第10章 THE MADNESS OF JOHN HARNED(5)

Ordonez stepped in front of the bull and lowered his scarlet cloth to the ground.The bull would not charge.He stood still and smelled the cloth, lowering his head to do so.Ordonez stabbed between the horns at the spot in the neck.The bull jerked his head up.The stab had missed.Then the bull watched the sword.When Ordonez moved the cloth on the ground, the bull forgot the sword and lowered his head to smell the cloth.Again Ordonez stabbed, and again he failed.He tried many times.It was stupid.And John Harned said nothing.At last a stab went home, and the bull fell to the sand, dead immediately, and the mules were made fast and he was dragged out.

"The Gringos say it is a cruel sport--no?" said Luis Cervallos.

"That it is not humane.That it is bad for the bull.No?""No," said John Harned."The bull does not count for much.It is bad for those that look on.It is degrading to those that look on.It teaches them to delight in animal suffering.It is cowardly for five men to fight one stupid bull.Therefore those that look on learn to be cowards.The bull dies, but those that look on live and the lesson is learned.The bravery of men is not nourished by scenes of cowardice."Maria Valenzuela said nothing.Neither did she look at him.But she heard every word and her cheeks were white with anger.She looked out across the ring and fanned herself, but I saw that her hand trembled.Nor did John Harned look at her.He went on as though she were not there.He, too, was angry, coldly angry.

"It is the cowardly sport of a cowardly people," he said.

"Ah," said Luis Cervallos softly, "you think you understand us.""I understand now the Spanish Inquisition," said John Harned.

"It must have been more delightful than bull-fighting."Luis Cervallos smiled but said nothing.He glanced at Maria Valenzuela, and knew that the bull-fight in the box was won.

Never would she have further to do with the Gringo who spoke such words.But neither Luis Cervallos nor I was prepared for the outcome of the day.I fear we do not understand the Gringos.How were we to know that John Harned, who was so coldly angry, should go suddenly mad! But mad he did go, as you shall see.The bull did not count for much--he said so himself.

Then why should the horse count for so much? That I cannot understand.The mind of John Harned lacked logic.That is the only explanation.

"It is not usual to have horses in the bull-ring at Quito,"said Luis Cervallos, looking up from the program."In Spain they always have them.But to-day, by special permission we shall have them.When the next bull comes on there will be horses and picadors-you know, the men who carry lances and ride the horses.""The bull is doomed from the first," said John Harned."Are the horses then likewise doomed!""They are blindfolded so that they may not see the bull," said Luis Cervallos."I have seen many horses killed.It is a brave sight.""I have seen the bull slaughtered," said John Harned "I will now see the horse slaughtered, so that I may understand more fully the fine points of this noble sport.""They are old horses," said Luis Cervallos, "that are not good for anything else.""I see," said John Harned.

The third bull came on, and soon against it were both capadors and picadors.One picador took his stand directly below us.Iagree, it was a thin and aged horse he rode, a bag of bones covered with mangy hide.

"It is a marvel that the poor brute can hold up the weight of the rider," said John Harned."And now that the horse fights the bull, what weapons has it?""The horse does not fight the bull," said Luis Cervallos.

"Oh," said John Harned, "then is the horse there to be gored?

That must be why it is blindfolded, so that it shall not see the bull coming to gore it.""Not quite so," said I."The lance of the picador is to keep the bull from goring the horse.""Then are horses rarely gored?" asked John Harned.

"No," said Luis Cervallos."I have seen, at Seville, eighteen horses killed in one day, and the people clamored for more horses.""Were they blindfolded like this horse?" asked John Harned.

"Yes," said Luis Cervallos.

After that we talked no more, but watched the fight.And John Harned was going mad all the time, and we did not know.The bull refused to charge the horse.And the horse stood still, and because it could not see it did not know that the capadors were trying to make the bull charge upon it.The capadors teased the bull their capes, and when it charged them they ran toward the horse and into their shelters.At last the bull was angry, and it saw the horse before it.

"The horse does not know, the horse does not know," John Harned whispered to himself, unaware that he voiced his thought aloud.

The bull charged, and of course the horse knew nothing till the picador failed and the horse found himself impaled on the bull's horns from beneath.The bull was magnificently strong.