at the feet of Mrs. Hel; but, me hobjecting,
Tom explained that it was honly another form
o' compliment.

Rayther to my surprise, Tom did not wish
Mrs. Hel to accompany us, stating that, owing
to the huneven temper of bulls, and to hosses
gittin' in the way, haccidents of a serious
natur' were not unusual. My missis, however,
p'inted out that she had not come all that way
to be left alone; also that her nerves was
good, and that, by taking with her some salts
and sticking-plaster, she might be wery useful
in case of need. So Tom called a coach, and
hoff we went.

The streets leading to the show was one
tremenjious jam. Such a lot of carriage
company I never see! Such a floating o' weils and
fluttering o' fans! Such a capering of hosses
and whiffing of paper cigars! Such gineral
hexcitement as must have been wery gratifying to
the feelins of the stock we was coming
to examine, if they could honly have know'd it
in time!

At last we entered the building, and was
placed in what Tom said were hexlent seats,
reserved for us by Ramirez Vermijo. But
wheer was the pens? There wasn't a livin'
creature wisible, honly about ten thousand
people, hoccupying seats or walking about in
a sanded harea below. Tom, however,
explained that the beasts was hexhibited one at
a time; and, on my remarking that, unless I
was allowed to feel and closely hinspect the
warious animals, I couldn't hoffer an opinion as
was worth anything. Tom merely rejined,
that both he and Ramirez Vermijo would take
it as a favour that I should do so, as hoften as
I saw fit.

Hall on a sudden, a gate was flung open
below. The people as was walking about
himmediately got over the double rails that went
round the place, and took their seats. Then a
percession hentered the harea. Fust came
tour trumpeters, in beautiful hold-fashioned
dresses, with flags 'anging to their
hinstruments; then a gent in a wery tight rich dress,
blue and gold, 'aving a sword in his right
hand, and hover his left arm a large red silk
'ankerchief. ("The mattydoor," said Tom, in
my ear. "Ho," says I, winking.) Hafter the
mattydoor (which was applauded, and bowed
back) come six men on horseback—if 'osses
they might be called—for I wouldn't have
given ten pound for the lot. The men was
all padded down their right sides, as if they'd
broke their right ribs, including the thigh and
leg, and was in splints, according, and carried
pikes hornamented with ribbins. ("Pickadoors,"
whispered Tom. "O, doos they," says
I.) Next their come eight or ten men in
smart jackets, sashes, and knee-breeches, with
little spikes in their hands, likewise with
ribbins; and, lastly, a string o' ten mules,
'arnessed, but not droring anything, and a'most
covered with silver and ribbins. It was
altogether a wery pretty sight, and Mrs. Hel
applauded 'eartily.

When they had marched all round the circle,
a gent in a bright uniform, wery well mounted,
pranced into the ring, stopped in front of the
largest box, made a speech in Spanish, and
'eld out his hat, into which a gentleman,
which, Tom said, was the governor, threw a
big key, hornamented with the heverlasting
ribbins. This the mounted gent 'anded to an
attendant on foot, who went and hopened
another door, and popped be'ind it, while everybody
else got out of the way as quickly as they
could.

Pwish!—Wot a bound!—There was a cloud
of sand and dust, which dispersed, and showed
a bull—hash-grey in color, with short but sharp
horns, p'inting well forrard, on each side of a
head that seemed good half a yard across, and
covered with short thick curling 'air. His eyes
glowed like danger-signals on a railway-line—
he lashed hisself with his tail, and tore deep
trenches in the silo, as if he was diggin' a grave
for the fust as should cross his way!

Mrs. Hel and me was still admiring that
finely-deweloped beast, when two of the men
in splints, mounted on the waluable hosses,
rode right into the ring, hopposite the bull,
and stood stock still, with their pikes pinting
towards him. At fust, he didn't notice them,
being hinterested in the ladies' fans, which
fluttered like a thousand pigeons. I had just
time to whisper, "Bless my soul, Tom, do
they want to haggravate him?" and Tom to
answer, coolly, "Shouldn't vonder," when
—broosh!—the bull was upon the nearest!
The man caught him in the shoulder with his
pike, but the horse, seemingly groggy, reeled
so that I thought both was over. There was
a bust of applause, in the midst of which my
wife huttered a little shriek—and turned pale.

"The blood! The blood! The poor dumb
creeter! why does they provoke him then?"

"Hush, hush, my dear cousin!" said Tom,
'astily. "It don't go in fur. See how the
hother ladies enjyes it?"

And, be ashamed to them, so they did!

By this time the bull had wriggled hisself
off the pike, and, mad with pain and hanger,
made a furious dash at the second horseman,
which received him in the same way.

"Tom, Tom, do you call this a cattle show?"
said my wife, faintly. "I call it a cruel, wicked,
wanton——"

"Well, it brings put their best qualities,
you see," says Tom, lighting a cigarette; "we
judges o' the soundness o' the stock by the way
they bears theirselves under trying
circumstances—Ha!—Bravo, Toro!"

"Bravo, Toro!" shouted thousands o' voices.

The bull, shaking hisself clear, had charged
like lightning on the man's undefended side.
There lay on the ground a shapeless heap,
composed of man and horse, a mass of blood,
and, more shocking still, the entrails of the
fallen quadruped, smoking on the sand.

"Take me out, Hel," gasped my wife, "or
I shall die!"

Tom and I removed her quickly into the air,
and, the faintness passing, put her into a
carriage. I was stepping in, too, but the good
soul whispered me that it would 'ardly be the
right thing to leave Tom alone. So, hafter