -The espada was as careful of his underclothing as a woman, and he put on -his "Nazarene" dress with the same scrupulous care as he did his -fighting costume. First he put on his silk stockings and patent leather -shoes, then the white satin robe his mother had made for him, and above -this the high pointed hood of green velvet, which fell over his -shoulders and face like a mask, and hung down in front like a chasuble -as far as his knees. On one side of the breast the coat of arms of the -brotherhood was delicately embroidered in variegated colours. The torero -having put on his white gloves took the tall staff which was a sign of -dignity in the brotherhood. It was a long staff covered with green -velvet, with a silver top, and pointed at the end with the same metal. - -As Gallardo took his way through the narrow street on his way to San Gil -he met the company of "Jews," that is to say, of armed men, fierce -soldiers, their faces framed by their helmets' metal chin strap, wearing -wine-coloured tunics, flesh-coloured cotton stockings and high sandals, -round their waists was fastened the Roman sword, and over their -shoulders, like a modern gun strap, was the cord which supported their -lances. These soldiers, young and old, marched to the roll of drums and -carried a Roman banner with the senatorial inscription. - -An imposingly magnificent personage swaggered sword in hand at the head -of this troup. Gallardo recognised him as he passed. - -"Curse him!" said he, laughing beneath his mask. "No one will pay any -attention to me. This 'gacho' will carry off all the palms to-night." - -It was Captain Chivo, a gipsy singer, who had arrived that morning from -Paris, faithful to his military discipline, to put himself at the head -of his soldiers. - -To fail in this duty would have been to forfeit the title of Captain, -which El Chivo ostentatiously displayed on every music-hall placard in -Paris, where he and his daughters danced and sang. These girls were as -lively as lizards, graceful of movement, with large eyes, and a delicacy -of colouring and suppleness of figure which drove men mad. The eldest -had had the good fortune to run away with a Russian prince, and the -Parisian papers for days were full of the despair "of that brave officer -of the Spanish army," who intended to avenge his honour by shooting the -fugitives. In a theatre on the boulevards a piece had been hastily -mounted, on the "Flight of the Gipsy," with dances of toreros, choruses -of friars, and other scenes of faithful local colouring. El Chivo soon -compromised with his left-handed son-in-law in consideration of -pocketing a good indemnity, and continued dancing in Paris with the -other girls in hopes of another Russian prince. His rank as Captain made -many foreigners, well informed as to what was going on in Spain, -thoughtful. Ah! Spain! ... a decadent country which does not pay its -noble soldiers, and forces its hidalgos to send their daughters on the -stage. - -On the approach of Holy Week, Captain Chivo could no longer bear his -absence from Seville, so he took farewell of his daughters with the air -of a severe and uncompromising "pere noble." - -"My children, I am going.... Mind that you are good ... observe -propriety and decency.... My company is waiting for me. What would they -say if their Captain failed them?" - -He thought with pride as he travelled from Paris to Seville of his -father and grandfather, who had been captains of the Jews of la -Macarena, and that to himself fresh glory accrued through this -inheritance from his forefathers. - -He had once drawn a prize of ten thousand pesetas in the National -Lottery, and the whole of this sum he had spent on a uniform suitable to -his rank. The gossips of the suburb rushed to have a look at the -Captain, dazzling in his gold embroideries, wearing a burnished metal -corselet, a helmet over which flowed a cascade of white feathers, and -whose brilliant steel reflected all the light of the procession. It was -the fantastic magnificence of a red skin; a princely dress, of which a -drunken Auracanian might have dreamt. The women fingered the velvet -kilt, admiring its embroideries of nails, hammers, thorns, in fact all -the attributes of the Passion. His boots seemed trembling at every step -from the flashing brilliancy of the spangles and paste jewels which -covered them. Below the white plumes of the helmet, which seemed to make -his dark Moorish colouring darker still, the gipsy's grey whiskers could -be seen. This was not military. The Captain himself nobly admitted it. -But he was returning to Paris, and something must be conceded to art. - -Turning his head with warlike pride and fixing his eyes on the legionary -eagle, he shouted: - -"Attention! let no one leave the ranks! ... observe decency and -discipline!" - -The company advanced, marching slowly, stiffly and solemnly to the -rubadub of the drum. In every street were many taverns, and before their -doors stood boon companions, their hats well back, and their waistcoats -open, who had lost count of the innumerable glasses they had drunk in -commemoration of the Lord's death. - -As they saw the imposing warrior come along they hailed him, holding up -from afar glasses of fragrant amber-coloured wine. The Captain -endeavoured to conceal his inward perturbation, turning his eyes away, -and holding himself up even more rigidly inside his metal corselet. If -only he had not been on duty!... - -Some friends more pressing than the others, crossed the street to push -the glass under the plumed helmet; but the incorruptible centurion drew -back, presenting the point of his sword. Duty was duty. This year at -all events it should not be as other years, in which the company had -fallen into disorder and disarray almost as soon as they had started. - -The streets soon became real Ways of Bitterness for Captain Chivo. He -was so hot in his armour, surely a little wine would not destroy -discipline; so he accepted a glass, and then another, and soon the -company were moving along with gaps in their ranks, strewing the way -with stragglers, who stopped at every tavern they passed. - -The procession marched with traditional slowness, waiting hours at every -crossway. It was only twelve at night, and la Macarena would not have to -return home till twelve the following day; it took her longer to go -through the streets of Seville than it took to go from Seville to -Madrid. - -First of all advanced the paso of "The Sentence of our Lord Jesus -Christ," a platform covered with figures, representing Pilate seated on -a golden throne, surrounded by soldiers in coloured kilts and plumed -helmets, guarding the sorrowful Jesus, ready to march to execution, in a -tunic of violet velvet with resplendent embroideries, and three golden -rays, representing the three Persons of the Trinity, appearing above His -crown of thorns. But this paso in spite of its many figures and the -richness of its decoration did not rivet the attention of the crowd. It -seemed dwarfed by the one following it, that of the Queen of the popular -suburbs, the miraculous Virgin of Hope, la Macarena. - -When this Virgin with her pink cheeks and long eye-lashes appeared, -beneath a canopy of velvet, which swayed with every step of the -concealed carriers, a deafening acclamation rose from the populace -assembled in the Plaza. Ah! how beautiful she was; the Queen of Heaven! -A beauty which never aged! - -Her splendid mantle, of immense length, with a wide reticulated gold -border like the meshes of a net, extended a long way behind the paso, -like a gigantic peacock's folded tail. Her eyes shone, as if they were -moistened with tears at the joyous welcome of the faithful. The image -was covered with flashing jewels, like a brilliant armour over the -velvet dress. They were in hundreds, possibly thousands! She seemed -covered with shining rain drops, flaming with every colour of the -rainbow. From her neck hung rows of pearls, gold chains on which -hundreds of rings were strung, and all the front of her dress was plated -with gold watches, pendents of emeralds and brilliants, and ear-rings as -large as pebbles. All the devotees lent their jewels for the Santisima -Macarena to wear on her progress, and the women showed their -unornamented hands on that night of religious mourning, delighted that -the Mother of God should be wearing those jewels which were their pride. -The public knew them, for they saw them every year; they could tell all -the tale of them, and point out any novelties; and they knew that the -ornaments the Virgin wore on her breast hanging on a gold chain belonged -to Gallardo the torero. - -Gallardo himself, with his face covered, leaning on the staff of -authority, walked in front of the paso with the dignitaries of the -brotherhood. Others carried long trumpets hung with gold-fringed green -banners. Now and again they put them to their lips through a slit in -their masks, and a heart-rending funereal trumpeting broke the silence. -But this horrifying roar woke no echo in the hearts of the people, the -soft Spring night with its perfume of orange flowers was too sweet and -smiling; in vain the trumpets roared funereal marches, or the singers -wept as they sang the sacred verses, or the soldiers marched frowning -like veritable executioners, the Spring night smiled, spreading the -perfume of its thousand flowers, and no one thought of death. - -The inhabitants of the suburbs swarmed in disorder round the Virgin, -small shopkeepers, with their dishevelled wives, dragging tribes of -children along by the hand on this excursion which would last till dawn; -young men with their black curls flattened over their ears flourishing -sticks as if some one intended to insult la Macarena, and their strong -arms would be required for her protection, crowds of men and women -flattening themselves between the enormous paso and the walls in the -narrow streets. "Ole! La Macarena!... The first Virgin of the world!" - -Every fifty paces the saintly platform was stopped. There was no hurry, -the night was long. In many cases the Virgin was stopped so that people -could look at her at their ease; every tavern keeper also requested a -halt in front of his establishment. - -A man would cross the road towards the leaders of the paso. - -"Here! Hi! Stop!... Here is the first singer in the world who wants to -sing a 'saeta' to the Virgin." - -The "first singer in the world," leaning on a friend, with unsteady legs -and passing on his glass to some one else, would, after coughing, pour -forth the full torrent of his hoarse voice, of which the roulades -obscured the clearness of the words. Before he had half ended his slow -ditty another voice would begin, and then another, as if a musical -contest were established; some sang like birds, others were hoarse like -broken bellows, others screamed with piercing yells, most of the singers -remained hidden in the crowd, but others proud of their voice and style -planted themselves in the middle of the roadway in front of la Macarena. - -The drums beat and the trumpets continued their gloomy blasts, everybody -sang at once, their discordant voices mixing with the deafening -instruments, but no one ever got confused, each one sang straight -through his saeta without hesitation as if they were all deaf to other -sounds, keeping their eyes steadily fixed on the image. - -In front of the paso walked barefoot a young man dressed in a purple -tunic and crowned with thorns. He was bending beneath the weight of a -heavy cross twice as high as himself, and when the paso resumed its way -after a long pause, charitable souls helped him to readjust his burden. - -The women groaned with compassion as they saw him. Poor fellow! with -what holy fervour he fulfilled his penance. All in the suburb remembered -his criminal sacrilege! That cursed wine which was men's undoing. - -Three years before on the morning of Good Friday, when la Macarena was -on her way back to her church, this poor sinner, who in point of fact -was a very good sort of fellow, after wandering about the streets all -night with his friends, had stopped the procession in front of a tavern -in the market place. He sang to the Virgin, and then fired by holy -enthusiasm broke out into compliments. Ole! the beautiful Macarena! He -loved her more than his sweetheart! In order to display his devotion he -wished to throw at her feet what he held in his hand, thinking that it -was his hat, but unfortunately it was a glass which smashed itself on -the Virgin's face.... He was carried off weeping to prison. He did love -la Macarena just as if she were his mother! It was all that cursed wine -which took men's wits away! He trembled at the thought of the years of -jail awaiting him for this disrespect to religion, and he wept so -effectually that even those who were most indignant with him ended by -pleading in his favour, and everything was settled on his giving a -promise to perform some extraordinary penance as a warning to other -sinners. - -He dragged along the cross, perspiring and gasping, shifting the place -of the heavy weight when his shoulders became bruised by the sorrowful -burden. His comrades pitied him, and offered him glasses of wine, not by -way of mockery of his penance, but from sheer compassion. He was -fainting from fatigue, he ought to refresh himself. - -But he turned his eyes from the longed-for refreshments towards the -Virgin, taking her as witness of his martyrdom. Never mind, he would -drink well, without fear, next day when la Macarena was safely lodged in -her church. - -The paso was still in the suburb of la Feria, while the head of the -procession had reached the centre of Seville. The green-hooded brothers -and the company of armed men marched forward with warlike astuteness. It -was a question of occupying la Campana, and so gaining possession of the -entrance to the Calle de las Sierpes,[100] before any other brotherhood -could present itself. Once the vanguard were in possession of this point -they could wait quietly for hours till the Virgin arrived, enjoying the -angry protests of other brotherhoods, quite inferior people, whose -images could in no way compare with their Macarena, and who were -therefore obliged to take up a humble position behind her. - -Often the rabble escorting the different pasos came to blows, heads were -broken, and one or two lads were hurried off to prison or to the nearest -chemist's shop. Meanwhile Captain Chivo had executed his great strategic -movement, occupying la Campana up to the entrance of the Calle de las -Sierpes, to the noisy and triumphant roll of his drums. There is no -thoroughfare here! Long live the Virgin of la Macarena! - -The Calle de las Sierpes was turned into a saloon, its balconies were -full of people, electric lights hung across it from house to house, all -the cafes and shops were illuminated, heads filled every window, and -crowds of people sat on the rows of chairs placed against the walls, on -which they stood up whenever a roll of drums or the blast of trumpets -announced the coming of any paso. - -That night no one in the town slept, even old ladies of regular habits -waited now till dawn to watch the innumerable processions. - -Although it was now three in the morning, nothing indicated the lateness -of the hour. People were feasting in the cafes and taverns, succulent -odours escaped through the doors of the fried fish shops; in the centre -of the street itinerant sellers of drinks and sweets had established -themselves, and many families, who only came out on great holidays, had -been there since two o'clock on the previous afternoon, waiting to watch -the endless passing of Virgins of bewildering magnificence, whose velvet -mantles several yards long drew forth cries of admiration, of Redeemers -with golden crowns and tunics of brocade: a whole world of absurd images -in theatrical splendour, about which there was nothing religious beyond -their cadaverous and bloody faces. - -The Sevillians in front of the cafes pointed out the pasos by name to -the foreigners who had come to see this strange Christian ceremony, as -lively as a pagan holiday. - -They enumerated the paso of the Holy Decree, of the Holy Christ of -Silence, of Our Lady of Bitterness, of Jesus with the Cross on His -shoulder, of Our Lady of the Valley, of Our Father Jesus of the Three -Falls, of Our Lady of Tears, of the Lord of a Holy Death, of Our Lady -of the Three Necessities, and all these images were accompanied by their -special Nazarenes, black or white, red, green, blue or violet, all -masked, and preserving their mysterious personality beneath their -pointed hoods. - -The heavy pasos advanced slowly and laboriously through the narrow -streets, but when they emerged into the Plaza de San Francisco, opposite -the boxes raised in front of the Palace of the Ayuntamiento, the pasos -gave a half turn, so that the images might face the seats, and by a -genuflexion performed by their porters salute the illustrious strangers -or Royal personages who had come to see the fiesta. - -Alongside of the pasos walked lads carrying jars of water. As soon as -the platform halted, a corner of the velvet hangings was raised, and -twenty or thirty men appeared, perspiring, half naked, purple with -fatigue, with kerchiefs tied round their heads and the look of exhausted -savages. These were the Gallicians,[101] the strong porters, for any of -that calling were merged in that nationality; they drank the water -greedily, and if there were a tavern at hand mutinied against the -conductor of the paso to obtain wine or food. - -The crowd surged restlessly with eager curiosity in the Calle de las -Sierpes as the pasos of the Macarenos ramp along in a compact procession -accompanied by bands of music. The drums redoubled their beating, the -trumpets roared furiously, all the tumultuous crew from the suburb -shouted and yelled, and every one got up on the chairs in order to see -better this slow but noisy cortege. - -At the door of a cafe, El Nacional with all his family stood watching -the passing of the brotherhood--"Retrograde superstition!"... But all -the same, he came every year to watch this noisy invasion of the Calle -de las Sierpes by the Macarenos. - -He immediately recognized Gallardo from his magnificent stature, and the -elegance with which he wore the inquisitorial garments. - -"Juanillo," cried he, "make the paso stop. Here are some foreign ladies -who would like to see it close." - -The holy platform stood still, the band broke out into a spirited march, -one of those which delighted the public at the bull-fights, and -immediately the hidden porters of the paso began to lift first one foot -then the other, executing a dance which made the platform sway with -violent oscillations, throwing the surrounding people against the walls. -The Virgin, with all her load of jewels, flowers, lanthorns, and even -the heavy canopy danced up and down to the sound of the music. This was -a spectacle which required immense practise, and of which the Macarenos -were extremely proud. The strong young men of the suburb, holding on to -each side of the paso supported it, following its violent swaying, -while, fired by this display of strength and dexterity, they shouted -"All Seville should see this!... This is splendid! Only the Macarenos -can do this!" - -The brotherhood continued their triumphal march, leaving deserters in -every tavern and fallen all along the streets. When the sun rose it -found them at the extreme opposite end of Seville from their own parish, -and the image and its remaining supporters looked like a dissolute band -returning from an orgy. - -Close to the market place the two pasos stood deserted, while all the -procession took their morning draft in the adjacent taverns, -substituting large glasses of Cazalla aguardiente for country wine. - -Of the brilliant Jewish army nothing remained but miserable relics, as -if they were straggling home after a defeat. The Captain walked with a -sad stagger, his feathery plumes hanging down limp over his livid face, -and his sole idea seemed to be to preserve his magnificent costume from -dirty handling. Respect the uniform! - -Gallardo left the procession soon after sunrise. He thought he had done -quite enough in accompanying the Virgin throughout the night, and -assuredly she would lay it to his account. Besides, this last part of -the fiesta was by far the most trying, till the Macarena returned to her -church about mid-day. The people who got up fresh after a good night's -sleep laughed at the hooded brothers, who looked ridiculous by daylight, -and who moreover bore traces of the drunkenness and dirt of the night. -It would not be prudent for a torero to be seen with this band of -tipplers waiting for them at tavern doors. - -Senora Angustias was waiting for her son in the patio to assist the -Nazarene in removing his garments. He must rest now he had accomplished -his duties towards the Virgin. On Easter Sunday there was a corrida, the -first since his accident. Cursed profession! In which ease of mind was -impossible. And the poor women, after a period of tranquillity, saw all -their anguish and terrors revive. - -Saturday and the morning of Sunday the torero spent in receiving visits -of enthusiastic amateurs who had come to Seville for the Holy Week and -the fair. They all smiled, confident in his future exploits. - -"We shall see how you fight! The 'aficion' has its eyes on you! How are -you with regard to strength?" - -Gallardo did not distrust his vigour. Those winter months in the country -had made him quite robust. He was now quite as strong as before his -"cogida." The only thing that reminded him of his accident when he was -shooting at the farm was a slight weakness in the broken leg. But this -was only noticeable after long walks. - -"I will do my best," murmured Gallardo, with feigned modesty. "I hope I -shall not come out of it badly." - -The manager intervened with the blindness of his faith. - -"You will fight like an angel!... You will put all the bulls in your -pocket!" - -Gallardo's admirers, forgetting the corrida for a moment, spoke about a -piece of news flying round the town. - -On a mountain in the province of Cordoba the civil guards had found a -decomposed body, with the head almost blown to pieces, apparently by a -point blank shot. It was impossible to recognize it, but its clothes, -the carbine, everything in short, made them think it must be Plumitas. - -Gallardo listened silently. He had not seen the bandit since his -accident, but he kept a kindly remembrance of him. His farm people had -told him that twice while he was in danger, Plumitas had called at the -farm to enquire about him. Afterwards, while he was staying there -himself, on several occasions his shepherds and workmen had spoken -mysteriously of Plumitas, who, knowing he was at la Rinconada, had asked -for news of Senor Juan when he met them on the road. - -Poor fellow! Gallardo pitied him as he remembered his predictions. The -civil guards had not killed him. He had been murdered during his sleep; -probably he had been shot by one of his own class, some amateur who -wished to follow in his footsteps. - -His departure for the corrida on Sunday was even more painful than on -former occasions. Carmen did her best to be calm and help Garabato to -dress his master, and Senora Angustias hovered outside the room longing -to see Juanillo once more as if she were going to lose him. - -When Gallardo came out into the patio with his montera on his head, and -his beautiful cape thrown over one shoulder, his mother threw her arms -round his neck and dissolved in tears. She did not utter a word, but her -noisy sighs revealed her thoughts. He was going to fight for the first -time since his accident, and in the same Plaza where it had happened! -The superstitions of this woman of the people rose up against such -imprudence!... Ay! when would he retire from this cursed profession? Had -they not yet money enough? - -But his brother-in-law interfered in his capacity of family adviser. - -Now then, little mother, it was not such a great thing after all, it was -only a corrida like any other. The best they could do was to leave Juan -in peace, and not upset his calmness by this snivelling just as he was -going to the Plaza. - -Carmen was braver, she did not cry, and accompanied her husband to the -door, wishing to encourage him. Now that, in consequence of his -accident, love had revived, and they lived quietly together, she could -not believe that any accident would occur to disturb them. That accident -was God's work, who often brings good out of evil. Juan would fight as -on other occasions and would return home safe and sound. - -"Good luck to you!" - -She watched the departure of the carriage with loving eyes as it drove -away, followed by a crowd of little ragamuffins, delighted at the sight -of the torero's golden clothes. But when the poor woman was alone she -went up to her room, and lighted the tapers before an image of the -Virgin of Hope. - -El Nacional rode in the coach, frowning and gloomy. That Sunday was the -day of the elections, and none of his companions of the cuadrilla had -taken any notice of it. They would do nothing but talk of the death of -Plumitas and the approaching bull-fight. It was too bad to have his -functions as a good citizen, interrupted by this corrida, preventing him -carrying off several friends to the voting urn, who would not go unless -he took them. Don Joselito had been imprisoned, with other friends, on -account of his eloquence on the tribunes, and El Nacional, who wished to -share his martyrdom, had been obliged to put on his gala costume instead -and go off with his master. Was this assault on the liberty of citizens -to remain unnoticed? Would not the people rise?... - -As the coach drove along through la Campana, the toreros saw a large -crowd of people, apparently shouting seditiously and waving their -sticks. The police agents were charging them sword in hand, and a free -fight seemed in progress. - -El Nacional rose from his seat trying to throw himself out of the -carriage. Ah! At last! The moment has come!... The revolution! Now the -populace is rising! - -But his master half laughing, half angry, seized him and pushed him back -in his seat. - -"Don't be an idiot, Sebastian! You only see revolutions and hobgoblins -everywhere!" - -The rest of the cuadrilla laughed as they guessed the truth. The noble -people, being unable to obtain tickets for the corrida at the office in -la Campana were trying to take it by storm, and set fire to it, being -prevented by the police. El Nacional bent his head sorrowfully. - -"Reaction and ignorance! All the want of knowing how to read and write!" - -A noisy ovation awaited them as they arrived at the Plaza, and frantic -rounds of clapping greeted the procession of the cuadrilla. All the -applause was for Gallardo. The public welcomed his reappearance in the -arena, after that tremendous "cogida" which had been talked of all over -the Peninsula. - -When the time came for Gallardo to kill his first bull, the explosions -of enthusiasm recommenced. Women in white mantillas followed him with -their opera-glasses. He was applauded and acclaimed on the sunny side, -just as much as on the shady side. Even his enemies seemed influenced by -this current of sympathy. Poor fellow! He had suffered so much!... The -whole Plaza was his. Never had Gallardo seen an audience so completely -his own. - -He took off his montera before the presidential chair to give the -"brindis." "Ole! Ole!" Nobody heard a word, but they all yelled -enthusiastically. The applause followed him as he went towards the bull, -ceasing in a silence of expectation as he approached it. - -He unfolded his muleta, standing in front of the animal, but at some -distance, not as in former days, when he fired the people by spreading -the red rag almost on its muzzle. In the silence of the Plaza there was -a movement of surprise, but no one uttered a word. Several times -Gallardo stamped on the ground to excite the beast, who at last attacked -feebly, passing under the muleta, but the torero drew himself on one -side with visible haste. Many on the benches looked at each other. What -did that mean? - -The espada saw El Nacional by his side and a few steps further back -another peon, but he did not shout as formerly, "Every one out of the -way!" - -From the benches arose the sound of sharp discussions. Even the torero's -friends thought some explanation necessary. - -"He still feels his wounds. He ought not to fight. That leg! don't you -see it?" - -The capes of the two peons helped the espada in his passes; the beast -was restless, bewildered by the red cloths, and as soon as it charged -the muleta, some other cape attracted it away from the torero. - -Gallardo, as if he wished to get out of this disagreeable situation, -squared himself with his rapier high, and threw himself on the bull. - -A murmur of absolute stupefaction greeted the stroke. The blade entering -only a third of its length trembled, ready to fly out. Gallardo had -slipped out from between the horns, without driving the blade in up to -the hilt as in former days. - -"The stroke was well placed all the same!" shouted the enthusiasts, -clapping as hard as they could, so that their noise should supply the -place of numbers. - -But the connoisseurs smiled with pity. That lad was going to lose the -only merit he possessed, his nerve and daring. They had seen him -instinctively shorten his arm at the moment of striking the bull with -the rapier, and they had seen him turn his face aside, with that -shrinking of fear which prevents a man looking danger full in the face. - -The rapier rolled on the ground, and Gallardo, taking another, turned -again towards the bull accompanied by his peons. El Nacional's cape was -constantly spread close to him to distract the beast, and the -banderillero's bellowing bewildered it, and made it turn, whenever it -approached Gallardo too closely. - -The second estocade was scarcely more fortunate than the first, as more -than half the blade remained uncovered. - -"He does not lean on it!" They began to shout from the benches. "The -horns frighten him." - -Gallardo opened his arms like a cross in front of the bull, to show the -public behind him, that the bull had had enough and might fall at any -moment. But the animal still remained on foot, moving its head about -uneasily from side to side. - -El Nacional, exciting him with the rag, made him run, taking advantage -of every opportunity to hit him heavily on the neck with his cape with -all the strength of his arm. The populace, guessing his intention, began -to abuse him. He was making the brute run in order that the sword should -fix itself in firmer, and his heavy blows with the cape were to drive it -in deeper. They called him a thief, abusing his mother and other -relations, threatening sticks were flourished on the sunny side, and a -shower of bottles, oranges and any missiles to hand showered down on the -arena, with the intention of striking him, but the good fellow bore all -the insults as if he were blind and deaf, and he continued following up -the bull, happy in fulfilling his duties and saving a friend. - -Suddenly a stream of blood gushed from the brute's mouth, and he quietly -bent his knees, remaining motionless, but still with his head high as if -he intended to rise again and attack. The puntillero came up anxious to -finish him as quickly as possible and get the espada out of the -difficulty. El Nacional helped him by leaning furtively on the sword and -driving it in up to the hilt. - -Unluckily the populace on the sunny side saw this manoeuvre and rose to -their feet transported with rage, howling: - -"Thief! Assassin!" - -They were furious in the name of the poor bull, as if he had not to die -in any case, and they shook their fists threateningly at El Nacional, as -if he had committed some crime under their very eyes, and the -banderillero, ashamed, ended by taking refuge behind the barriers. - -Gallardo in the meanwhile walked towards the president's chair to -salute, while his unreasoning partizans accompanied him with applause as -noisy as it was ill supported. - -"He had no luck," said they, proof against all disillusions. "The -estocades were well placed! No one can deny that." - -The espada stood for a few moments opposite the benches where his most -fervent partizans were seated, and leaning on the barrier he explained, -"It was a very bad bull. There had been no means of making a good job of -it." - -The partizans, with Don Jose at their head, assented. It was just what -they had thought themselves. - -Gallardo remained the greater part of the corrida by the step of the -barrier, plunged in gloomy thought. It was all very well making these -explanations to his friends, but he felt a cruel doubt in his own mind, -a distrust of his own powers that he had never felt before. - -The bulls seemed to him bigger, and endowed with a "double life," which -made them refuse to die, whereas formerly they had fallen under his -rapier with miraculous facility. Indubitably they had loosed the worst -of the herd for him, to do him an evil turn. Some intrigue of his -enemies most probably. - -Other suspicions, too, rose confusedly from the depths of his mind, but -he scarcely dared to drag them out of their darkness and verify them. -His arm seemed shorter at the moment when he presented the rapier in -front of him; formerly it had reached the brute's neck with the -quickness of lightning, now there seemed a fearful and interminable -space that he knew not how to cover. His legs too seemed different. They -seemed to be free and independent of the rest of his body. In vain his -will ordered them to remain calm and firm as in former days, but they -did not obey. They seemed to have eyes which saw the danger, and leapt -aside with exceeding lightness as soon as they felt the brute charging. - -Gallardo turned against the public the rage he felt at his failure, and -his sudden weakness. What did those people want? Was he to let himself -be killed for their pleasure?... Did he not carry marks enough of his -mad daring on his body? He had no need to prove his courage. That he was -still alive was a miracle and owing to celestial intervention, because -God is good, and had listened to the prayers of his mother and his poor -wife. He had seen the fleshless face of Death closer than most people, -and he now knew better than any one the value of living. - -"If you think you are going to have my skin!" he said to himself as he -looked at the crowd. - -In future he would fight much as his companions did. Some days he would -do well, some days ill. After all bull-fighting was only a profession, -and once one had got into the front rank the most important thing was to -live, carrying out one's engagements as best one could. - -When the time came for him to kill his second bull his cogitations had -brought him into a calmer frame of mind. There was no animal that could -kill him! All the same, he would do what he could not to get within -reach of the horns. - -As he went towards the bull, he carried himself with the same proud -bearing as on his best afternoons. - -"Out of the way, everybody!" - -The audience rustled with a murmur of satisfaction. He had said ... "Out -of the way, everybody!" He was going to repeat one of his old strokes. - -But what the public hoped for did not happen, neither did El Nacional -cease to follow him with his cape on his arm, guessing with the -knowledge of an old peon, accustomed to the bombast of matadors, the -theatrical hollowness of that order. - -Gallardo spread his cape at some distance from the bull, and began the -passes with visible apprehension, always helped by Sebastian's cape. - -Once when the muleta remained low for an instant, the bull moved as if -intending to charge; he did not, but the espada, over and above alert, -deceived by this movement, took a few steps back, which were real -bounds, flying from an animal which did not intend to attack him. - -This unnecessary retreat placed him in a very ridiculous position, and -the crowd laughed with surprise, and many whistles were heard. - -"Hey! he's catching you!" ... yelled an ironical voice. - -"Poor dear!" cried another in comically feminine tones. - -Gallardo crimsoned with anger. This to him! And in the Plaza of Seville! -He felt the proud heart-throb of his early days, a mad desire to fall -wildly on the bull, and let what God would happen. But his limbs refused -to obey. His arms seemed to think, his legs to see the danger. - -But with a sudden reaction at these insults, the audience themselves -came to his assistance and imposed silence. What a shame to treat a man -like this, who was only just convalescent from his serious wounds! It -was unworthy of the Plaza of Seville! At least let them observe decency! - -Gallardo took advantage of this expression of sympathy to get out of the -difficulty. Approaching the bull sideways he gave him a treacherous and -crossways stroke. The animal fell like a beast at the shambles, a -torrent of blood rushing from his mouth. Some applauded, others -whistled, but the great mass remained gloomily silent. - -"They have loosed you treacherous curs!" cried his manager from his -seat, in spite of the corrida being supplied from the Marquis' herds. -"These are not bulls! We shall see a difference when they are noble -'bichos,' bulls 'of truth.'" - -As he left the Plaza, Gallardo could gauge the discontent of the people -by their silence. Many groups passed him, but not a salutation, not an -acclamation, such as he had always received on his lucky days. - -The espada tasted for the first time the bitterness of failure. Even his -banderilleros were frowning and silent like defeated soldiers. But when -he got home and felt his mother's arms round his neck, and the caresses -of Carmen and the little nephews, his sadness vanished. Curse it all!... -The really important thing was to live that the family should be quiet -and happy, and to earn the public's money without any foolhardiness, -which must lead to death. - -On the following days he recognized the necessity of showing himself, -and of talking with his friends in the people's cafes and in the clubs -of the Calle de las Sierpes. He thought that his presence would impose a -courteous silence on evil speakers, and cut short commentaries on his -fiasco. He spent whole afternoons amid the poorer aficionados whom he -had neglected for so long, while he cultivated the friendship of the -richer class. Afterwards he went to the "Forty-five," where his manager -was enforcing his opinions by shouts and thumps, maintaining as ever the -superiority of Gallardo. - -Excellent Don Jose! His enthusiasm was immutable, bomb proof. It never -could occur to him that his matador could possibly cease to be as he had -always been. He did not offer a single criticism on his fiasco; on the -contrary, he himself endeavoured to find excuses, mingling with them the -comfort of his good advice. - -"You still feel your 'cogida.' What I say is: 'You will all see him, -when he is quite cured, and then you will give me news of him.' Do as -you did formerly. Go straight to the bull with that courage which God -has given you, and Zas! plunge the blade in up to the cross ... and you -put him in your pocket." - -Gallardo assented with an enigmatic smile.... Put the bulls in his -pocket! He wished for nothing better. But ay! lately they had become so -big and so intractable! They had grown so enormously since he last trod -the arena! - -Gambling was Gallardo's consolation, making him forget his anxieties for -the moment; and with fresh energy he returned to the green table to lose -his money, surrounded by his former friends, who did not care in the -least about his failures as long as he was an "elegant" torero. - -One night they all went to supper at the inn at Eritana, a festivity -given in honour of some foreign ladies of gay life, with whom some of -the young men had become acquainted in Paris. They had come to Seville -in order to see the festival of the Holy Week and the fair, and were -anxious to see all that was most picturesque in the place. - -Consequently they wished to become acquainted with the celebrated -torero, the most elegant of all the espadas, that Gallardo whose -portrait they had so often admired in popular prints and on the tops of -match-boxes. - -The gathering was held in the large dining-room of Eritana, a pavilion -in the gardens, decorated in extremely bad taste with vulgar imitations -of the Moorish splendours of the Alhambra. - -Gallardo was greeted as a demigod by these three women, who, ignoring -their other friends, quarrelled for the honour of sitting beside him. In -a way they reminded him of the absent one, with their golden hair and -elegant dresses, and their all-pervading perfumes produced a kind of -bewilderment. - -The presence of his friends helped to make the remembrance still more -vivid. All were friends of Dona Sol, many even belonged to her family, -and he had come to look on these as relations. - -They all ate and drank with that almost savage voracity usual at -nocturnal feasts, where every one goes with the fullest intention of -exceeding in everything, a gipsy band stationed at the further end of -the room intoning their somewhat melancholy songs, varied by sprightly -dance music, added to the general hilarity. - -By midnight all were more or less tipsy, but Gallardo in his cups was -sad and gloomy. Ay! for that other one ... for the real gold of her -hair! The golden hair of these women was artificial, their skin was -thick and coarse, hardened by cosmetics, and through all their perfumes -his imagination detected an atmosphere of innate vulgarity. Ay! for that -other one ... that other one. - -Gallardo drank deeper and deeper, and the women who had quarrelled for a -place by his side, finding him dull and unresponsive, now turned their -backs with insulting taunts on his gloom. The guitarists scarcely played -any longer, but, overcome with wine, bent drowsily over their -instruments. - -The torero was also nearly falling asleep on a bench, when one of his -friends offered to give him a lift home in his carriage; he was obliged -to leave early so as to be home before the old Countess, his mother, -arose to hear Mass, as she did daily, at dawn. - -The night wind did not disperse the torero's drunkenness. When his -friend dropped him at the corner of his own street, Gallardo turned with -unsteady steps towards his house. Close to the door he stopped, leaning -against the wall with both hands, resting his head on his arms as though -he could no longer endure the weight of his thoughts. - -He had completely forgotten his friends, the supper at Eritana, and the -painted strangers, who had begun by quarrelling for him and who had -ended by insulting him. Some memory of the other one still floated -through his mind, that always! ... but vaguely, and at last that, too, -faded. Now his thoughts, by one of the capricious turns of drunkenness, -were entirely filled by memories of the bull-ring. - -He was the first Matador in the world. Ole! so his manager and his -friends declared, and it was the truth. His enemies would see a fine -sight when he returned to the Plaza. What had happened the other day was -only an accident, a trick that bad luck had played him. - -Proud of the overpowering strength that the excitement of wine had -momentarily given him, he imagined all the Andalusian and Castillian -bulls to be like feeble goats that he could overthrow with a single blow -from his hand. - -What had happened the other day was really nothing. Rubbish!... As El -Nacional said, "From the best singer there sometimes escapes a -cock-crow." - -And this proverb, heard from the lips of many venerable patriarchs of -his profession on days of disaster, inspired him with an irresistible -desire to sing, to fill the silence of the street with his voice. - -With his head still leaning on his arms, he began to croon a verse of -his own composition, one of overweening praise of his own merit. - -"I am Juaniyo Gallardo.... - -Who has more c ... c ... courage than God," and being unable to -improvise more in his own honour, he repeated the same words again and -again in a hoarse and monotonous voice, which disturbed the silence, and -made an invisible dog at the end of the street bark. - -It was the paternal inheritance springing up afresh in him; that singing -mania which had always accompanied Senor Juan in his weekly outbreaks. - -The door of the house opened, and Garabato pushed out his sleepy head, -to have a look at the toper whose voice he thought he recognised. - -"Ah! is that you?" said the espada, "wait a bit while I sing the last." - -And he repeated several times the incomplete ditty in honour of his own -bravery, till at last he made up his mind to go into the house. - -He felt no desire to go to bed. Guessing his condition he put off the -time when he would have to go up to his own room, where Carmen would -probably be awake and waiting for him. - -"Go to sleep, Garabato; I have a great many things to do." - -He did not know what they were, but he was attracted by the look of his -office, with its decoration of life-like portraits, frontals won from -bulls, and placards proclaiming his fame. - -When the electric light was turned on and the servant moved away, -Gallardo stood swaying unsteadily on his legs in the middle of the room, -casting admiring glances over the walls, as though he were contemplating -for the first time this museum of his triumphs. - -"Very good. Very good, indeed!" he murmured. "That handsome fellow is -me, and that other one too, all of them! And yet some people say of -me.... Curse it all! I am the first man in the world. Don Jose says so, -and he speaks the truth." - -He threw his sombrero on to a divan, as if he were divesting himself of -a glorious crown which oppressed his brow, and went staggering to lean -with both hands on the writing bureau, fixing his eyes on the enormous -bull's head which decorated the further end of the office. - -"Hola! Good night, my fine fellow!... What are you doing here?... Muu! -Muu!" - -He saluted the head with bellowings, imitating childishly the lowing of -the bulls on their pastures and in the Plaza. He did not recognize it; -he could not remember why the shaggy head with its threatening horns -should be there. But by degrees the memory came back to him. - -"I know, you rascal.... I remember how you made me rage that afternoon. -The crowd whistled at me and pelted me with bottles ... they even -insulted my poor mother, and you! ... you were so pleased!... How you -did enjoy it! Eh, shameless one?"... - -His drunken glance thought he saw the brightly varnished muzzle twitch, -and the glass eyes flash with peals of concentrated laughter; he even -thought that the horned head was nodding an acknowledgment to his -question. - -The drunken man up to now smiling and good humoured, suddenly felt his -anger rise at the remembrance of that afternoon's disgrace. And was that -evil beast still laughing at it?... Those bulls with perverse minds, so -cunning and reflective, were the evil causes of a worthy man being -insulted and turned into ridicule. Ay! how Gallardo hated them! What a -glance of hatred was his as he fixed it on the glassy eyes of the horned -head. - -"Are you still laughing, you son of a dog? Curse you, rascal! Cursed be -the dam that bore you, and the thief your master who grazed you on the -pastures! Would to God he were in jail.... Are you still laughing? Still -making grimaces at me?" - -Impelled by his ungovernable rage, he leant over the desk, and -stretching out his arm opened a drawer. Then he drew himself up erect, -and raised one hand towards the head. - -Pum! Pum ... two revolver shots. - -In the twinkling of an eye one of the electric globes was smashed to -fragments, and in the bull's forehead a round black hole appeared -surrounded by singed hair. - - N.B.--This anecdote is related as true of Frascuelo. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[96] Large platforms with life-size figures carved in wood and -magnificently dressed, representing scenes from the life of Jesus--or -the Virgin Mary, or the Apostles. Each parish sends two. The figures are -ancient and often by eminent artists. - -[97] Lit.--an arrow, a song of three verses sometimes improvised. - -[98] Dark one. - -[99] Ancient armour, from the waist to the knees. - -[100] The Calle de las Sierpes is a broad paved street through which -there is no vehicular traffic; it leads out of la Campana, which is the -upper end of the long straggling Plaza de San Francisco. - -[101] A class like the French-Auvergnat water-carriers. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -In the middle of spring the temperature suddenly fell, with the violent -extremes of the uncertain and fickle Madrid climate. - -It was very cold. A grey sky poured down torrents of rain, mingled with -flakes of snow, and people who were already dressed in their light -clothes, opened boxes and cupboards in search of cloaks and wraps. - -For two weeks there had been no function in the Plaza de Toros. The -Sunday corrida had been fixed for the first weekday on which it should -be fine. The manager, the employes of the Plaza and the innumerable -amateurs whom this enforced inaction put out of temper, watched the sky -with the anxiety of peasants who are fearing for their harvest. A slight -rent in the sky or the appearance of a few stars as they left their -cafes at midnight raised their spirits. - -"The weather is lifting.... We shall have a corrida the day after -to-morrow." - -But the clouds rolled together again, and the leaden sky continued to -pour down its torrents. The aficionados were furious with the weather, -which seemed to have set itself against the national sport. Horrid -climate! which made even corridas impossible. - -Gallardo had, therefore, a fortnight of enforced rest. His cuadrilla -complained bitterly of the inaction. In any other town in Spain the men -would have resigned themselves to the detention, because the espada paid -all their hotel expenses in every place but Madrid. It was a bad custom -initiated by former maestros living near the capital. It was supposed -that the proper domicile of every real torero was in la Corte,[102] and -the poor peons and picadors, who lodged in a boarding-house kept by the -widow of a banderillero, eked out their existence by all sorts of petty -economies, smoking but little, and standing outside the cafe doors. They -thought of their families with the avarice of men who only receive a few -coins in exchange for their blood. By the time these two corridas had -come off they would already have devoured their earnings in -anticipation. - -The espada was equally ill-humoured in the solitude of his hotel, not on -account of the weather, but on account of his ill luck. - -He had fought his first corrida in Madrid with deplorable results, and -the public were quite different to him. He still had many partizans of -unquenchable faith, who rose in arms for his defence, but even those -enthusiasts, so noisy and aggressive the previous year, now showed a -certain reserve, and when they found occasion to applaud him they did so -timidly. On the other hand, his enemies and the great mass of the -populace always anxious for danger and death, how unjust they were in -their judgments!... How ready to insult him!... What was tolerated in -other matadors seemed vetoed for him. - -They had seen him full of courage, throwing himself blindly into danger, -and so they wished him to be always, till death should cut short his -career. He had played almost suicidally with fate, when he was anxious -to make a name for himself, and now people could not reconcile -themselves to his prudence. Insults were always hurled at any attempt at -self preservation. As certainly as he spread the muleta at a certain -distance from the bull, so certainly the protests broke forth. He did -not throw himself on the bull! He was afraid! And it was sufficient for -him to throw himself one step back for the people to greet this -precaution with filthy insults. - -The news of what had happened in Seville at the Easter corrida seemed to -have circulated throughout Spain. His enemies were taking their revenge -for long years of envy and jealousy. His professional companions whom he -had often forced into danger from a feeling of emulation now babbled -with hypocritical expressions of pity about Gallardo's decadence. His -courage had given out! His last cogida had made him over prudent. And -the audience, influenced by these rumours, now fixed their eyes on the -torero as soon as he entered the Plaza, predisposed to find anything he -did bad, just as previously they had applauded even his faults. - -The fickleness so characteristic of mobs had much to say to this change -of opinion. The people were tired of watching Gallardo's courage, and -now they enjoyed watching his fear--or his prudence--as if it made -themselves the braver. - -The public never thought he was close enough to his bull. He must throw -himself better on it! And when he, overcoming by sheer strength of will -that nervousness which longed to fly from danger, had succeeded in -killing a bull as in former days, the ovation was neither so prolonged -nor so vehement. He seemed to have broken the current of enthusiasm -which had formerly existed between himself and the populace. His scanty -triumphs only served to make the people worry him with lectures and -advice. That was the way to kill! You ought always to kill like that! -Great cheat! - -His faithful partizans recognized his failures, but they excused them, -speaking of the former exploits performed by the espada on his lucky -afternoons. - -"He is somewhat over careful," they said. "He seems tired. But when he -wishes!"... - -Ay! but Gallardo always wished. Why could he not do well and gain the -applause of the populace? But his successes, that the aficionados -thought a caprice of his will, were really the work of chance or of a -happy conjunction of circumstances, of that heart-throb of the olden -days which now he so very seldom felt. - -In many of the provincial Plazas he had been whistled, the people on the -sunny side insulted him by the tooting of horns and the ringing of cow -bells whenever he delayed in killing a bull, by giving it half-hearted -estocades which did not make it bend its knees. - -In Madrid the people waited for him "with their claws," as he said. As -soon as the spectators of the first corrida saw him pass the bull with -the muleta, and enter to kill, the row broke out. That lad from Seville -had been changed! That was not Gallardo; it was some one else. He -shortened his arm, he turned away his face; he ran with the quickness of -a squirrel, putting himself out of reach of the bull's horns, without -the calmness to stand quietly and wait for him. They noted a deplorable -loss of courage and strength. - -That corrida was a fiasco for Gallardo, and in the evening assemblies of -the aficionados the affair was much canvassed. The old people who -thought everything in the present day was bad spoke of the cowardice of -modern toreros. They presented themselves with mad daring, but as soon -as they felt the touch of a horn on their flesh ... they were done for! - -Gallardo, obliged to rest in consequence of the bad weather, waited -impatiently for the second corrida, with the fullest intention of -performing great exploits. He was much pained at the wound inflicted on -his amour-propre by the ridicule of his enemies; if he returned to the -provinces with the bad reputation of a fiasco in Madrid he was a lost -man. He would master his nervousness, vanquish that dread which made him -shrink and fancy the bulls larger and more formidable. He considered his -strength quite equal to accomplish the same deeds as before. It was true -there still remained a slight weakness in his arm and in his leg, but -that would soon pass off. - -His manager suggested his accepting a very advantageous contract for -certain Plazas in America, but he refused. No, he could not cross the -seas at present. He must first show Spain that he was the same espada as -heretofore. Afterwards he would consider the propriety of undertaking -that journey. - -With the anxiety of a popular man who feels his prestige broken, -Gallardo frequented the places where all the aficionados assembled. He -went often to the Cafe Ingles, which the partisans of the Andalusian -toreros frequented, thinking his presence would silence all unpleasant -remarks. He himself, modest and smiling, began the conversation, with a -humility that disarmed even the most irreconcilable. - -"It is quite certain I did not do well, I quite recognize it. But you -will see at the next corrida, when the weather clears.... I will do what -I can." - -He did not dare to enter certain cafes in the Puerta del Sol, where -aficionados of a lower class assembled. They were thorough-going -Madrilenos, inimical to Andalusian bull-fighting, and resentful that all -the matadors came from Seville and Cordoba, while the capital seemed -unable to produce a glorious representative. The remembrance of -Frascuelo, whom they considered a son of Madrid, lived everlastingly in -those assemblies. Many of them had not been to the Plaza for years, not -in fact since the retirement of "El Negro." Why should they? They were -quite content to read the reports in the papers, being convinced that -since Frascuelo's death there were neither bulls nor toreros, Andalusian -lads and nothing more, dancers who made grimaces with their capes and -their bodies, but did not know how to stand and "receive" a bull with -dignity. - -Now and again a slight breath of hope revived them. Madrid was soon -going to have its own great matador. They had discovered in the suburbs -a "novillero," who had already done good work in the Plazas of Vallecas -and Tetuan, and had fought in the Madrid Plaza at the cheap Sunday -afternoon corridas. - -His name was becoming popular. In all the barbers' shops the greatest -triumphs were predicted for him, but somehow or other those prophecies -were never fulfilled, either the aspirant fell a victim to a mortal -"cogida" or dropped into being one of the loafers in the Plaza del Sol, -who aired their pigtails while they waited for imaginary contracts, and -the aficionados were free to turn their attention to other rising stars. - -Gallardo did not dare to approach the tauromachic demagogy, whom he knew -had always hated him and were rejoicing at his decadence. Most of them -would not go to see him in the circus, nor admire any torero of the -present day. Their expected Messiah must arrive before they returned to -the Plaza. - -In order to distract his mind Gallardo would wander in the evenings -through the Puerta del Sol, and allow himself to be accosted by those -bull-fighting vagabonds who assembled there, boasting of their exploits; -they were all smart, well dressed, with a marvellous display of -imitation jewellery. They all saluted him respectfully as "Maestro" or -"Seno Juan"; some were honest fellows enough, who hoped to make a name -for themselves, and maintain their families by something more than -workmen's wages, others were less scrupulous, but all ended by borrowing -a few pesetas from him. - -In addition to the amusement offered by those would-be toreros, he was -much diverted by the importunity of an admirer who pestered him with his -projects. This man was a tavern-keeper at Las Ventas, a rough Galician -of powerful build, short-necked and high-coloured, who had made a little -fortune in his shop where soldiers and servants went to dance on -Sundays. - -He had only one son, small of stature, and feeble in constitution, whom -his father destined to be one of the great lights of tauromachia. The -tavern-keeper, a great admirer of Gallardo and of all celebrated -espadas, had quite made up his mind to this. - -"The lad is worth something," he said. "You know, Senor Juan, that I -understand something about these matters, and I am quite willing to -spend a bit of money to give him a profession ... but he wants a -'padrino'[103] if he is to be pushed, and there could be no one better -than yourself. If you would only arrange a novillada in which the -youngster could kill! Crowds of people would go, and I would bear all -the expenses." - -This readiness to "bear all the expenses" to help the lad on in his -career had already caused the tavern-keeper heavy losses. But he still -persisted, being supported by that commercial spirit which made him -overlook the failures, in the hope of the enormous gains his son would -make when he was a full-fledged matador. - -The poor boy, who in his early years had shown a passion for -bull-fighting, like most boys of his class, now found himself a prisoner -to his father's tyrannical will. The latter had thoroughly believed in -his vocation, thinking the boy's want of dash, laziness; and his fear, -want of enterprise. A cloud of parasites, low class amateurs, obscure -toreros whose only remembrances of the past were their pigtails, who -drank gratuitously at the tavern-keeper's expense, and begged small -loans in return for their advice, formed a kind of deliberative -assembly, whose object was to make known to the world this bull-fighting -star, now lying hidden in Las Ventas. - -The tavern-keeper, without consulting his son, had organized corridas in -Tetuan and Vallecas, always "bearing all the expenses." These outlying -Plazas were open to all those who wished to be gored or trampled by -bulls, under the eyes of a few hundred spectators. But those amusements -were not to be had for nothing. To enjoy the pleasure of being rolled -over in the sand, to have his breeches torn to rags, and his body -covered with blood and dirt, it was necessary to pay for all the seats -in the Plaza, the diestro or his representative undertaking to -distribute the tickets. - -The enthusiastic father filled all the places with his friends, -distributing the entrances amongst comrades of the guild, or poor -amateurs of the sport. Moreover, he paid those who formed his son's -cuadrilla lavishly, all vagabonds, peons and banderilleros, recruited -from among the loafers in the Puerta del Sol, who fought in their -everyday clothes, whereas the youngster was resplendent in his gala -costume. Anything for the lad's career! - -"He has a new gala dress made by the best tailor, who dresses Gallardo -and the other matadors. Seven thousand reals it cost me. I think he -ought to be fine in that!... But I would spend my last peseta to get him -on. Ah! if others had a father like me!..." - -The tavern-keeper stood between the barriers during the corrida, -encouraging the espada by his presence, and by the flourishing of a big -stick. Whenever the youngster came to rest by the wall the fat red face -of his father and the big knob of that terrible stick would appear like -terrifying phantoms. - -"Do you think I am spending my money for this? Why are you here giving -yourself airs and graces like a young lady? Have some dash and -enterprise, rascal. Go out into the middle and distinguish yourself. Ay! -if I were only your age and not so stout...." - -When the poor lad stood opposite the novillo, the muleta and rapier in -his hands, with pale face and trembling legs, his father followed all -his evolutions from behind the barrier. He was always before the boy's -eyes like a threatening master, ready to chastise the slightest fault in -the lesson. - -What the poor diestro, dressed in his suit of gold and red silk, most -feared, was his return home on the evenings when his father was frowning -and dissatisfied. - -He would enter the tavern wrapping himself in his rich and glittering -cape, to hide the rags of shirt protruding through rents in his -breeches, all his bones aching with tosses the young bulls had given -him. His mother, a rough, coarse-faced woman, upset by her afternoon's -anxious wait, would run to meet him open armed. - -"Here's this coward!" roared the tavern-keeper. "He is worse than a -'maleta.' And it is for this that I have spent money!" - -The terrible stick was raised furiously, and the golden suited lad, who -just before had murdered two poor little bulls, endeavoured to run away, -shielding his face with his arm, while his mother interposed between the -two. - -"Don't you see he is wounded?" - -"Wounded!" exclaimed the father bitterly, regretting it was not the -case. "That is for 'true' toreros. Put a few stitches in his rags, and -see they are washed.... Just see how they have served the cheat!" - -But in a few days the tavern-keeper had recovered his equanimity. -Anybody might have a bad day. He had seen famous matadors in just as bad -case before the public as his boy. And he forthwith arranged fresh -corridas in Toledo and Guadalajara, he, as before, "paying all the -expenses." - -His novillada in the Madrid Plaza was, according to the tavern-keeper, -one of the most splendid on record. The espada, by a lucky accident, had -killed two young bulls moderately well, and the public, who for the most -part had entered free, applauded the tavern-keeper's son. - -As he came out of the Plaza his father appeared at the head of a noisy -troup of loafers, whom he had collected from all round the -neighbourhood. The tavern-keeper was an honest man in his dealings, and -he had promised to pay them fifty centimes a head if they would shout -"Vive El Manitas"! till they were hoarse, and carry the glorious -novillero on their shoulders as soon as he came out of the circus. - -"El Manitas," still trembling from his recent perils, found himself -surrounded, seized and lifted on to the shoulders of the noisy loafers, -and carried in triumph from the Plaza to Las Ventas, through the Calle -de Alcala, followed by the inquisitive looks of the people on the -tramways, which remorselessly cut through the glorious manifestation. -The father walked along with his stick under his arm, pretending to have -nothing to do with it, but whenever the shouting slackened he forgot -himself and ran to the head of the crowd, like a man who does not think -he is getting his money's worth, himself giving the signal, "Viva -Manitas," when the ovation would recommence with tremendous shouting. - -Many months had passed, and the tavern-keeper was still excited as he -remembered the affair. - -"They brought him back to the house on their shoulders, Senor Juan, just -the same as they have often carried you; forgive me the comparison. You -will see if the youngster is not worth something.... He only wants a -push, for you to give him a helping hand."... - -So Gallardo, to free himself, answered, promising vaguely; possibly he -might manage to direct the novillada, but they could settle that later -on, there was still plenty of time before winter. - -One evening at dusk, as the torero was entering the Calle de Alcala -through the Puerta del Sol he gave a start of surprise. A fair-haired -lady was getting out of a carriage at the door of the Hotel de Paris.... -Dona Sol! A man who looked like a foreigner gave her his hand to -descend, and after speaking a few words walked away, while she entered -the hotel. - -It was Dona Sol. The torero could have no doubt on that point; neither -could he have any doubt as to the relations subsisting between her and -the stranger. So she had looked at him, so she had smiled on him in -those happy days when they rode together over the lonely country in the -crimson light of the setting sun. Curse him! - -He spent an uncomfortable evening with some friends, and afterwards -slept badly; his dreams reproducing many scenes of the past. When he -awoke the dull grey light was coming in through the window, rain mingled -with snow was pouring down in torrents, everything looked black, the -sky, the opposite walls, the muddy pavement, the umbrellas, even the -smart carriages rattling along. - -Eleven o'clock. Suppose he went to see Dona Sol? Why not! The night -before he had angrily rejected this thought. It would be lowering -himself. She had gone away without any explanation, and afterwards, -knowing him to be in danger of death, she had scarcely enquired after -him. Only a telegram just at first, not even a short letter, not even a -line. She who was so fond of writing to her friends. No, he would not go -to see her. - -But his strength of will seemed to have evaporated during the night. Why -not? he asked himself once again. He must see her again. Among all the -women he had known she stood first, attracting him with a strength quite -different from anything he felt for the others. Ay! how much he had felt -that sudden separation! - -His cruel "cogida" in the Plaza of Seville had cut short his amorous -pique. Afterwards his illness, and his tender approximation to Carmen -during his convalescence, had resigned him to his misfortune; but to -forget her ... that--never. He had done his best to forget the past, but -any slight circumstance, a lady on horseback galloping past--a -fair-haired Englishwoman in the street, the constant intercourse with -all those young men who were her relations, everything recalled the -image of Dona Sol! Ay! that woman!... Never should he meet her like -again. Losing her, Gallardo seemed to have gone back in his life, he was -no longer the same. He even attributed to her desertion his fiascos in -his art. When he had her he was braver, but when the fair-haired gachi -left him his ill luck began. He firmly believed that if she returned his -glorious days would also come back. His superstitious heart believed -this most firmly. - -Possibly his longing to see her was a happy inspiration, like those -heart-throbs which had so often carried him on to glory in the circus. -Again, why not? Possibly Dona Sol seeing him again after a long absence -... who could tell!... The first time they had seen each other alone -together it had been so. - -And so Gallardo, trusting in his lucky star, took his way towards the -Hotel de Paris, situated at a short distance from his own. - -He had to wait nearly half an hour on a divan in the hall, under the -curious eyes of the hotel employes and guests, who turned to look at him -as they heard his name. - -Finally a servant showed him into the lift, and took him up to a small -sitting-room on the first floor, from whose windows he could see all the -restless life of the Puerta del Sol. - -At last a little door opened and Dona Sol appeared amid a rustling of -silks, and the delicate perfume which seemed to belong to her fresh pink -skin; radiant in the beautiful summer time of her life. - -Gallardo devoured her with his eyes, looking her up and down as one who -had not forgotten the smallest detail. She was just the same as in -Seville!... No, even more beautiful in his eyes, with the added -temptation of her long absence. - -She was dressed in much the same elegant neglige, with the same strange -jewels as on the night when he had first seen her, with gold embroidered -papouches on her pretty feet. She stretched out her hand with cold -amiability. - -"How are you, Gallardo?... I knew you were in Madrid, for I had seen -you." - -She no longer used the familiar "tu," to which he had responded with the -respectful address of a lover of inferior class. That "usted," which -seemed to make them equals, drove the torero to despair. He had wished -to be as a servant raised by love to the arms of the great lady, and now -he found himself treated with the cold but courteous consideration of an -ordinary friend. - -She explained that she had seen Gallardo, having been at the only -corrida given in Madrid. She had been there with a foreign gentleman, -who wished to know Spanish things: a friend who was accompanying her on -her journey, but who was living at another hotel. - -Gallardo replied by a nod. He knew that foreigner--he had seen him with -her. - -There was a long silence between the two, neither knowing what to say. -Dona Sol was the first to break it. - -She thought the torero looking very well: she remembered vaguely having -heard something about an accident, indeed she was almost sure that she -had sent a telegram to enquire. But, really, with the life she led, with -constant changes of country and new friendships, her memory was in such -a state of confusion!... She thought he looked just the same as ever, -and at the corrida he had seemed proud and strong, although rather -unfortunate. But she did not understand much about bulls. - -"That 'cogida' was not really much?" - -Gallardo felt irritated at the indifferent tone in which that woman made -the enquiry. And he! all the time he was hovering between life and death -he had thought only of her!... With a roughness born of indignation he -told her about his "cogida" and his long convalescence, which had lasted -the whole winter. - -She listened with feigned interest, while her eyes betrayed utter -indifference. What did the misfortune of that bull-fighter signify to -her.... They were accidents of his profession, and as such could be -interesting to himself only. - -As Gallardo spoke of his convalescence at the Grange, his memory -recalled the image of the man who had seen Dona Sol and himself there -together. - -"And Plumitas? Do you remember the poor fellow? They killed him. I do -not know if you heard of it." - -Dona Sol also remembered this vaguely. She had probably read about it in -one of the Parisian papers, which spoke of the bandit as a most -interesting type of picturesque Spain. - -"A poor man," said Dona Sol indifferently. "I scarcely remember him -except as a rough uninteresting peasant. From a distance one judges -things at their true value. What I do remember is the day on which he -breakfasted with us at the farm." - -Gallardo also remembered that day. Poor Plumitas! With what emotion he -took a flower offered by Dona Sol ... because she had given the bandit a -flower as she took leave of him. Did she not remember?... - -Dona Sol's eyes expressed absolute wonder. - -"Are you quite sure?" she asked. "Is that really so? I swear to you I -remember nothing about it.... Ay! that sunny land! Ay! the intoxication -of the picturesque! Ay! the follies they make one commit!..." - -Her exclamations betrayed a kind of repentance, but she burst out -laughing. - -"Very possibly that poor peasant kept that flower till his last moment. -Don't you think so, Gallardo? Don't say 'No.' Probably no one had ever -given him a flower in all his life.... It is quite possible that that -withered flower may have been found on his body, a mysterious -remembrance that no one could explain.... Did you know nothing of this, -Gallardo? Did the papers say nothing?... Be silent, don't say 'No'; do -not dispel my illusions. So it ought to be--I wish it to be so. Poor -Plumitas! How interesting! And I who had forgotten all about the -flower!... I must tell that to my friend, who is thinking of writing a -book about Spanish things." - -The remembrance of that friend, who for the second time in a few moments -came up in the conversation, saddened the torero. - -He looked fixedly for some time at the beautiful woman, with his -melancholy Moorish eyes, which seemed to beg for pity. - -"Dona Sol!... Dona Sol!" murmured he in despairing accents, as if -wishing to reproach her with her cruelty. - -"What is the matter, my friend?" she asked smiling, "what is happening -to you?" - -Gallardo sat with his head bent, half intimidated by the ironical flash -in those clear eyes, shimmering like gold dust. - -Suddenly he sat up like one who has taken a resolution. - -"Where have you been all this time, Dona Sol?" - -"All over the world," she answered simply. "I am a bird of passage. In -numberless towns of which you would not even know the names." - -"And that foreigner who accompanies you is ... is?"... - -"Is a friend," she answered coldly. "A friend who has been kind enough -to accompany me, taking advantage of the opportunity to know Spain; a -clever man who bears an illustrious name. From here we shall go to -Andalusia, when he has done seeing the museums. What more do you wish to -know?" - -This question, so haughtily asked, showed her imperious will to keep the -torero at a distance, and to re-establish social distinctions between -them. Gallardo felt disconcerted. - -"Dona Sol," he moaned ingenuously. "What you have done to me is -unpardonable. You have acted very badly towards me, very badly -indeed.... Why did you fly without saying a single word?" - -"Don't vex yourself like that, Gallardo. What I did was a very good -thing for you. Do you not even yet know me well enough? Could one not -get tired of that time?... If I were a man I would fly from women of my -character. It is suicidal for a man to fall in love with me." - -"But why did you leave?" persisted Gallardo. - -"Because I was bored.... Do I speak clearly?... And when a person is -bored, I think they have every right to escape in search of fresh -distraction. But I am bored to death everywhere; pity me." - -"But I love you with all my heart!" exclaimed the torero with a dramatic -earnestness which in another man would have made him laugh. - -"I love you with all my heart!" repeated Dona Sol, mimicking his voice -and gesture. "And what then? Ay! these egotistical men that are -applauded by every one, and who think that everything was created for -them!... 'I love you with all my heart,' and that is sufficient reason -for you to love me in return.... But no, Senor. I do not love you, -Gallardo. You are a friend and nothing more. All the rest, all that down -in Seville, was a dream, a mad caprice, which I hardly remember, and -which you ought to forget." - -The torero got up, going towards her with outstretched arms. In his -ignorance he knew not what to say, guessing that his halting words would -be quite inefficacious in convincing such a woman. He trusted in action, -with the impulsive vehemence of his hopes and his desires, he intended -to seize that woman, to draw her to him, and dispel with his warm -embrace the coldness which separated them. - -But she, with a simple turn of her right hand, pushed away the torero's -arms. A flash of pride and anger shone in her eyes, and she drew herself -up aggressively, as if she had been insulted. - -"Be quiet, Gallardo!... If you go on like this you will no longer be my -friend, and I shall have you turned out of the house." - -The torero stood humiliated and ashamed; some time passed in silence, -until at last Dona Sol seemed to pity him. - -"Do not be a child," she said. "What is the use of remembering what is -no longer possible. Why think of me? You have your wife, who I am told -is both pretty and good, a kind companion. If not her, then others. -There are plenty of girls down in Seville who would think it happiness -to be loved by Gallardo. My love is ended. As a famous man accustomed to -success your pride is hurt; but it is so; mine is ended. You are a -friend and nothing more. I am quite different. I am bored, and I never -retrace my steps. Illusions only last with me a short time, and pass, -leaving no trace. I am to be pitied, believe me." - -She looked at the torero with commiserating eyes, as if she suddenly saw -all his defects and roughness. - -"I think things that you could not understand," she went on. "You seem -to me different. The Gallardo in Seville was not the same as the one -here. Are you the same?... I cannot doubt it, but to me you are -different.... How can this be explained?..." - -She looked through the window at the dull rainy sky, at the wet Plaza, -at the flakes of snow, and then she turned her eyes on the espada, -looking with astonishment at the long lock of hair plastered on his -head, at his clothes, his hat, at all the details which betrayed his -profession, which contrasted so strongly with his smart and modern -dress. - -To Dona Sol the torero seemed out of his element. Down in Seville -Gallardo was a hero, the spontaneous product of a cattle-breeding -country; here he seemed like an actor. How had she been able for many -months to feel love for that rough, coarse man. Ay! the surrounding -atmosphere! To what follies it drove one! - -She remembered the danger in which she found herself, so nearly -perishing beneath the bull's horns; she thought of that breakfast with -the bandit, to whom she had listened stupefied with admiration, ending -by giving him a flower. What follies! And how far off it all now seemed! - -Of that past nothing remained but that man, standing motionless before -her, with his imploring eyes, and his childish desire to revive those -days.... Poor man! As if follies could be repeated when one's thoughts -were cold and the illusion wanting. The blind enchantment of life! - -"It is all over," said the lady. "We must forget the past, for when we -see it a second time it does not present itself in the same colours. -What would I give to have my former eyes?... When I returned to Spain it -seemed to me changed. You also are different from what I knew you. It -even seemed to me, seeing you in the Plaza, that you were less daring -... that the people were less enthusiastic." - -She said this quite simply, without a trace of malice, but Gallardo -thought there was mocking in her voice, and bent his head, while his -cheeks coloured. - -Curse it! All his professional anxieties arose again in his mind. All -the evil which was happening to him was because he did not now throw -himself on the bulls. That is what she so clearly said, she saw him "as -if he were another." If he could only be the Gallardo of former days, -perhaps she would receive him better. Women only love brave man. - -But he was mistaken, taking what was a caprice dead for ever, to be a -momentary straying, that he could recall by strength and prowess. - -Dona Sol got up. The visit had been a long one, and the torero showed no -disposition to leave, content with being near her, and trusting to some -lucky chance to bring them together again. - -Gallardo was obliged to imitate her. She excused herself under pretext -of going out, she was expecting her friend, and they were going -together to the Museum of the Prado. - -Then she invited him to breakfast another day, an unceremonious -breakfast in her rooms. Her friend would come. No doubt he would be -delighted to meet a torero; he scarcely spoke any Spanish, but all the -same he would be pleased to know Gallardo. - -The espada pressed her hand, murmuring some incoherent words, and left -the room. Anger dimmed his sight, and his ears were buzzing. - -So she dismissed him--coldly, like an importunate friend! Could that -woman be the same as the one in Seville!... And she invited him to -breakfast with her friend, so that the man could amuse himself by -examining him closely like a rare insect!... - -Curse her!... He would prove himself a man.... It was over. He would -never see her again. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[102] Madrid is called--la Corte--the Court. - -[103] Godfather; patron. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -About this time Gallardo received several letters from Don Jose and from -Carmen. - -The manager evidently wished to encourage his matador, advising him as -usual to go straight at his bull.... "Zas! a thrust, and you put him in -your pocket!" But through his warm-hearted enthusiasm could be traced a -slight discouragement, as if his perfect faith was a little staggered, -and he had begun to doubt if Gallardo were still "the first man in the -world." - -He had received accounts of the discontent and hostility with which the -public received him, and the last corrida in Madrid had fairly -disheartened poor Don Jose. No, Gallardo was not like other espadas, who -could go straight on through all the whistling of the audience, -satisfied as long as they earned their money. His matador had genius and -professional pride and could show himself off in a circus only if he -were received with great applause. A mediocre result was equivalent to a -defeat. The people were accustomed to admire him for his reckless, -audacious courage, and anything that did not come up to that meant a -fiasco. - -Don Jose pretended to know what was wrong with his espada. Want of -courage?... Never. He would die sooner than admit that fault in his -hero. It was that he felt wearied, that he had not yet entirely -recovered from the tremendous shock of his "cogida." "And for this -reason," he advised in all his letters, "it would be better for you to -retire and rest for a season. Afterwards you can come back and fight, -and be the same as ever." And he offered himself to make all necessary -arrangements. A medical certificate would be sufficient to explain his -momentary inaction, and he would come to some agreement as to all -pending contracts with the managers of the different Plazas, by which -Gallardo would supply a rising torero to fill his place at a moderate -salary. So by this means he would still be making money. - -Carmen was the most earnest in her persuasions, using none of the -manager's circumlocutions. He ought to retire at once, he ought to "cut -off his pigtail," as they said in his profession, and spend his life -quietly at La Rinconada or in his house in Seville with his family, she -could bear it no longer. Her heart told her with that feminine instinct -which seldom erred that something serious would occur. She could -scarcely sleep, and she dreaded the night hours peopled with bloody -visions. - -Then she wrote furiously against the public, an ungrateful crowd, who -had already forgotten what the torero had done when he was in his full -strength. Bad hearted people, who wished to see him die for their own -amusement, as if he had neither wife nor mother. "Juan, the little -mother and I both beg of you to retire. Why go on bull-fighting? We have -enough to live on, and it pains me to hear these people insulting you -who are not worthy of you. Suppose another accident happened to you? -Jesus! I think I should go mad." - -Gallardo was very thoughtful for some time after reading these letters. -To retire!... What nonsense! Women's worries! Affection might easily -dictate this, but it was impossible to carry it out. Cut off his pigtail -before he was thirty! How his enemies would laugh! He had no right to -retire as long as his limbs were sound and he was able to fight. Such an -absurdity had never been heard of. Money was not everything. How about -his fame? And his professional pride? What would his thousands and -thousands of admiring partisans say? What could they reply to his -enemies if those latter threw it in their teeth that Gallardo had -retired through fear? - -Besides, the matador paused to consider if his fortune would admit of -this solution. He was rich, and yet he was not. His social position was -not yet consolidated. What he possessed was the result of his first few -years of married life, when one of his greatest pleasures had been to -surprise his mother and Carmen with fresh acquisitions. After that he -had made money in even larger quantities, but it had run away and -vanished in a hundred channels, opened out by his new life. He had -played high, had led an expensive and ostentatious life. Many farms, -added to the extensive estate of La Rinconada, to round it off, had been -bought by loans furnished by Don Jose or other friends. He was rich, but -if he retired and lost the splendid income from the corridas, often two -or three hundred thousand pesetas a year, he would have to curtail his -expenses, pay his debts, and live like a country gentleman on the income -from La Rinconada, looking after things himself, for at present the -estate, managed by hirelings, produced very little. - -Formerly he would have been contented with a very small portion of what -he possessed now, but if he retired he would have to curtail those -Havanna cigars which he now distributed so lavishly, and those -Andalusian wines of fine vintage. He would have to restrain his lordly -generosity, and no longer cry "I pay for everything," as he entered a -cafe or a tavern. - -So he had lived, and so he must go on living. He was a torero of the -old-fashioned style, lavish, arrogant, astonishing every one with -scandalous extravagances, but always ready to help misfortune with -princely generosity. He did not in the least regret his ostentatious -life, and yet they wished him to give it up. - -Furthermore, he thought of the expenses of his own household. All of -them were accustomed to the easy, careless life of families with little -regard for money, as they saw it constantly flowing in, in streams. -Besides his mother and his wife he provided for his sister, his -loquacious brother-in-law, and the tribe of children now growing up and -becoming daily more expensive. He would have to bring into ways of order -and economy all these people who had hitherto lived at his expense with -happy carelessness and open-handedness. Every one, even poor Garabato, -would have to go to the Grange, and work like niggers under the burning -sun. His mother, too, would no longer be able to make her last days -happy by her kindly generosity to the poor in the suburb. And Carmen -also, who although she was economical and tried to limit expenses, would -be the first to deprive herself of many little frivolities which -beautified life. - -Curse it all!... All this represented degradation to the family, and -Gallardo felt ashamed that such a thing could possibly happen. It would -be a crime to deprive them of what they enjoyed, now they had become -accustomed to ease and comfort. And what ought he to do to prevent -this?... Simply to throw himself on the bulls, fight as he had fought in -former days ... and he would throw himself!... - -He replied to his manager's and to Carmen's letters by short and -laboriously written epistles, expressing to both his firm intention not -to retire--most certainly not. - -He was determined to be what he had always been, that he swore to Don -Jose. He would follow his advice. "Zas! a sword thrust, and the bull in -his pocket." He felt his courage rising, and with it the capacity of -facing all bulls, however big they might be. - -He wrote gaily to his wife, though his amour-propre was rather wounded -by her doubting his strength. She would soon have news of the next -corrida. He intended to astonish the public so that they might be -ashamed of their injustice. If the bulls were good ones, he would -surpass even Roger de Flor himself!... - -Good bulls! This was one of Gallardo's anxieties. Formerly one of his -vanities had been never to concern himself with the brutes, never to go -and see them at the Plaza before the corrida. - -"I kill anything that is sent to me," he said arrogantly. - -And he saw his bulls for the first time when they were turned into the -circus. - -Now he wished to examine them closely, to choose them, to prepare for -his success by a careful study of their dispositions. - -The weather had cleared at last, and the sun was shining. Consequently -the second corrida would take place on the following day. - -That evening Gallardo went alone to the Plaza. The huge red brick -circus, with its Moorish windows, stood out against a background of low -green hillocks. On the furthest slope of this wide but monotonous -landscape something lay white in the distance which might be a herd of -cattle. It was the cemetery. - -As the matador came near the building a troup of squalid beggars, -vagabonds who were allowed to sleep in the stables from charity, -wretches who lived on the alms of the aficionados or the scraps from -neighbouring taverns, gathered round him cap in hand. Many had come from -Andalusia with a consignment of bulls, and had remained hanging about -the precincts of the Plaza. - -Gallardo distributed a few coins among these beggars, and then entered -the circus through the Puerta de Caballerizas. - -In the courtyard he saw a group of aficionados watching the picadors -trying their horses. Potaje, armed with his spear and huge cowherd's -spurs, was just going to mount. The stable boys accompanied the -contractor who furnished the horses, a stout man, slow of speech, -wearing a large Andalusian felt sombrero, who answered with -imperturbable calm the aggressive and insulting loquacity of the -picadors. - -The "monos sabios," with their sleeves rolled up, brought out the -miserable crocks for the riders to try. For several days they had been -riding and training those wretched mounts, who still bore on their -flanks crimson spur marks. They took them out to trot on the open ground -round the Plaza, giving them a fictitious energy beneath their iron -heels, and teaching them to turn quickly so as to become used to their -work in the arena. They returned to the Plaza with their sides stained -with blood, and before entering the stables were refreshed with three or -four pails-full of water. Close to the drinking-trough the water running -in between the cobble-stones was dyed red, like poured out wine. - -These unfortunate animals destined for to-morrow's corrida were almost -dragged out of the stables to be examined by the picadors. - -As they came out of the stables, depressed remnants of equine misery, -they betrayed in their trembling legs, their heaving flanks, their -starved and miserable appearance, sad signs of human ingratitude, of the -forgetfulness of past services. There were hacks of frightful thinness, -real skeletons, whose sharp and pointed bones seemed ready to pierce the -covering of long and tangled hair. Others holding themselves proudly, -with raised heads and bright eyes, pawing restlessly, with sounder legs -and shining coats, animals of good stamp, who seemed out of place among -their wretched companions, looking as though they had only just been -unharnessed from sumptuous carriages, were in reality more dangerous to -ride, as they were probably afflicted with vertigo or staggers, and -might fall to the ground at any moment, pitching their riders over their -heads; and among these sad examples of misery and decrepitude were also -invalided workers from mills and factories, agricultural horses, cab -horses, all weary with long years of hard work dragging ploughs and -carts, unhappy outcasts who were to be sweated up to the last moment of -their lives, diverting the spectators by their kicks and bounds of agony -when they felt the bull's horns pierce their belly. - -It was an interminable defile of bleared and yellow eyes, of galled -necks on which were battening bright green flies gorged with blood, of -bony heads whose skin was swarming with vermin, of narrow chests and -feeble legs, covered down to the hoofs with hair so long and shaggy it -looked almost as though they were wearing trousers. To mount these -decrepit brutes, shaking with fright and almost ready to drop with -weakness, required almost as much courage as to face the bull. - -Potaje was very high and mighty in his discussions with the horse -contractor, speaking in his own name and that of his comrades as well, -making even the "monos sabios" laugh with his gipsy oaths. The other -picadors had far better leave him to manage the horse-dealers. No one -knew better than he did how to bring those sort of people to terms. - -A groom came out leading a horse with hanging head, tangled coat, and -staring ribs. - -"What are you bringing me out there?" shouted Potaje, facing the -contractor. "A crock that no one would dream of mounting." - -The phlegmatic contractor replied with calm gravity. "If Potaje did not -dare to mount it, it was because picadors now-a-days seemed afraid of -everything. With a horse like this, so good and docile, Senor Calderon, -or El Trigo, or any fine rider of the good old times would have been -able to fight for two successive afternoons without getting a fall, and -without the animal receiving a scratch. But now-a-days!... There seemed -to him to be plenty of fear and very little dash." - -The contractor and the picador abused one another in a friendly fashion, -as if the grossest insults had ceased to have the slightest meaning. - -"You are an old cheat," roared Potaje, "a bigger rascal than Jose Maria -el Tempraniyo. Get out! Hoist your grandmother up on the old brute; a -far better mount for her than the broomstick she rides every Saturday at -midnight." - -Every one present roared with laughter, while the contractor shrugged -his shoulders. - -"What's the matter with the horse?" he asked quietly. "Look him over -well, old grumbler. He is far better than those that have glanders, or -staggers, who have before now pitched you over their heads and planted -you up to your ears in the sand, before you could face the bull. He is -as sound as an apple. For the five and twenty years he has been in an -aerated water factory, doing his work conscientiously, no one has ever -found fault with him, and now you come along shouting and abusing him, -taking away his character as if he were a bad Christian." - -"I won't have him, that's all!... If he is so good keep him yourself!" - -As he spoke the contractor came slowly towards Potaje, and with the -sang-froid of a man accustomed to such transactions, whispered something -in his ear. The picador, pretending to be very angry, finally went up -to the horse. He did not wish to be thought an intractable man who -wanted to do a bad turn to a comrade. - -So putting one foot in the stirrup he let the whole weight of his heavy -body fall on the poor brute. Then, steadying his garrocha under his arm, -he pushed the point against a large post built into the wall, striking -it several times with all his strength, as if a large and heavy bull -were at the lance's point. The poor horse shook all over and doubled up -its legs after each concussion. - -"He does not behave so badly," ... said Potaje in a conciliatory -voice.... "The beast is better than I thought. He has a tender mouth and -good legs.... You are quite right. Put him on one side." - -And the picador dismounted, disposed to accept anything the contractor -offered after his mysterious whisper. - -Gallardo left the group of aficionados who were watching this scene with -amusement. A porter belonging to the Plaza took him to the yard in which -the bulls were enclosed. - -The espada went through a little wicket giving access to the enclosure, -which was surrounded on three sides by a wall of masonry, up to the -height of a man's shoulders. This wall was strengthened at intervals by -strong posts which supported a balcony above. Here and there opened -little passages, so narrow that a man could only slip through them -sideways. In this courtyard were eight bulls, some quietly lying down, -others turning over the piles of grass lying in front of them. - -Gallardo walked along in the passage behind the wall examining the -animals. Now and then he slipped into the yard, through one of the -narrow passages. He waved his arms, giving savage yells which roused the -bulls from their quiescence. Some leapt up nervously, rushing with -lowered heads at the man who ventured to disturb the peace of their -enclosure, others stood firmly on their feet, with raised heads and -savage look, waiting to see if the intruder would dare to approach them. - -Gallardo slipped away quickly behind the wall, considering the looks and -disposition of the fierce creatures, without coming to a decision as to -which he should choose. - -The head shepherd of the Plaza accompanied him, a big athletic man in -leather gaiters and huge spurs, dressed in a thick cloth suit, his wide -sombrero fastened under his chin by a strap. He was nicknamed -Lobato,[104] and was a roughrider who spent the greater part of the year -in the open country, behaving when he came into Madrid like a savage, -having no wish to see the streets, and in fact never leaving the -purlieus of the Plaza. - -For him the capital of Spain was nothing more than a Plaza in a -clearing, with desert lands surrounding it, while in the distance lay an -agglomeration of houses which he had never had the curiosity to explore. -The most important establishment in Madrid, from his point of view, was -Gallina's tavern, situated close to the Plaza, a place of delight, an -enchanted palace where he supped and dined at the expense of the -management before returning to his pastures mounted on his horse, his -dark blanket on the saddle bow, his saddle-bags on the crupper and his -lance over his shoulder. He delighted in terrorising the servants as he -entered the tavern by his friendly greetings, terrible hand grips which -crushed their bones and drew forth screams of pain; he smiled, delighted -with his strength and being called a brute, and then sat down to his -pittance, which was served him in a dish as deep as a basin, accompanied -by more than one jar of wine. - -He herded the bulls bought by the management, sometimes in the pastures -of Munoza, at others during the excessive heat on the grazing uplands of -the Sierra de Guadarrama. He brought them in to the enclosure two days -before the corrida at midnight, driving them across the Abronigal stream -and through the outskirts of Madrid, accompanied by amateur rough-riders -and cowherds. He was rampant when bad weather prevented a corrida taking -place, which kept the herd in the Plaza, and prevented his immediate -return to the peaceful solitudes where the other bulls were still -grazing. - -Slow of speech, dull of thought, this centaur, who smelt of leather and -manure, could still speak eloquently, even poetically of his pastoral -life herding the wild bulls. The sky of Madrid seemed to him lower and -with fewer stars. He could describe with picturesque laconicism the -nights on the pastures, with his bulls sleeping beneath the soft light -of the stars, the dense silence only broken by the mysterious noises of -the forest. In this silence the mountain vipers sang with strange song, -yes, Senor, certainly they sang. It was a thing that could not be -discussed with Lobato: he had heard them a thousand times, and to doubt -it was to call him a cheat and a liar, and to expose oneself to the -weight of his fists. As the reptiles sang, so also did the bulls speak, -only he had not yet succeeded in mastering all the mysteries of their -idiom. They were really just like Christians, except that they went on -four legs and had horns. You should see them wake when the sun rose, -bounding about as happy as children, pretending in fun to cross their -horns and fight each other, chasing each other with noisy enjoyment, as -if they were saluting the coming of the sun, which is the glory of God. -Then he spoke of his toilsome excursions through the Sierra de -Guadarrama, following the course of the crystal-clear rivulets, which -brought the melted snow from the mountains to feed the rivers; of the -meadows, with their verdure enamelled by flowers; of the birds who came -fluttering to settle between the horns of the sleeping bulls; of the -wolves who howled afar off in the night, always far off, for they feared -the long procession of wild bulls following the bells of the cabestros, -come to dispute with them their terrible solitudes. Don't let any one -speak to him of Madrid, where one suffocated! The only good thing in -that forest of houses was Gallina's good wine and his savoury stews. - -Lobato assisted the espada with his advice in choosing his two bulls. -The overseer showed neither respect nor astonishment at these celebrated -men, so admired by the populace. The shepherd of the bulls almost -despised the toreros. To kill such noble animals, with every sort of -trickery and deceit! He was the really brave man, who lived among them, -passing daily between their horns in the solitudes, with no other -defence than his own arm, and no thought of applause. - -As Gallardo left the enclosure another man joined them, who saluted the -maestro with great respect. It was the old man charged with the cleaning -of the Plaza. He had been a great many years in this employment, and had -known all the most celebrated toreros of his day. He was very poorly -dressed, but he often wore beautiful rings, and to blow his nose would -draw from the depths of his blouse a small cambric handkerchief trimmed -with fine lace and having a large monogram, still exhaling a delicate -scent. - -He undertook by himself during the week the sweeping of the immense -Plaza, its rows of seats and boxes, without ever complaining of the -overwhelming work. If the manager was displeased with him and wished to -punish him he would open the doors to all the riffraff wandering round -the Plaza. The poor man would be in despair, promising amendment, in -order that this swarm of people should not take over his work. - -Now and then he allowed half a dozen lads to help him; these were -generally toreros' apprentices, and were faithful to him in exchange for -his allowing them to watch the corrida from the "dogs box," that is, a -door with an iron grating situated near the bulls' boxes, which was used -for taking out wounded men. These helpers, holding on to the iron bars, -fought like monkeys in a cage to obtain first place. - -The old man distributed their weekly cleansing work cleverly enough. All -these boys worked on the seats of the sunny side,[105] those occupied by -a poor and dirty crowd, who left as evidence of their presence a rubbish -heap of orange peel, scraps of paper, and cigar ends. - -"Look out for the tobacco," he would order his troup. "Whoever filches a -single cigar end will not see the corrida on Sunday." - -He himself worked patiently on the shady side, crouching down in the -shadow of the boxes to slip any finds into his pockets--such as ladies' -fans, rings, pocket-handkerchiefs, coins, feminine ornaments, anything -that an invasion of fourteen thousand people might have left behind -them. He collected the scraps of cigar ends, chopping them up after -exposing them to the sun, and selling them as fine tobacco. The more -valuable finds passed into the hands of a dealer, willing to buy these -spoils of a public, either forgetful, or oblivious from excitement. - -Gallardo responded to the old man's obsequious bows by giving him a -cigar, and then took leave of Lobato. He had agreed with the overseer -which two bulls should be specially boxed for him. The other toreros -would not object. They were good natured young fellows, full of -youthful ardour, who would kill anything that was put before them. - -As he came out again into the courtyard, where the selection of horses -was still in progress, Gallardo saw a tall spare man, with olive -complexion, dressed as a torero, leave the group and come towards him. -Tufts of iron-grey hair appeared from beneath his black felt hat, and -his mouth was surrounded by many wrinkles. - -"Pescadero! How are you?" said Gallardo, clasping his hand with sincere -warmth. - -He was an old espada, who had had his youthful days of triumph, but very -few now even remembered his name. Other matadors coming after him had -eclipsed this fleeting reputation, so Pescadero, after fighting in -America, and sustaining several cogidas, had retired with a little -capital of savings. Gallardo knew that he owned a small tavern in the -neighbourhood of the circus, but too far off for him to have many -customers among the aficionados and toreros. - -"I cannot often come to the corridas," said Pescadero, sadly. "Still, -you see, the sport draws me, and I drop in as a neighbour to see these -things. Now-a-days I am nothing but a tavern-keeper." - -Gallardo looked at his shabby appearance, and remembered the brilliant -Pescadero he had known in his childhood, one of his most admired heroes, -gallant and proud, favoured by women, among the smartest in La Campana -whenever he came to Seville, dressed in his velvet hat, his wine -coloured jacket and brightly coloured sash, leaning on an ivory stick -with gold handle. And so would he also be; shabby and forgotten if he -retired from bull-fighting! - -They talked a long time about things appertaining to the art. El -Pescadero, like all elderly men embittered by bad luck, was pessimistic. -There were very few good toreros, there were no longer men of -"corazon."[106] Only Gallardo and one or two others killed bulls -"truly," even the animals seemed less powerful than formerly. As he had -met the matador he insisted on his going with him to his house, indeed -as an old friend he could do no less. So Gallardo turned with him into -one of the small streets surrounding the Plaza, and entered the tavern, -which was much like any other, its facade painted red, windows with -curtains of the same colour, a larger show window, in which were -displayed, on dusty plates, cooked cutlets, fried birds, bottles of -pickles, and inside, a zinc counter, barrels and bottles, round tables -with wooden stools by them, and several coloured prints representing -celebrated toreros or remarkable episodes in corridas. - -"We will have a glass of Montilla," said El Pescadero to a young man -standing behind the counter, who smiled as he saw Gallardo. - -The latter looked at his face, and then at his right sleeve, which was -empty and pinned to his breast. - -"It seems to me I know you," said the matador. - -"I should think you did know him!" cried Pescadero. "It is Pipi." - -The nickname made Gallardo remember his history at once. A plucky -youngster who stuck in his banderillas in most masterly fashion, he also -had been named by the aficionados as "the torero of the future." -Unluckily one day in the Plaza in Madrid his right arm had been so badly -gored as to make amputation necessary, and he had been rendered useless -for further bull-fighting. - -"I took him in, Juan," continued El Pescadero. "I have no family and my -wife died, so I look upon him as a son. Do not think that Pipi and I -live in plenty. We live as we can, but whatever I have is for him. We -get on, thanks to old friends who come sometimes to breakfast or to -play a game of cards, and above all thanks to the school." - -Gallardo smiled. He had heard something about the school of Tauromachia -established by El Pescadero close to his tavern. - -"What can I do now?" said the latter, excusing himself. "One must help -oneself on, and the school consumes more than all the customers in the -tavern. A great many people come, young gentlemen who wish to -distinguish themselves at the 'becerras,'[107] foreigners who become -bewitched by the corridas, and who wish to become toreros in their old -age. I have got one now who comes every afternoon. You shall see him." - -They crossed the street towards a plot of ground surrounded by a wall. -Across the joined planks which served as a door was a large placard on -which was written in tar "School of Tauromachia." - -They went in. The first thing that attracted Gallardo's attention was -the bull--an animal made of wood and bamboos, mounted on wheels, with a -tail of tow, a head of plaited straw, and pieces of cork for a neck, to -which were attached a pair of real and enormous horns which struck -terror into the pupils' hearts. - -A bare-breasted lad, in a cap with two curls of hair above his ears, was -the creature who communicated its intelligence to the beast, pushing it -forward when the pupils stood opposite to it with their capes in their -hands. - -In the middle of the plot stood a gentleman, elderly, round shouldered, -and stout, red faced, with large stiff grey moustache, in his shirt -sleeves, with a banderilla in either hand. Close to the wall seated on a -chair, and leaning on another, was a lady of about the same age, and not -less stout and rubicund, in a hat covered with flowers. Each time her -husband executed some good stroke the piles of flowers and false curls -shook and waved wildly as she threw herself back in her chair laughing -and applauding loudly. - -El Pescadero explained to Gallardo that most probably those people were -French or possibly from some other country, he was not certain, and it -mattered nothing to him. The couple seemed to have travelled all over -the world and to have lived everywhere; to judge from his stories, he -had been a miner in America, colonist in some distant island, hunter of -wild horses with a lasso in America, and now he wished to earn some -money as torero, and came every afternoon to the school like an -obstinate child, but he paid generously for his lessons. - -"Just imagine! a torero with that figure!... And at fifty years of age -well struck!"... - -As he saw the two men enter, the pupil dropped his arms holding the -banderillas, and the lady arranged her skirts and her flowery hat. "Ah! -dear master!..." - -"Good evening, mosiu!" "Your servant, madame," said the master raising -his hand to his hat.... "Let me see, mosiu, how this lesson is getting -on. You remember what I told you. Stand quiet on your ground. Invite the -'bicho,' let him come, and when he is by your side just bend your hips -and stick the darts in his neck. You need not be anxious to do anything, -the bull will do everything for you. Attention.... Are you ready?" - -And the professor standing a little aside made a sign to the terrible -bull, or more properly to the urchin, who with his hands on the hind -quarters was pushing him to the attack. - -"Eeeeh!... Enter, Morito!" - -Pescadero gave a fearful bellow to induce the bull to "enter," exciting -by those shouts and furious stamping on the ground this terrible beast -with inside of air and reeds and head of straw. Monto attacked like a -furious wild beast with a tremulous rattle of wheels, staggering and -butting on account of the inequalities of the ground. How could any bull -from the most famous herd compare in intelligence with this Morito, -immortal beast; who had been pierced with banderillas and rapier thrusts -a thousand times, only suffering insignificant wounds that the carpenter -had been able to cure. He seemed cleverer than any man! As he came near -to the pupil, he slightly changed his course in order not to touch him -with his horns, going off with a pair of darts well stuck into his cork -neck. - -A perfect ovation greeted this exploit, the banderillero remaining firm -in his place, arranging his braces and his shirt cuffs. His wife, wildly -delighted, threw herself back in her chair laughing and clapping. - -"Quite masterly, mosiu," shouted El Pescadero. "A stroke of the first -quality!" - -The foreigner, delighted by the professor's applause, replied modestly, -beating his breast: - -"I have what is most important--courage, a great deal of courage." - -Then, in order to celebrate the stroke, he called on Morito's sprite, -who was already creeping out, anticipating the order, to fetch them a -bottle of wine. When they knew that the man who accompanied the -professor was the celebrated Gallardo, whose portraits they had so often -admired on cigarette boxes, their delight knew no bounds, and they -clinked glasses of wine to the success of the torero, even Morito taking -part in the festival. - -"Before two months are over, mosiu," said El Pescadero, with Andalusian -gravity, "you will be fixing banderillas in the Plaza in Madrid, and -carrying off all the palms, and the money, and the women ... saving your -lady's presence." - -El Pescadero walked with Gallardo as far as the end of the street. - -"Adios, Juan," he said gravely, "we may see each other in the Plaza -to-morrow.... You see how low I have come, that I have to live on these -humbugs and idiots." - -Gallardo walked away thoughtful. Ay! That man, whom he had seen in his -good days throw away money with princely generosity, so sure was he of -his future!... - -He had lost his money in bad speculations, and a torero's life was not -one to teach the management of a fortune. And yet they were proposing to -him to retire from his profession. Never. He must throw himself on the -bulls. - -The next day he felt full of courage and went to the Plaza, undisturbed -by his usual superstitious fears. He felt the certainty of triumph, the -high heart-throb of his most glorious days. - -From the very first the corrida was full of events. The first bull -showed himself very "tenacious,"[108] attacking furiously all the men on -horseback. In an instant he had overthrown three picadors who were -waiting for him with their lance in rest, two of the horses lay dying, -streams of dark blood gushing out of their torn chests. The other one -mad with pain and terror rushed from one end of the Plaza to the other, -his belly ripped open and the saddle hanging loose, showing between the -stirrups the blue and red entrails. Dragging its bowels along the ground -and trampling them itself with its hind legs, they divided themselves -like a knotted skein which becomes gradually disentangled. - -The bull, attracted by its wild rush, followed it up close, driving his -powerful head under the belly, lifting the horse on his horns, throwing -it on the ground, and then furiously attacking the miserable, torn and -pierced carcass. When the bull left it, kicking and dying, a "mono -sabio" came up to finish it, by driving the steel of his dagger through -the top of the skull. The miserable brute in the extremity of its agony -bit the man, who screamed, lifting his bloody right hand, and striking -home the dagger till the animal ceased to struggle and the limbs -remained rigid. Then other employes of the circus ran up with large -baskets of sand which they threw in heaps over the pools of blood and -the bodies of the horses. - -By this time the whole audience were on their feet, shouting and -gesticulating wildly. They were delighted at the bull's fierceness and -protested loudly at there being not a single picador left in the arena, -yelling with one voice: "Horses! More horses!" - -They all knew well enough that more would come out immediately, but they -seemed furious that another instant should go by without fresh -butcheries. The bull remained alone in the centre of the arena, superb -and bellowing, his bloody horns held high, and the ribbon with the badge -of his herd floating on his neck, which was covered with red and blue -gashes. - -Fresh riders came out, and again the horrible spectacle was repeated. As -soon as a picador with his lance in rest approached the bull, bringing -up his horse sideways with one eye bandaged, so that it should not see -the bull, the shock and the fall were instantaneous. The lances broke -with the splintering of dry wood, the horse was tossed in the air by the -powerful horns, sprinkling the arena with its blood and bowels, and the -picador rolled on the arena like a yellow legged doll, covered -immediately by his companions' capes. - -The public hailed the noisy falls of the riders with laughter and -exclamations of delight. The arena rang with the shock of the fall of -the heavy bodies with their iron-clad legs. One fell like a full sack, -his head striking the wall of the barrier with a dull echo. - -"That one won't get up," yelled the crowd. "His melon must be cracked." - -But nevertheless he got up, stretching his arms, rubbing his head, and -picking up the stout beaver which had rolled on the sand, again mounted -the same horse, which the "monos sabios," by dint of kicks and blows, -had got on to its feet, and bestriding this dying mount, with its -entrails dragging on the sand, he went once more to encounter the -furious beast. - -"This is for you!" he shouted, throwing the beaver into a group of -friends. - -But no sooner had he again placed himself opposite the bull, driving his -pike into its neck, than man and horse were once more tossed in the air, -parting company from the violence of the shock, each one rolling to a -different side of the arena. Several times before the bull attacked, the -"monos sabios" and also some of the public had advised the rider to -dismount. "Get down, get down." But before his stiffly encased legs -could do so, the horse would fall dead, and the picador would be sent -flying over his ears, his head arriving with a heavy blow on the sand. - -The bull had not succeeded in goring any of the riders, but some of the -picadors lay insensible on the ground, and the circus servants were -obliged to carry them out to the infirmary, to be treated for broken -bones, or to be revived from the shock which seemed like death. - -Gallardo, most anxious to gain the sympathies of his public, was here, -there and everywhere, earning immense applause by seizing the bull's -tail and pulling, till it turned away from the picador lying on the -ground in danger of being gored. - -While the banderilleros were engaged, Gallardo, leaning on the barrier, -passed the boxes in review. Dona Sol was sure to be there. At last he -caught sight of her, but without the white mantilla. There was nothing -about her to remind one of the lady in Seville who was so like one of -Goya's pictures. With her golden hair and her large and elegant hat, she -might have been a foreigner seeing a bull-fight for the first time. By -her side sat that man of whom she spoke so admiringly, and to whom she -was showing the sights of the country. Ay! Dona Sol! Soon she would see -what the fine fellow she had deserted really was! She would have to -applaud him even in the presence of the hated stranger; she would become -enthusiastic, even against her will, carried away by the contagion of -the masses. - -When the time came for Gallardo to kill his bull, which was the second, -the masses received him cordially, as if they had forgotten their -annoyance at the previous corrida. The people seemed inclined to be -tolerant after the spell of wet weather, as if they wished to find -everything good in the long expected bull-fight. Besides, the courage of -the first bull and the great mortality among the horses had put the -crowd in a splendid humour. - -Gallardo walked towards the bull with his head uncovered after the -"brindis," with the muleta in one hand, and in the other the rapier -waving like a cane. He was followed, though at a prudent distance, by El -Nacional and another torero. Several voices from the sunny side -protested. How many more acolytes!... He looked like a parish priest -going to a funeral! - -"Go out everybody!" shouted Gallardo. - -The two peons stopped, because it was said in a voice which left no room -for doubt. - -He went forward till he came close to the beast, and then unfolded the -muleta, giving some passes quite in his old style, even placing the rag -on the slavering muzzle. "A pass, ole!" and a murmur of satisfaction ran -over the benches. The lad from Seville was again worthy of his name, he -had regained his professional pride. He was going to perform some of his -old strokes as in his best days. His muleta passes were greeted with -noisy exclamations of delight, and on the benches his partisans revived, -rebuking his enemies. - -That afternoon was one of his best. When they saw the bull standing -motionless, the public themselves encouraged him with their advice. "Now -then! Strike!" - -Gallardo threw himself on the bull with his rapier in front, slipping -quickly away from the menace of the horns. - -The applause rang out, but it was short, and followed by a threatening -murmur, mingled with strident whistling. The enthusiasts ceased to look -at the bull, to turn their indignation on the public. What injustice! -What want of knowledge! He had entered to kill splendidly.... - -But thousands of inimical fingers pointed to the bull without ceasing -their protests, and the whole Plaza joined them in a deafening storm of -whistling. - -The rapier had penetrated slant ways, crossing the bull, its point -appearing between his ribs just behind the foreleg. - -Every one gesticulated, waving their arms in a paroxysm of fury. "What a -scandal! A bad novillero could not have done worse!" - -The animal, with the hilt of the sword in his neck and the point -appearing from the wrench of the espada's arm began to hobble, its -enormous bulk swaying with its unsteady gait. This seemed to move every -one to a generous indignation. "Poor bull! Such a good one, so -noble...." Many threw themselves forward, roaring with fury, as if they -intended throwing themselves bodily into the arena. "Thief! Son of -a...!" "To torture a "bicho" like that who is better than he is!..." All -shouted, seized with a vehement tenderness for the brute's suffering, -just as though they had not paid to see its death. - -Gallardo, stupefied at his deed, bent his head beneath the whirlwind of -insults and threats. Cursed bad luck! He had entered to kill splendidly, -just as in his best days, overcoming the nervous shrinking which made -him turn his face away as though he could not endure the sight of the -brute coming down on him. But the desire to avoid danger, to get out -from between the horns as quickly as possible, had made him ruin his -luck by that disgraceful and unskilful stroke. - -The bull, after limping about for some time with painful staggering, -stood still. - -Gallardo took another sword and again placed himself in front of the -beast. - -The public guessed his intention. He was proceeding to the "descabello," -the only thing he could do after such a criminal stroke. - -He leant the point of the rapier between the two horns, while with the -other hand he waved the muleta so that the beast, attracted by the -fluttering cloth, should lower its head to the ground. The espada struck -with his rapier, but the bull, feeling himself wounded, tossed his head -wildly, and ejected the weapon. - -"One!" roared the crowd with almost laughable unanimity. - -The matador again repeated his stroke, and once again drove in the -rapier, the only result being to make the brute shiver. - -"Two!" sang out from the gods in derision. - -A fresh attempt only succeeded like the others in drawing a low bellow -from the tortured animal. - -"Three!"... But to this ironical chorus the masses now joined whistles -and cries of protest. When would that matador finish it? - -On the fourth attempt he succeeded in severing the spinal cord, and the -bull fell instantaneously, lying on his side with his legs rigid. - -The espada wiped the perspiration from his face and walked slowly round, -almost gasping for breath, to salute the president. At last he was free -from that animal. He thought he never would have finished it. On his way -the mob either greeted him sarcastically or with contemptuous silence. -No one applauded. He saluted the president amid the general -indifference, and then took refuge behind the barrier, like a school boy -ashamed of his misdeeds. While Garabato offered him a glass of water his -eyes ran round the boxes, meeting those of Dona Sol, which had followed -him to his refuge. What would that woman think of him? How she would -laugh with her travelling companion, seeing him ridiculed by the public! -What an unlucky idea of hers to come to that corrida! - -He remained between the barriers, trying to avoid further fatigue, till -the last bull he had to kill should come out. His broken leg pained him -greatly from having run so much. He was no longer the same--he was -obliged to recognize it. All his confidence, all his resolutions of -throwing himself on the bull were useless. His legs were neither as -light nor as steady as formerly, neither had his right arm that daring -which made it throw itself out without fear, anxious to reach the neck -of the bull as soon as possible. Now it drew itself in against his will, -with the cautious instinct of certain animals who think if they hide -their faces they can in this way avoid danger. - -His old superstitious terrors suddenly reappeared, crushing, -overwhelming. - -"I am in bad luck," thought Gallardo. "My heart tells me the fifth bull -will catch me. He will catch me, nothing can be done!" - -All the same, when the fifth bull came out into the Plaza the first cape -to meet him was Gallardo's. What an animal! He looked quite different -from the one he had chosen in the yard the evening before. Fear went on -singing in the torero's ears. "Bad luck!... He will catch me; to-day I -shall leave the circus feet foremost." - -In spite of this, he continued playing with the bull and drawing it away -from the endangered picadors. At first his endeavours were received in -silence, but later the people softened a little and applauded him -feebly. - -When the supreme moment arrived for the death of the bull, all present -seemed to guess the confusion of his mind. His play was disordered, it -was sufficient for the bull to shake his head for him to take it as a -sign of charging, throwing his feet backwards, and receding by long -bounds, while the public greeted those attempts at flight with a chorus -of mockery. - -"Juy! Juy! He is catching you!" - -Suddenly, as if he wished to finish it as soon as possible in any way, -he threw himself on the beast with his rapier, obliquely, to get out of -the danger as quickly as he could. There was an explosion of whistling -and shouting. The rapier had only gone in an inch or two and after -vibrating in the brute's neck, was ejected by him to some distance. - -Gallardo turned to pick tip the rapier and again approached the bull. He -was squaring himself to go in to kill, when the bull charged him at the -same moment. He wished to fly, but his legs had no longer the agility of -former days. He was caught and rolled over by the impetus of the rush. -While everyone ran to his help Gallardo picked himself up, covered with -sand, with a rent in the back of his breeches, through which his shirt -tail appeared, minus a shoe, and without the "mona" which adorned his -pigtail. - -That gallant and dashing young fellow, who had been the admiration of -the populace for his elegance, now looked pitiful and ridiculous, with -his shirt tail sticking out, his hair disarranged and his pigtail fallen -down and unfastened, looking like a wretched tail. - -Many capes were pityingly spread round him to help and protect him, -while the other espadas with generous comradeship worked the bull and -prepared him so that Gallardo might finish him without difficulty. But -Gallardo seemed blind and deaf; the sight alone of the animal was enough -to make him throw himself back at the slightest sign of attack; it -seemed as though his recent overturn had driven him mad with fright. He -did not seem to understand what his comrades said to him, and with -frowning brows and face intensely pale, he stammered out, scarcely -knowing what he said: - -"Go out, every one! Leave me alone!" - -While terror was singing in his heart: "To-day you will die! This is -your last cogida!" - -The public guessed the espada's thoughts by the wildness of his -movements. - -"He is terrified of the bull! Panic has seized him!" - -Even his most fervent partisans were ashamed and silent, unable to -explain a thing such as they had never seen before. - -The people seemed to enjoy his terror with the valour of those in a safe -place. Others, thinking themselves defrauded of their money, shouted -themselves hoarse. - -Gallardo, protected by his companions' capes, took advantage of any -opportunity of wounding the beast with his sword, deaf to the sarcastic -jests of the populace; but they were thrusts the animal scarcely seemed -to feel. His terror at being caught lengthened his arm, making him stand -far off, only wounding the beast with the point of the sword. - -Some of the rapiers shook themselves loose, being scarcely fixed in the -flesh, others remained stuck in a bone, but the greater part of the -length uncovered, bending with the brute's movements. The bull was -following the circuit of the barrier bellowing with his head low, as if -complaining of this useless torture. The espada followed him, muleta in -hand, anxious to finish him, yet dreading to expose himself, and behind -him came a whole troup of peons, spreading their capes, as though by -this fluttering of stuffs they were trying to persuade the bull to -double up his legs and to lie down on the sand. The bull's progress -close to the barrier, with his neck bristling with rapiers, provoked -storms of sarcasms and insults. - -"It's like la Dolorosa!"[109] they shouted. - -Others compared the animal to a pincushion full of pins. - -"Thief! Bad torero!" - -Others insulted the torero by changing his name to the feminine. - -"Juanita! Don't run into danger." - -Much time was being lost, and part of the audience becoming furious -turned towards the presidential box. - -"Senor Presidente! How long is this scandal to go on?" - -The President made a gesture which silenced the storm, and then made a -sign. Soon an alguacil in his feathered hat and fluttering cape was seen -running round the barrier to the spot where the bull was standing, then, -directing his gesture towards Gallardo he raised one closed fist with -the forefinger outstretched. The mob applauded. It was the first -warning. If before the third the matador had not killed his bull, it -would be taken back to the yard, and the matador would remain under the -stigma of the deepest dishonour. - -Gallardo, as if awakening suddenly from his somnambulism, crushed by -this threat, placed his rapier horizontally and threw himself on the -bull. It was only one estocade the more which scarcely penetrated into -the bull's body. - -The espada let his arms fall, utterly disheartened. Was that brute -immortal! The rapier thrusts seemed to do him no harm. It seemed as -though he would never die. - -The futility of the last stroke infuriated the people. They all rose to -their feet, the storm of whistling became absolutely deafening, obliging -the women to stop their ears. Oranges, scraps of bread, cushions, any -projectile ready to hand, was hurled into the arena at the matador. From -the sunny side came stentorian voices, roars like a siren, which it -seemed impossible should come from human throats, a horrible din of -cow-bells rang out suddenly like a tocsin, while from the benches close -to the bulls' box a chorus began to chant the "gori-gori"[110] of the -dead. - -Many turned towards the President. When would the second warning be -given? Gallardo wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief, -looking all around him, as if astounded at the injustice of the -populace. He turned his eyes towards Dona Sol, but she had turned her -back to the circus. Did she feel any pity? Or was she ashamed of her -condescensions in the past? - -Again he threw himself on the bull to kill, but very few could see what -was happening, for the spread capes fluttering incessantly round him -concealed everything.... At last the bull fell, a stream of blood -rushing from its mouth. - -At last!... The public quieted down a little, ceasing to thump, but -still continuing shouting and whistling. The animal was finished by the -puntilero, he was fastened by his poll to the team of mules, and dragged -out of the arena, leaving behind him a broad belt of smoothed sand -covered with blood-stains, which the servants obliterated with rakes and -baskets of sand. - -Gallardo hid himself between the barriers, shrinking from the storm of -insults his presence raised. There he remained, weary and panting, his -leg paining him greatly; but, in the midst of his discouragement, -feeling an intense comfort at being out of danger. He had not died by -the bull's horns ... but he owed it to his prudence. Ah! that public!... -After all they were only a crowd of murderers anxious for a man's death, -as if they alone loved life! - -The exit from the Plaza was heart-rending, through the crowd of people -massed outside, carriages, automobiles, and long rows of tramways. - -Gallardo's coach was obliged to go slowly to avoid running over the -crowds coming out of the Plaza; these opened out to let the mules pass, -but on recognizing the espada they seemed to repent of their courtesy. - -Gallardo guessed by the movement of their lips that they were insulting -him: carriages full of pretty women in white mantillas passed close to -him, but they turned their heads away, while others looked at him with -pitying eyes. - -The espada drew back as if he wished to pass unnoticed, hiding himself -behind the bulk of El Nacional, who sat silent and frowning. - -A group of urchins following the carriage began to whistle, while many -walking on the pavements followed their example. The news of Gallardo's -fiasco had spread rapidly, and they were glad of an opportunity to -insult a man whom they imagined had gained such immense wealth. - -"Curse them! Why are they whistling? Have they by any chance been to the -corrida?... Has it cost them any money?"... - -A stone struck the wheel, and the ragamuffins were shouting close to the -step, when two mounted policemen rode up and dispersed the hostile -manifestation, afterwards escorting the whole length of the Calle de -Alcala, the famous matador Juan Gallardo ... "the first man in the -world." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[104] Wolf cub. - -[105] The sunny side corresponds to the "gallery gods" or the pit with -us. - -[106] Heart--courage. - -[107] Trials of yearling calves. - -[108] When a bull stands by the object of his attack--attacking it again -and again. - -[109] The Virgin of Seven Sorrows whose heart is pierced with swords. - -[110] The "de profundis." - - - - -CHAPTER X - - -The following Sunday, as the cuadrilla had just entered the circus, some -one knocked loudly at the Puerta de Caballerizas. - -An employe of the Plaza shouted ill-humouredly from inside that there -was no entrance that way, they must go round to the other door, but as -the voice outside continued to insist he finally opened the door. - -A man and a woman entered, he wearing a white Cordoban felt hat, she -dressed in black with a mantilla. - -The man shook the employe's hand, leaving something in it, which -evidently softened his asperity. - -"You know me, do you not?" ... said the new comer. "Really, don't you -know me? I am Gallardo's brother-in-law, and this lady is his wife." - -Carmen looked all around at the deserted courtyard. Through the brick -walls she could hear the sound of music and the humming of the crowd, -varied by cries of enthusiasm, or murmurs of curiosity. - -"Where is he?" enquired Carmen anxiously. - -"Where should he be, woman?" replied her brother-in-law roughly. "In the -Plaza, fulfilling his duties.... It is folly to have come here. What a -flighty woman you are!" - -Carmen looked round her undecidedly, perhaps half repenting having come; -after all, what was she going to do there? - -The employe, whose hand-shake with Antonio had made a marvellous -difference, suggested that if the lady wished to wait till the end of -the corrida she could rest in the gate-keeper's room, but if she wished -to see the corrida he could find her a very good seat even if she had no -ticket. - -Carmen was terrified at this proposal. See the corrida? No! She had -never seen her husband fight; she would wait there as long as she -possibly could. - -"God's will be done!" said the saddler resignedly. "We will stay here, -though what we shall see opposite this doorway I don't know." - -About mid-day on the Saturday, Carmen had called Antonio into the -matador's study, and told him of her intention to go at once to Madrid. -She could not stay in Seville, she had had a week of restless nights, -which her imagination had peopled with horrible scenes, and her feminine -instinct made her fear some great disaster. She felt she must be by -Juan's side, she did not know why, nor what would happen on the journey, -all she wanted was to be near Gallardo. - -Life was not worth living like this. She had seen in the papers Juan's -great fiasco on the previous Sunday. She knew his professional pride, -and knew he could not bear this misfortune patiently. The last letter -she had received from him had plainly showed her this. - -"No, and again no," she said energetically to her brother-in-law's -objection. "I start for Madrid this afternoon; if you like to come, well -and good, if not, I shall go alone. Above all, not a word to Don Jose; -he would try to prevent my journey!"... - -The saddler finally agreed. After all a free journey to Madrid was not a -thing to be refused, even though it were in such dismal company. During -the journey, Carmen made up her mind; she would speak earnestly to her -husband. Why go on bull-fighting? Had they not enough to live on? He -must retire at once if he did not wish to kill her. This corrida must -be the last one ... and even this was one too many. She hoped to arrive -in Madrid in time to prevent her husband fighting, feeling that by her -presence she might prevent some catastrophe. - -"What rubbish! Just like a woman! If they get a thing into their heads -it must be so. Do you think there are no authorities, or laws, or rules -in a Plaza? that it is enough for a woman to be frightened and want to -run and kiss her husband for the corrida to be stopped and the public -disappointed? You may say whatever you like to Juan afterwards, but by -now he will be at the corrida. There is no trifling with the -authorities; we should all be sent to jail." - -When they arrived in Madrid, he had to exert all his powers of -persuasion to prevent his companion rushing to her husband's hotel. What -would be the result? She would disturb him by her presence, send him to -the Plaza in a bad humour, upset his calmness, and then if anything -happened all the fault would be hers. - -This reflection steadied Carmen, making her give in to her -brother-in-law's wishes and go to an hotel of his choosing, where she -spent the morning lying on a sofa crying as if she considered misfortune -imminent. The saddler, delighted to find himself in Madrid and -comfortably lodged, was furious with this despair, which seemed to him -ridiculous. - -The hotel was near the Puerta del Sol, and the noise of the carriages -and people going to the corrida reached her. She could not stay in the -house, she must see him. She had not courage enough to go to the -spectacle, but she wished to feel near him, and she wished to go to the -Plaza. Where was the Plaza? She had never seen it. Even if she could not -go in, she could wander round it, feeling that her near presence might -influence Gallardo's luck. - -The saddler expostulated. By the life of.... He certainly intended to -go to the corrida, he had gone out to buy his ticket, and now Carmen -prevented his enjoying the fiesta, by wanting to go to the Plaza -herself. - -"What can you do when you get there? What good can your presence do? -Just think, if Juaniyo caught sight of you!" - -But to all his arguments Carmen replied with the same obstinacy. - -"If you do not care to come with me, I will go alone." - -Antonio ended by giving in, and they drove to the Plaza together, -entering by the Puerta de Caballerizas. The saddler remembered the Plaza -well, as he had accompanied Gallardo on one of his journeys to Madrid -during the spring. - -He and the employe both felt out of humour with that woman with the red -eyes and streaming cheeks who stood in the court-yard not knowing what -to do.... The two men heard the noise of the people and the music in the -Plaza. Were they going to stay there all night without seeing the -corrida? - -At last the employe had a happy inspiration. - -"Perhaps the lady would like to go into the chapel!"... - -The procession of the cuadrillas was ended, and through the doorway -several horsemen came trotting back from the circus; these were the -picadors who were not on duty, and who withdrew from the arena, ready to -replace their comrades when required. Tied to rings on the wall were a -row of saddled horses, the first who would have to go into the circus in -place of any killed. Behind these the picadors were employing their wait -by making their horses pirouette and turn, and a stable-boy was -galloping a restless horse to quiet it before giving it over to the -picadors. All the horses were kicking, plagued by flies, and dragging -at their halters as if they scented the danger close at hand. - -Carmen and her brother-in-law were obliged to take refuge beneath the -arcades, and finally the torero's wife accepted the man's invitation to -go into the chapel. It was a safe and quiet spot, and possibly in there -she might do something to help her husband. - -When she found herself in the holy place, close and hot from the crowd -of people who had watched the torero's prayers, she fixed her eyes in -astonishment on the poverty of the altar. Four lights only were burning -before the Virgin of the Dove, which seemed to her a wretched tribute. - -She opened her purse to give a duro to the employe. Could he not bring -some more tapers?... The man scratched his head. Tapers? tapers? In the -purlieus of the Plaza such things were not to be found. But he suddenly -remembered that the sisters of a certain matador always brought some wax -tapers whenever he fought there, and the last supply was not all -consumed, they must be in some corner of the chapel. After a long search -they were found, but there were no candlesticks; however, the employe -was a man of resource, and fetching some empty bottles he stuck the -candles in their necks and placed them among the other lights. - -Carmen knelt down, and the two men took advantage of her absorbed -devotion to rush away to the Plaza, anxious to see the first events of -the corrida. - -She remained alone contemplating with curiosity the dusty painting -reddened by the lights. She did not know this Virgin, but surely she -must be gentle and kind, like the one in Seville, to whom she had prayed -so often. Besides, she was the toreros' Virgin, the one who heard their -last prayer, when coming danger gave those rough men a pious sincerity. -On that pavement also her husband had often knelt. - -Her lips moved, repeating the prayers with automatic speed, but her -thoughts were far away, attracted by the noise of the crowd which -reached her. - -Ay! the roaring of that intermittent volcano, the surging of those -distant waves, broken at times by a tragic silence.... Carmen fancied -she could unseen watch the corrida. She could guess by the different -intonations of the noises in the Plaza the course of the tragedy which -was being unfolded in the circus. Sometimes it was an explosion of -indignant cries accompanied by whistling, at others thousands and -thousands of voices seemed uttering unintelligible words. Suddenly there -was a scream of terror, long and strident, which seemed to rise even to -heaven, a terrified and gasping exclamation which made her see thousands -of outstretched heads, pale with emotion, following the rapid rush of a -bull on the tracks of a man ... but the cries suddenly ceased and calm -returned. The danger was past. - -Sometimes there were long spells of absolute silence, in which the -humming of the flies could be heard, a silence so profound it seemed as -if the immense circus must be empty, as if the fourteen thousand people -on its benches did not even breathe, and that Carmen herself was the -only living creature within its walls. - -Suddenly this silence was broken by an immense and noisy uproar, so loud -one would have thought that every brick in the building was knocking -against its neighbour, a wild volley of applause which made the whole -place shake. In the courtyard close by the chapel the sound of whacks on -the loins of the horses tied there was heard, then the sound of iron -hoofs on the pavement, lastly the sound of voices. "Who is hit?" And -fresh picadors were called into the arena. - -To these distant noises were now joined others nearer and more -terrifying. The sound of steps to the rooms near, doors hurriedly -opened, the panting breathing, and gasping voices of several men, as if -they were staggering under a great weight. - -"It is nothing ... only a bruise. You are not bleeding, before the -corrida is ended you will be on your horse again." - -A hoarse voice, weak with pain, moaned between sighs in an accent which -reminded Carmen of her own country. - -"Oh! Virgin of Solitude! I think something is broken; search well, -doctor.... Ay! my children!" - -Carmen trembled with fright. She raised her eyes, suffused with terror, -to the Virgin. She felt as if she might fall fainting on the floor; she -tried again to pray, not to listen to the noises from outside, -transmitted through the walls with such desperate clearness. But in -spite of her endeavour, the sound of splashing water fell on her ears, -and the sounds of men's voices, probably the doctors, encouraging the -patient. - -"Virgin of Solitude!... My children!... What will become of my poor -angels if their father cannot fight?"... - -Carmen rose. Ay! she could bear it no longer, she should faint if she -remained longer in that dark place terrified by those cries of pain. She -must have air, get out into the sun. She fancied she felt in her own -bones all the pain that unknown man was suffering. - -She went out into the courtyard. There was blood on every side! Blood on -the ground, and blood round some pails in which the water was coloured -red. - -The picadors were coming out of the circus, the banderilleros were -having their turn now, the riders came in on their horses stained with -blood, their flesh torn, their entrails hanging down. - -The riders dismounted, talking with animation of the events of the -corrida. Carmen watched Potaje's ponderous humanity get down stiffly and -heavily, swearing at the mono sabio, who did not help his descent with -sufficient alacrity. He seemed benumbed by his heavy iron leggings and -by the pain of various bruises; he raised one hand ruefully to rub his -shoulders, but all the same he smiled, showing all his yellow tusks. - -"Have you all seen how fine Juan has been?" he said to those surrounding -him. "To-day he has been quite splendid." - -As he noticed the only woman in the patio and recognized her, he showed -no sort of surprise. - -"You here, Senora Carmen! That's right!"... - -He spoke quietly, as if his habitual vinous somnolence and his natural -stupidity prevented anything surprising him. - -"Have you seen Juan?" he went on. "He lay down on the ground in front of -the bull, under its very nose. No one can do what that Gacho does.... -You should go and see him, for to-day he is splendid." - -Some one called him from the infirmary door; his companion, the other -picador, wished to speak to him before being taken away to the hospital. - -"Adio, Sena Carmen. I must go and see what the poor fellow wants. A bad -fracture, they say. He will not be able to work again this season." - -Carmen took refuge beneath the arcades; she tried to close her eyes, not -to see the horrible spectacle in the courtyard, while at the same time -she felt fascinated by the crimson pools of blood. - -The monos sabios led in the wounded horses, who were dragging their -entrails along the ground. As she saw them, the head man in charge of -the stables bustled about in a fever of activity. - -"Now, my lads, hurry up!" ... he shouted to the stable lads. "Gently!... -Gently, there!" - -A stable-boy went carefully up to the horse who was rearing with pain, -and took the saddle off; then he tied ropes round his four feet, drew -them together and threw him. - -"Now, my fine fellow!... Gently, gently with him!" he shouted to the -man, never ceasing to move his own hands and feet. - -The stable lads in their shirt sleeves, leant over the animal's -ripped-up belly, from which were gushing streams of blood and water, -endeavouring to put back by handfuls the slippery entrails hanging out -of it. - -Others held the animal's reins, putting a foot on its head to keep it on -the ground. Its muzzle twitched with pain, and its teeth rattled -together with the anguish of its torment, while its agonized squeals -were smothered by the pressure on its head. The bloody hands of the -workers endeavoured to replace the bowels in the empty cavity, but the -gasping breathing of the unfortunate animal constantly blew out again -the entrails the men were pushing in like bundles. At last they were all -pushed back into the stomach, and the lads with the quickness of long -habit sewed the sides of the wound together. - -After the animal was mended with this barbarous promptitude, a pail of -water was thrown over its head, its legs were freed from the ropes, and -a few kicks and blows with a stick made it scramble on to its feet. Some -only walked a few steps, falling down again, with torrents of blood -rushing from the re-opened wound. This meant instantaneous death. Others -stood up apparently stronger, from their immense resources of animal -vitality, and the lads after mending them up took them off to the -courtyard to be "varnished." There their stomach and legs were cleansed -by several pailsful of water thrown over them, which left their white or -chestnut coats bright and shining, while streams of bloody water ran -down their legs on to the ground. - -They mended the horses just like old shoes, prolonging their agony and -retarding their death, working their weakness up to the last possible -moment. Fragments of their entrails which had been cut off to facilitate -the repairing operation lay about the floor. Other fragments lay in the -circus, covered with sand, till the death of the bull should permit of -the attendants collecting the remains in their baskets. Very often these -rough-and-ready practitioners supplied the horrible absence of the lost -organs by handfuls of tow stuffed into the stomach. The chief thing was -to keep these miserable animals on foot a few moments longer till the -picadors should return to the arena, when the bull would soon take -charge and finish the work. - -Even here the noisy shouts of the invisible crowd reached Carmen. -Sometimes they were exclamations of anxiety; an "Ay! Ay!" from thousands -of voices that told of the flight of a banderillero closely pursued by -the bull. Then there would be absolute silence. The man had again turned -on the brute and the noisy applause broke out once more when he had -skilfully fixed two more darts. Then the trumpets sounded, announcing -that the time for the death stroke had come, and the applause rang out -afresh. - -Carmen wished to go away. Virgin of Hope! What was she doing there? She -was ignorant of the routine that the matadors followed in their work. -Possibly that blast indicated the moment when her husband had to face -the bull. And she was there, only a few steps away, and unable to see -him! If she could only get away and escape from this torment. - -Besides, the blood running over the courtyard sickened her, and the poor -brutes' sufferings. Her womanly sensitiveness rose up against such -tortures, and she put her handkerchief to her face, nauseated by the -smell of the butcheries. - -She had never been to a bull-fight. A great part of her life had been -spent in hearing about corridas, but in the accounts of the fiestas she -had never heard or seen anything beyond the outside, just what all the -world saw or heard of, the exploits in the arena under the brilliant -sun, the flash of silk and gold embroideries, all the sumptuous -procession, knowing nothing of the odious preparations taking place in -the secrecy of the outbuildings. And they lived from this fiesta, with -its repulsive torturing of weak animals! Their fortune had been made -from such spectacles! - -Tremendous applause broke out in the circus. In the courtyard an -imperious voice gave orders. The first bull had just been killed; the -gates at the end of the passage of the Puerta de Caballos giving access -to the circus were thrown open, and the roars of the crowd poured in -louder and louder still, with the echoes of the music. - -The mule teams had trotted into the Plaza, one to bring out the dead -horses, and the other to drag out the carcass of the bull. - -Carmen caught sight of her brother-in-law coming along under the -arcades, still trembling from excitement at what he had seen. - -"Juan ... is colossal! He has never been anything like this afternoon! -Have no fear! He seems to eat up the bulls alive!" - -Then he looked at her anxiously, afraid she might make him lose such an -interesting afternoon. What did she decide to do? Did she feel brave -enough to come into the Plaza? - -"Take me away!" she cried in agonized tones. "Get me out of here as -quickly as possible. I feel ill.... You can leave me in the nearest -church." - -The saddler pulled a face. By the life of Roger!... To leave such a -magnificent corrida!... And all the while he was taking Carmen towards -the door he was thinking how soon he could leave her and return to the -circus. - -When the second bull came out, Gallardo was still leaning on the -barrier, receiving the congratulations of his friends. What courage that -fellow had ... when he chose! The whole Plaza had applauded him with the -first bull, forgetting their anger at the previous corridas. When a -picador remained on the ground insensible from his fall, Gallardo had -rushed up with his cape, and by a series of magnificent "veronicas" had -drawn the bull to the centre of the arena, eventually leaving him -wearied out and motionless after his furious rushes at the deceiving red -cloth. The torero, taking advantage of the brute's bewilderment, stood -erect a few paces from his muzzle, presenting his body as though defying -him. He felt the strong heart-throb--the happy precursor of his greatest -deeds. He knew he must reconcile his public by some sudden dash of -audacity, and quietly he knelt down opposite the horns, albeit with a -certain precaution, ready to slip away at the slightest sign of a -charge. - -The bull remained quiet. Then he put forward one hand till he touched -its foam flecked snout--still the animal remained quiet. Then he dared -something which plunged the audience into palpitating silence. Slowly -he lay down on the sand, using the cape on his arm as a pillow, and so -he remained for some seconds, below the very nostrils of the brute, who -sniffed at this body placing itself so daringly beneath his horns, -evidently suspecting some hidden danger. - -When the bull, recovering his aggressive fierceness, lowered his horns, -the torero rolled towards his hoofs, putting himself in this way out of -his reach, and the animal passed over him, seeking in his blind ferocity -for the object to attack. - -Gallardo rose, dusting the sand from his clothes, and the audience, -always loving daring deeds, applauded him with all the enthusiasm of -former days. They quite understood that the torero's display of courage -was an attempt at reconciliation with themselves, an effort to regain -their affection. He had come to the corrida ready for any feat of daring -which would earn their plaudits. - -"He is often over careful," they said on the benches--"often he is weak, -but he has toreros' pride, and he is regaining his name." - -Their delighted excitement at Gallardo's exploit and the death of the -first bull turned to bad humour and expostulations as they saw the -second bull enter the arena. He was of enormous size and fine -appearance, but he began to trot all round the arena, looking with -astonishment at the howling masses of people crowded on the seats, -frightened by the cries and whistling with which they endeavoured to -excite him, and running away from his own shadow, imagining all sorts of -snares. The peons ran towards him spreading their capes. He attacked the -red cloth for an instant, then suddenly giving a snort of surprise he -turned tail and ran away in the opposite direction with leaps and -bounds. His agility for flight made the people furious. - -"He is not a bull! ... he is a monkey!" - -The maestros' capes finally attracted him towards the barrier, where -the picadors waited for him motionless on their horses, their garrochas -under their arms. He came up to a rider with lowered head and fierce -snorts, as though intending to attack, but before the iron could be -driven into his neck he gave a bound and fled, passing between the -peons' outstretched capes. In his flight he ran against another picador, -repeating the bound, the snort, and the flight. Then he ran against a -third picador, who caught him fairly on the neck with his garrocha, -increasing in this way both his fear and his velocity. - -The audience had risen to their feet _en masse_ gesticulating and -shouting. A craven bull! What an abomination!... They all turned towards -the presidential box, shouting their protests: "Senor Presidente! This -cannot be allowed." - -From several of the rows came a chorus of voices repeating the same word -with monotonous iteration. - -"Fire ... fire!" - -The President seemed doubtful. The bull was rushing all about the ring, -followed by the toreros, with their capes on their arms. When some of -them succeeded in getting in front of him and stopping him, he would -sniff the cloths with his usual snort and run off in another direction, -kicking and bounding. - -These flights increased the noisy expostulations: "Senor Presidente," -was his Worship blind? Then bottles, oranges, and seat cushions began to -shower into the arena round the fugitive beast. The masses loathed him -for a coward. Some of them stretched over into the arena, as if they -intended tearing the animal to pieces with their own hands. What a -scandal! To see in the Madrid Plaza oxen only fit for meat! Fire! fire! - -At last the President waved a red handkerchief, and a salvo of applause -greeted the gesture. - -The fire banderillas were a quite extraordinary spectacle, something -entirely unexpected, which greatly increased the interest of the -corrida. Many who had shouted themselves hoarse were privately delighted -at the incident. They would see the bull burning alive, rushing about -mad with terror at the lightnings fastened into his neck. - -El Nacional came forward carrying two large banderillas seemingly -wrapped in black paper, hanging points downward. He went towards the -bull without any great precautions, as though his cowardice did not -deserve any high art, and stuck in the infernal darts amid the -vindictive acclamations of the populace. - -Immediately there was an explosion, and two puffs of smoke ran along the -animal's neck. In the sunlight the fire could not be seen, but the hair -disappeared, singed, and a black mark began to spread over the neck. - -The bull, surprised at the attack, accelerated his flight, as if this -could free him from the torture, till suddenly short sharp detonations -like gun shots were heard proceeding from his neck, and showers of ash -paper flew about his eyes. The beast bounded with the agility of terror, -all four feet off the ground at once, twisting his head in the vain -endeavour to tear out with his teeth these demoniacal darts fixed in his -flesh. The mob laughed and applauded, thinking these bounds and -contortions extremely amusing. The animal, in spite of his size and -weight, seemed to be performing a dance like some trained animal. - -"How they sting him!" exclaimed the populace with ferocious laughter. -When the banderillas had ceased to explode the melted fat on the neck -formed little bubbles, and the bull no longer feeling the sting of the -fire stopped short, his head hanging, his eyes bloodshot, his muzzle -covered with foam, and his red dry tongue licking the sand in search of -moisture. - -Another banderillero came up and stuck in a second pair of darts. Once -more the puffs of smoke ran along the scorched flesh, and the -detonations recommenced. Wherever he rushed, twisting his massive body -in his struggles to get the darts out of his neck, the infernal -detonations went with him; but now his movements were less violent, it -seemed as though his vigorous animalism was being subdued by the -torture. - -A third pair of darts were fixed in, and from the burning flesh a -nauseous odour of melted fat, burnt hide, and singed hair spread -throughout the arena. - -The public still applauded with vindictive frenzy, as if the poor animal -were an opponent of their religious beliefs, and they were performing a -holy work by this burning. They laughed as they saw him unsteady on his -legs, bellowing with sharp screams of pain, seeking in vain for -something to cool his tongue. - -Gallardo awaited, leaning on the barrier near the presidential box, the -signal to kill, while Garabato held the rapier and muleta ready prepared -resting on the top of the barrier. - -Curse him! The corrida had begun so well, and now evil fate had reserved -this bull for him, a bull, moreover, of his own choosing on account of -his fine appearance, and who, now he was in the arena, turned out a cur! - -He excused himself beforehand to the connoisseurs who were leaning over -the barrier, for his probably indifferent work. - -"I will do what I can, but it probably won't be much," said he, -shrugging his shoulders. - -Then he glanced round the boxes, fixing his eyes on the one occupied by -Dona Sol. She had applauded him before when he executed his stupendous -exploit of lying down before the bull. Her gloved hands had clapped -enthusiastically when he had turned towards the barrier saluting the -audience. Now, when she realised that the torero was looking at her, she -saluted him with a kindly gesture, and even her companion, that odious -fellow, made a stiff bow, as if he were breaking in two at the waist. He -had surprised her several times with her opera-glasses fixed -persistently on him, or searching for him when he retired behind the -barriers. Ah! that gachi!... Possibly she felt once more attracted by -his courage. Gallardo thought he would go and see her the following day, -possibly the wind might have changed. - -The trumpets gave the signal to kill, and the espada, after making a -short "brindis," walked towards the bull. - -All the enthusiasts shouted their advice. - -"Kill him quickly! He is an ox who deserves nothing!" - -The torero spread his muleta before the brute, who attacked, but slowly, -as if warned by his previous torture, but with the evident intention of -crushing and wounding, the suffering having awakened his fierceness. -That man was the first who had stood before him since his torment began. - -The crowd felt their vindictive anger towards the bull vanishing. After -all he was not turning out so badly. He was attacking well. Ole! And -they all welcomed the torero's passes with delight, confounding the -torero and the bull in the same noisy approval. - -The bull remained motionless, his head lowered, his tongue hanging out. -There fell on the crowd that silence always preceding the mortal -estocade, a silence even greater than absolute solitude, as it came from -thousands of hard-held breathings. The silence was so profound that the -slightest noise reached to the topmost benches. All heard the rattle of -the pieces of wood knocking against each other. It was Gallardo, who -with the point of his rapier was setting aside the burnt banderillas -which had fallen down between the horns. After this arrangement, which -would facilitate the mortal stroke, the crowd stretched their necks even -further forward, feeling the mysterious intercourse re-established -between their will and that of the matador. Now! they all said to -themselves, he would overthrow the bull with one masterly stroke. They -all felt the espada's determination. - -Gallardo threw himself on the bull, and all the populace breathed loudly -after their breathless expectation. But from the encounter the animal -emerged, rushing with furious bellowing, while the benches broke out -into whistling and protests. The same thing had happened once again. -Gallardo had turned away his face and shortened his arm at the moment of -killing. The animal carried off the rapier in his neck, loose and -bending, and after a few steps the steel blade flew out of the flesh, -rolling on the sand. - -Some of the people blamed Gallardo, and the spell which had united them -to the espada at the beginning of the fiesta was broken. Their distrust -of the torero reappeared and their irritating censures. All seemed to -have forgotten their late enthusiasm. - -Gallardo picked up his rapier, with bent head, and without the heart to -protest against the discontent of a crowd so tolerant to others, so -harsh and unjust towards himself, and turned again towards the bull. - -In his confusion he thought some other torero placed himself by his -side. It was El Nacional. - -"Steady, Juan! Don't get flurried." - -Curse it!... Was this same thing always going to happen to him? Could -he not put his arm between the horns as formerly and drive the rapier in -up to the hilt? Was he going to spend the rest of his life as a -laughing-stock for the public? An ox whom they had been obliged to -fire!... - -He placed himself opposite the animal, who seemed waiting for him, -steady on its legs. He thought it useless to make any more passes with -the muleta. So he placed himself "in profile" with the red cloth hanging -on the ground, and the rapier horizontal at the height of his eye. Now -to thrust in his arm! - -With a sudden impulse the audience rose to their feet, for a few seconds -the man and the bull formed one single mass, and so moved on some steps. -The connoisseurs were already waving their hands anxious to applaud. He -had thrown himself in to kill as in his best day. That was a "true" -estocade! - -But suddenly the man was thrown out from between the horns by a crushing -blow, and rolled on the sand. The bull lowered his head, picking up the -inert body, lifting it for an instant on his horns to let it fall again, -then rushing on his mad career with the rapier plunged up to the hilt in -his neck. - -Gallardo rose slowly, the whole Plaza burst out into uproarious, -deafening applause, anxious to repair their injustice. Ole for the man! -Well done the lad from Seville! He had been splendid! - -But the torero did not acknowledge these outbursts of enthusiasm. He -raised his hand to his stomach, crouching in a painful curve, and with -his head bent began to walk forward with uncertain step. Twice he raised -his head as if he were looking for the door of exit and fearing not to -be able to find it, finally staggering like a drunken man, and falling -flat on the sand. - -Four of the Plaza servants raised him slowly on their shoulders, El -Nacional joining the group, to support the espada's pale livid head, -with its glassy eyes just showing through the long lashes. - -The audience started with surprise, and their plaudits ceased suddenly. -They looked around at each other unable to make up their minds as to the -gravity of the accident.... Soon optimistic news circulated, but no one -knew from whence it came.... It was nothing, only a tremendous blow in -the stomach which had deprived him of consciousness, but no one had seen -any blood. - -The populace, suddenly tranquilized, sat down, turning their attention -from the wounded torero to the bull, who, though in the agonies of -death, still remained firm on his feet. - -El Nacional helped to place his master on a bed in the infirmary. He -fell on it like a sack, inanimate, his arms hanging over either side of -the bed. - -Sebastian, who had so often seen the espada bleeding and wounded, -without ever losing his calm, now felt the agony of fear, seeing him -lifeless, with his face of a greenish whiteness as if he were already -dead. - -"By the life of the blue dove!" he groaned. "Are there no doctors? Is -there no help anywhere?" - -The infirmary doctors, after attending to the injured picador, had run -back to their box in the Plaza. - -The banderillero was in despair, seconds seemed hours, as he shouted to -Garabato and Potaje to come and help him, not knowing quite what he said -to them. - -The doctors arrived, and, after closing the door to remain undisturbed, -they stood undecidedly before the espada's inanimate body. They must -undress him, and Garabato began to unpin, unsew and tear the torero's -clothes. - -El Nacional hardly saw the body. The doctors were surrounding the -wounded man, consulting each other by their looks. It must be a collapse -which had apparently deprived him of life. There was no blood to be -seen, and the rents in his clothes were no doubt the result of his toss -by the bull. - -Doctor Ruiz entered hurriedly, the other doctors making way for him, -acknowledging his superiority. He swore in his nervous hurry as he -helped Garabato to undo the torero's clothes. - -There was a start of wonder, of painful surprise round the bed. The -banderillero did not dare to enquire, he looked between the doctors' -heads at Gallardo's body. His shirt was drawn up, and he saw that the -stomach, which was uncovered, was torn by a jagged wound with bloody -lips, from between which the bluish viscera were protruding. - -Doctor Ruiz shook his head sadly. Besides the terrible and incurable -wound, the torero had received a tremendous shock from the bull's head. -He was no longer breathing. - -"Doctor! doctor!" moaned the banderillero, imploring to know the truth. - -And Doctor Ruiz, after a long silence, turned his head. - -"It is finished, Sebastian.... You must seek another matador." - -El Nacional raised his eyes to heaven. Was it possible that such a man -should die in this way, unable to clasp a friend's hand, unable to say a -word, suddenly, like a wretched rabbit whose neck you wring! - -Despair drove him from the infirmary. Ay! he could not stay and look at -_that_! He was not like Potaje, who stood motionless and frowning at the -foot of the bed, twisting his beaver in his hand, looking at the body as -if he saw it not. - -In the courtyard he had to stand aside to let some picadors pass who -were returning to the circus. - -The terrible news had begun to run through the Plaza. Gallardo was -dead!... Some doubted the truth of the news, others affirmed it, but no -one moved from their seats. They were going to loose the third bull. The -corrida was only in its first half, and they really could not give it -up. - -Through the great doorway came the noise of the crowd and the sound of -music. - -The banderillero felt a fierce hatred arise in his heart for everything -surrounding him; a disgust and aversion to his profession and to those -who maintained it. - -He thought of the bull who was now being dragged out of the arena, with -his neck burnt and bloody, his legs stiff and his glassy eyes gazing up -at the sky. - -Then he thought of the friend lying dead a few paces from him, only the -other side of a brick wall. His limbs also rigid, his stomach ripped -open, and a mysterious dull light shining through his half open eyelids. - -Poor bull! Poor espada!... And suddenly, as noisy cries of delight burst -out in the circus applauding the continuation of the spectacle, El -Nacional closed his eyes and clenched his fists. - -It was the roaring of the wild beast, the true and only one. - - - - -GLOSSARY - - -As certain Bull-fighting terms have no possible English equivalents, a -short explanatory glossary is appended, but the Spanish terms will be -used throughout the book. - - - _Alguacil._--Policeman. In this case a kind of steward of the ring - and master of the ceremonies. - - _La Alternativa._--Ceremony in the bull-ring by which a rising - torero is recognised by his superiors as a finished matador, and - henceforward he ranks with them as a master of his profession. - - _Aficion._--The sport, bull-fighting more especially. Ford and Sir - Richard Burton translate this as "the fancy," the "fraternity." - - _Aficionados._--Devotees of the sport--amateurs--patrons. - - _Banderilla._--Darts stuck into the bull's neck. - - _Banderillero._--Man who fixes the darts into the bull. - - _Cuadrilla._--The matador's troupe, composed of two banderilleros, - two picadors on horseback, three peons on foot, and one dagger man. - The discipline is most severe, implicit obedience being exacted. - - _Capea._--A bull run consisting merely of dexterous cape play, in - which no horses are employed, and the bull is not killed except at - the owner's wish. The capeas on the Saints' day festivals in - different villages are the practising grounds of young toreros. - - _Corrida._--Any sort of bull-fight, whether officially recognised, - as in the large bull-rings, or merely the baiting of young bulls - and calves at capeas. - - _Cogida._--Any sort of injury received during a - bull-fight--literally "a catching." - - _Diestro, Torero, Espada, Matador._--Synonymous terms for the - matador who kills the bulls with his rapier. - - _Fiesta._--Any popular holiday, whether of the Church or otherwise. - - _Ole._--Hurrah! Well done! - - _Novillo._--Young bull up to four years old. - - _Novillada._--Baiting of young bulls, as at the capeas. - - _Novillero._--The young toreros who bait the young bulls. - - _Picador._--A man on horseback who attacks the bull with a lance. - - - - -+-------------------------------------------------+ -|Transcriber's note: | -| | -|Obvious typographic errors have been corrected. | -| | -+-------------------------------------------------+ - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLOOD AND SAND*** - - -******* This file should be named 54222.txt or 54222.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/4/2/2/54222 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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