Montes the Matador | Page 5

in
between him and the bull, and then called to the bull, and went slowly
up to him where he was shaking his head and pawing the ground. He
was very angry, but he knew the difference between us quite well, and
he let me come close to him without rushing at me, and then just shook
his head to show me he was still angry, and soon began to feed quietly.
In a moment or two I left him and went back to my father. He had got
off the pony and was white and trembling, and he said, "'Are you hurt?'
"And I said laughing, 'No: he didn't want to hurt me. He was only
showing off his temper.'
"And my father said, 'There's not a man in all Spain that could have
done that!
You know more than I do--more than anybody.'
"After that he let me do as I liked, and the next two years were very
happy ones. First came the marriage of my second sister; then the
eldest one was married, and they were both good matches. And the
bulls sold well, and my father had less to do, as I could attend to the
whole herd by myself. Those were two good years. My mother seemed
to love me more and more every day, or I suppose I noticed it more,
and she praised me for doing the lessons she gave me; and I had more
and more time to study as the herd got to know me better and better.
"My only trouble was that I had never seen the bulls in the ring. But
when I found my father was willing to take me, and 'twas mother who
wanted me not to go, I put up with that, too, and said nothing, for I
loved her greatly. Then of a sudden came the sorrow. It was in the late
winter, just before my fifteenth birthday. I was born in March, I think.
In January my mother caught cold, and as she grew worse my father
fetched the doctor, and then her father and mother came to see her, but
nothing did any good. In April she died. I wanted to die too.
"After her death my father took to grumbling about the food and house
and everything. Nothing my sister could do was right. I believe she

only married in the summer because she couldn't stand his constant
blame. At any rate she married badly, a good-for-nothing who had
twice her years, and who ill-treated her continually. A month or two
later my father, who must have been fifty, married again, a young
woman, a labourer's daughter without a duro. He told me he was going
to do it, for the house needed a woman. I suppose he was right. But I
was too young then to take such things into consideration, and I had
loved my mother. When I saw his new wife I did not like her, and we
did not get on well together.
"Before this, however, early in the summer that followed the death of
my mother, I went for the first time to see a bull-fight. My father
wanted me to go, and my sister, too; so I went. I shall never forget that
day. The chulos made me laugh, they skipped about so and took such
extra-good care of themselves; but the banderilleros interested me.
Their work required skill and courage, that I saw at once; but after they
had planted the banderillas twice, I knew how it was done, and felt I
could do it just as well or better. For the third or fourth banderillero
made a mistake! He didn't even know with which horn the bull was
going to strike; so he got frightened, and did not plant the banderillas
fairly--in fact, one was on the side of the shoulder and the other didn't
even stick in. As for the picadores, they didn't interest me at all. There
was no skill or knowledge in their work. It was for the crowd, who
liked to see blood and who understand nothing. Then came the turn of
the espada. Ah! that seemed splendid to me. He knew his work I
thought at first, and his work evidently required knowledge, skill,
courage, strength--everything. I was intensely excited, and when the
bull, struck to the heart, fell prone on his knees, and the blood gushed
from his nose and mouth, I cheered and cheered till I was hoarse. But
before the games were over, that very first day, I saw more than one
matador make a mistake. At first I thought I must be wrong, but soon
the event showed I was right. For the matador hadn't even got the bull
to stand square when he tried