PICADORES.
"The picadores, or mounted men, are on miserable horses, whose eyes are bandaged so that they cannot see the bull; as the animal enters he looks around in astonishment at the horses and their riders, at the capeadores, with their scarlet cloaks to attract the bull's attention, and at the banderilleros, whose duty it is to stick darts in the animal to enrage him. Sometimes the darts have fire-crackers attached in addition to the long ribbons with which they are always ornamented.
THE MATADOR'S TRIUMPH.
"The most cruel part of the performance, and one which generally sickens the foreign spectator, is when the poor, broken-down, and blindfolded horses are gored by the maddened animal which has been brought into the ring only to be killed. The most interesting part of it is when, after killing several horses, and being worried for half an hour by his tormentors, the bull is turned over to the matador, who, after several feints and skilfully avoiding the charges of the animal, plants his sword up to the hilt between the bull's shoulders. The matador is a hero who is worshipped by the populace as much as is the champion base-ball player in the United States, or the jockey in England who wins the Derby. Once in a while a matador is killed by his four-footed adversary; an occurrence of this kind adds interest to the sport, though it may plunge the whole country into grief.
THE FINAL BLOW.
"Next to the matador, the men who run the greatest risk are the picadores, the fellows who fight on horseback. They are protected by leather armor, which impedes their movements, and when a horse is thrown down by the bull they often fall with him, and are unable to extricate themselves. When this occurs, the capeadores, who are also called chulos, endeavor to draw away the bull's attention by waving their cloaks in front of him; the ruse generally succeeds, and the unfortunate picador is assisted out of his dangerous position as quickly as possible. Sometimes the bull will not be diverted from his attack on horse and rider, and it is in such cases that the picador may be gored, perhaps to death. If he is hurt but not killed, the spectators show their appreciation of his bravery by tossing silver dollars into the ring; and a wounded picador has been known to gather up a hatful of these welcome coins before retiring.