movement. In these moments you may be sure Guerrita is deciding on the nature and even the number of the pases de muleta he means to employ. When his mind is made up, and Hermit has been suitably circumnavigated, the matador thrusts out the engaño on his left, holding it in his left hand, and almost brushing it against his victim's nose. He is now said to be empapando, or smothering the bull's face with the red cloth. Hermit, dropping his head, charges the muleta. To all appearances he is oblivious of the man, who, without moving his feet, raises the cloth, and sweeps it backwards, followed by the bull, both bicho and trapo describing with infinite swiftness a small portion of a circle. This manœuvre is the pase natural, and Guerrita, always with the same sure-footedness and calm, repeats it no less than seven times. The vigilant, reflexive dexterity of the human, as opposed to the blind, impetuous savagery of the brute, seems to have left the latter completely stunned and silly; but any aficionado will tell you that Hermit carries his head too low; so the diestro gives him a couple pases por alto, lifting the muleta at each sweep over and across the horns, and when he finds him to be sufficiently cuadrado, with fore and hind legs properly set together, and head at the desired elevation, prepares for the volapié. Lifting in his right hand the gleaming estoque to the level of his shoulder, and aiming, by running his eye along the blade, for all the world as though he were sighting a rifle, at the scientific point on the top of the bull's neck, with his left hand he extends the muleta beyond his right side, under his sword arm, and perfilándose with his body, that is,

planting himself sideways in the same line with the bull's length, delivers the thrust at the same juncture that he darts forward, smothering as he does so, Hermit's face with the muleta, and giving the animal the salida on his right, at the identical instant that he himself escapes to his left. The estocada, in the hands of so consummate a classic, is naturally perfection's self, and the only visible vestige of the weapon is the cruz, or hilt, peeping from the flesh, deluged with welling crimson, of the victim. Yet even thus it is a matter of a good many moments before the vanquished falls to earth-se echa. First of all the peones dash forward, and throwing out their capotes, whirl him alternately to right and left, but this is resented by the spectators as a violation of fair play, and Guerrita again steps forth to execute the descabello. Newly confronting his foe, he dazes him by a number of short sharp pases known as de pitón á pitón, and carefully taking aim, almost by feeling with the point of the estoque for the spot desired, namely, the base of the brain, delivers one vicious little dig, and over rolls the valorous but unfortunate cornúpeto. The indispensable "wise monkeys" harness his stiffening remains for the arrastre, the banderillas are dragged out, likewise the estoque, the peones withdraw to the estribo, and the incomparable Guerrita, after repeating, this time without the rhetoric, his salute to the president, moves triumphantly round the ring to the inspiriting strains, emitted by the Hospicio Band, of a popular tango, and the frenzied acclamations of his worshippers. Quite a warehouse of hats is thrown down to him, and cigars galore. The latter he disdains to

grope for, leaving them to an attendant peón; but he gathers up the headgear, sends it with his own hand spinning back to its proprietor, and even takes a quarter of a mouthful from a bota, obsequiously lowered from a tendido. If ever in this weary world a mortal be capable of unalloyed contentment, that mortal must be Rafael Guerra (Guerrita). He has achieved an estocada monumental, as well as an immaculate descabello á pulso, and for the time being he is the most conspicuous and the most applauded man in Europe.

It is a pity that Hermit, the crimson puddle on his morrillo already beginning to clot and darken, and kicking his toes nonchalantly in air, is past appreciating the dignity conferred upon him in dragging him out the last of all the victims,* and after the fragments (broken meats, with a vengeance) of the horses have preceded him to glory and the desolladero. For here is a mark of distinction in exacting which the Madrid público is absolutely inflexible. There is no commiseration for Hermit while he lives; but dead-observe the delicacy of the ideal his figure ceases to be bestial, and becomes heroic. And so the jangling teams of mules come in and gallop out, and first one penco is made fast to them, and secondly the other; and then, with never a salute or word of thanks, ungrateful Hermit is the last to disappear.

The first bull, then, is fought and killed; and the same general procedure will be adopted with the five remaining. Of course the incidents and

* Except, of course, wherever the contingency should arise, a biped.