Part 11

Perhaps the greatest of all bull-fighters was Frascuelo. The Spaniards declare that no _torero_ has taken his place. Guerra, his rival, was a fine fighter, but he has retired, and lives on his laurels at Cordova. Frascuelo was the leader of what may be called the dare-devil school of bull-fighters. He was always at close quarters with the bull, and he strove to out-do the most daring _espadas_ of his day. Bombita, or Bombita-Chico, is a young _torero_ of great courage and especially popular in Madrid, where he was born.

Mazzantini is now only seen occasionally in the Plaza de Toros. He is a big stalwart man, but past his prime, though he is still esteemed by his admirers as the best fighter in Spain. Conejito, who was wounded in Barcelona in 1903, is another favourite of the public. But the first exponent of bull-fighting is, in the opinion of the majority, the handsome and plucky Fuentes. This _torero_ is not only a proficient _espada_; he plays all the parts in the ring except that of _picador_. Fuentes exercises a weird power over his bulls. He fixes the bull with his keen eyes as he approaches him, and steps backward, slowly followed by the enraged and fascinated _toro_, in whose neck he deliberately sticks a dart. The spell of this man’s eyes has a subtle influence which seems to utterly bewilder a bull. Again and again the bull advances to the attack, only to turn aside from the glare of the _espada’s_ eyes.

The favourite device of Bombita is to kneel on the ground, shaking the _muleta_ in the bull’s face. In such a position it is, of course, almost impossible for the _espada_ to skip aside when the bull charges, and the art of the trick lies in receiving the horns upon the red cloth. Guerra, sometimes called Guerrita, used to allow the bull to pass so close to him that his side was often scratched by the point of the horn.

Every stratagem and feat of the _espada_ in the final _suerte_ of the ring has its technical name, such as _pase de pecho_, _pase natural_, and _paso por alto_, and all these tricks are closely watched and criticised by the vast concourse of spectators. Fuentes has written learnedly upon the theory and practice of his art, describing the various _pases_ minutely. Those who are interested in the literature of the bull-ring will find a complete account of the life of the bull from the placid days of youth upon the plains, down to the last tragic scene in the Plaza, in _Los Toros_, an illustrated pamphlet by E. Contreras y R. de Palacio. Fuller and more advanced “tauromachian” literature may be purchased in Madrid. Among the works of note are Bedoya’s _Historia del Toreo_, _Annales del Toréo_, by Velazquez, and _En la Plaza_, by Pascual Millan. There are several magazines and journals much read by the devotees of the sport, such as _La Lidia_ and _El Toréo_. Bull-fighting is a subject of perennial interest in Madrid, and the _literatura taurina_, issued in the city, would fill many book-shelves.

Pascual Millan describes the bull-fight as “a grand spectacle in which art, bravery, nobility, light, sun, colour, animation, and beauty” all play a part. This writer asserts that the theories of bull-fighting can rarely be carried into practice, as there is nothing stable or fixed in the art. Pepe-Illo, a famous _espada_, wrote a treatise on the conduct of the fighter in the arena, which was highly interesting; but, had his views been put into practice, they would “have excluded every bull-fighter from the arena.” Señor Millan thinks that rules are impossible; that everything done in the ring is the outcome of inspiration on the spur of the moment. Lagartijo sums up the matter thus: “Bull-fighting is very simple: you place yourself in front of the bull, the bull comes and you move away; you do not move away, then the bull moves you away. And there you are.”

The directions as to moving aside when the bull charges are plain enough, and the counsel is obvious. But in the method of avoiding the horns of the bull lies the art of the _espada_, and in this movement he reveals his genius, and displays adroitness, grace, and daring. No proficient performer ever allows _toro_ to chase him about the ring. He bounds aside as the bull bears down upon him, and receives the furious attack of the beast upon the fluttering _muleta_. Sometimes the red cloth is waved aloft, high over the bull’s horns, causing the animal to rear upon his hind legs in a savage effort to wreak his rage on the offending _muleta_. An expert _torero_ knows perfectly well that the bull directs his fury at the fluttering cloth or cloak rather than at the man who manipulates it.

The boldest of bull-fighters, Espartero, stood so pluckily in the path of a charging bull that he was more than once thrown several yards by a violent butt from the beast’s horns. This fighter used to employ his fists upon the bull’s head, and his method was always to fight at the closest quarters. It was said that Espartero suffered more fear of hunger than of death by the horns of a bull; and in his desire for fame and wealth, he continually courted tragedy in the ring and behaved with reckless daring. Espartero was killed in 1894 during a fight with the first bull of the day.

Guerra retired in 1899, and his leave-taking was a source of much regret among the _aficionados_ of bull-fighting, who declared that he was the last of the great _toreros_. Pascual Millan, the chronicler of modern bull-fighting, asserts that the successors of Guerra cannot be compared with him for refinement and grace in their displays. He gives prominence to Antonio Fuentes, “the only one who came into the ring with some foundation, bringing a certain personal note which raised him a few inches above the common level.” Among the living exponents of the art of the _espada_ may be mentioned Torerito, Torres, Reverte, Ronal, Algabeño, and above all, “Bombita.”

The _corrida_ may seem to assume an undue importance in the life of Spain. It is, however, to be regarded as a reflection of the Spanish character, and bull-fighting in Madrid cannot be dismissed as a mere recreation of the mob. Bull-fighting is taken seriously among a serious-minded people, who regard it as one of the great institutions of the country. It is a survival of the warlike temper, a manifestation of the love of courage and the admiration for endurance, and it remains as the last vestige of the traditions of the age of chivalry in Spain.

This intense enthusiasm, this profound interest in the killing of bulls is bewildering to the foreigner, who cannot accept the sport in such a serious spirit. It is almost as grave a matter as a canon of the Church whether an _espada_ wields the sword in accordance with the tradition of the ring. The writers upon bull-fighting are divided into schools of critics and eulogists, who dissect every _pase_ minutely, or extol the “æsthetics” of a finished artist with the darts or the sword. There are volumes of serious literature upon the _lidia_, which amaze the stranger who peruses them. We have nothing like it in the sporting literature of England. Our books upon hunting or racing are not written with all the earnestness and fervour of treatises on matters of faith; but the taurine monographs of Spain are composed in the temper of piety, and the rules of the ring are set down as though they were the articles of a creed. When a famous jockey appears in the street, he is not mobbed by a crowd of admirers; but the _espada_ in Spain is acclaimed everywhere as a great hero and the darling of the people.

Bull-fighting is a deep-rooted passion of the people of Spain, and it has to be reckoned with in any examination of the Spanish character. Its ethics and its sociological significance cannot be discussed here. We must accept the _corrida_, whether we approve of it or not, as one of the chief institutions of the capital of Spain. Madrid is the Mecca of the bull-fighter.

X

CAFÉ LIFE OF THE MADRILEÑOS

In every part of Spain the _café_ is a popular resort and the rendezvous of friends. Here all classes foregather to discuss the news, to criticise the new bull-fighter, to extol a favourite dancer, to transact business, to play at dominoes or draughts, to read the journals, to sip coffee, and to smoke cigarettes. Many hours of each day are dedicated by the Madrileño to the _café_. He goes there as a matter of routine for his morning _refresco_, and again in the evening for his coffee with a dash of spirit.

The _cafés_ are comfortable, and they provide for different classes of customers. They are never decorated in a resplendent manner; but, as Gautier observed, “this want of splendour is amply compensated by the excellence and variety of the refreshments.” Gautier mentions the Café de Levante among others, and this is still a favourite resort of men-about-town. In the Calle de Alcalá are three representative coffee-houses, the Café de Madrid, the Café Suizo, and the Café de Fornos. The Café Inglés is in the Calle de Sevilla. The houses of refreshment in the Puerta del Sol are the resort of all types of Madrid character, from the diplomat to the professional swindler. From nine o’clock in the evening until two in the morning these _cafés_ are thronged. The customary beverage is _café con leche_ (coffee with milk) or black coffee, with a drop of cognac. Light wines and spirits are also provided, but these are used sparingly by the majority of the Madrileños, for, whatever may be the faults of the Spaniard, immoderation in the use of alcohol is certainly not one of them.

To attract the attention of the waiters at the _cafés_, you clap your hands, or make a hissing sound between your closed teeth. The coffee is usually excellent, and the spirit is brought to you in a bottle marked with measures. The crowds in the Madrid _cafés_ lack the picturesqueness of those in some of the smaller towns of Castile, Murcia, and Andalusia, where the dress of the provinces is still worn. You will see no majas in the capital; the grisettes of Madrid cannot be distinguished from the rest of the female population. The _capa_ is, however, still worn by men of almost all ranks, and these, and the broad-brimmed hats, give a touch of the romantic to the throngs in the coffee-houses of the Puerta del Sol.

There are wine-shops and taverns in Madrid, but the seats are not luxurious, and there is no display of carved mahogany and engraved glass, and no separation of the classes. The “accommodation” may be somewhat rude; still the wine is good and cheap, and the tone and atmosphere of the _posada_ are more wholesome than those of the London public-house. A glass of the wine of the country can be bought for a penny in these taverns, and the finest wines cost only a few pence the glass. Immense wine-barrels flank the walls, and there is an array of spirit and fruit syrup bottles behind the counter.

The chief hotels of Madrid are the Hotel de la Paz, Hotel del Universo, the Roma, and the Hotel de Paris. They are centrally situated, and fairly well appointed. The meals are _almuerzo_ and _comida_, corresponding to luncheon and dinner. There is no meal in Spain resembling the hearty English breakfast. The Spaniard takes a cup of chocolate and a dry roll upon rising, and goes about his business or his pleasure until eleven or twelve o’clock, when _almuerzo_, the first real meal of the day, is served.

Some of the Spanish dishes are only palatable to English people after a taste for them has been sedulously cultivated. Many of the viands are flavoured with garlic. The _menu_ for _comida_ consists of soup, fish, an egg dish, meat, sometimes a _puchero_ or stew, and cakes and fruit. Table wine is usually provided free of charge. Every man smokes in the dining-room, both during and after meals.

Among the best restaurants are the Fornos, the Italiano and the Inglés.

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