“Bulls I Have Fought”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 986, 31 May 1930, Page 20

“Bulls I Have Fought”

!The Reminiscences 2 of Famous Toreador j

,7 van Guerra, the famous Spanish anti fiouth American bull-fighter , tells some . citing stories of the different types of bulls he has met in the bull-ring (From - Pearson's Weekly), » WOULD not care to say how many hulls I have fought during lay career. But I can safely assert that I have killed over a thousand in the rings of Spain, South America and France. Like most young Spanish boys, I always had the ambition to become a bull-fighter, to sense the smell of blood and sand in my nostrils, and to hear the plaudits of the crowd as I finished off my animal. I must have been particularly lucky, for not only was my father agreeable to my taking up bullfighting as a. career, but he also provided me with a bull for practising. X should add that my father was a farmer, and the bull, known to all of us as “Vincente,” was as placid sin animal as ever walked. i remember the day on which I had my first fight with Vincente. Fie was a huge, lumbering fellow with a terrific pair of horns which we carefully padded as a safeguard against accidents. We took him out into a field, and 1 did my utmost to rouse his wrath with a stick, a red cloak, and a pair of darts. I shouted and screamed and stamped my feet. Vincente contentedly munched grass! At last, one of the farm-hands became exasperated and kicked the animal in the side. That was enough for Vincente. He turned and. after a short chase, tossed the unfortunate peasant high Into the air. Thereafter we never had much difficulty in getting the bull to show fight. But I I took care never to damage him to any I great degree. And he in turn never I really harmed me. It was from VinI cente that I learnt the first rudiments j I pf the art of bull-fighting. j

Bulls are usually regarded as unusually stupid animals. Tliis is true only of a placid bull, which, I admit, has not the thinking power of a sheep. An infuriated bull is a different proposition. The moment its anger is raised it becomes a powerful, deathdealing machine, and summons all the resources of its huge strength in its uuest for blood.

Whether this is due 1:o instinct or intelligence I cannot say. But I have fought at least a dozen bulls who have demonstrated that their thinking ability was almost as quick as my own.

The hardest fight I ever had was in a ring at Madrid. To my dying day, I shall believe that the bull in question was possessed of some devil. It is true that in the end I gained the upper hand, but this was only after some hours of desperate fighting. The uncanny intelligence displayed by the animal drew round after round of applause from the onlookers. Yet 1 thought more than once that it had brought about my defeat. Ninety-nine bulls in a hundred will run blindly at any moving object.

' That is why the torero will run unflinchingly to meet the bull, to step carelessly aside at the last moment. On this occasion, I found I had met my match in wits. The bull i-usked at me, then pulled up short, dai'ted round to one side, and tried to attack me from the rear. After successfully countering many of these tactics, I felt my sti'ength failing me! Instead of attacking, I was being attacked. Luckily for me the bull was tiring as well. Suddenly it rushed forward—and slipped. I darted in and thrust home my sword between the shoulder blades before it had time to recover. The sight of that huge animal rolling over

on to its side is one of -the happiest i memories of my life. I can recall another occasion when a bull’s intelligence saved it from death in the ring. That the animal had the usual savoge streak in its nature could not he doubted, for on two occasions it had gored a cow to death. It was a fine specimen, and it was decided to train it for fighting. Friendly Overtures In the course of time it ivas introduced into a bull-ring at Barcelona. I was the torei-o. Somehow or other the animal seemed to guess that if it showed fight it would end by losing its life. So it decided to be on my side! It sat down placidly in the centre of the ring and, when roused to its feet, trotted amiably round the arena. I prodded it, waved my cloak, and implanted my banderillas—the steelpointed darts —into its neck. But all to no purpose. At length I took my sword and prodded the animal gently in the side. The bull turned with a hurt expres- I sion in its eyes, carefully licked the ; small wound, and ran off to the gate i by which it had entered. The jeers j and laughter of the crowd finally ex- j asperated me. and I asked for another i bull. The first animal was sent back • to -the stables for breeding purposes, j