Maera planted his first pair of banderillos sitting down on the edge of the little
step-up that runs around the barrera. He snarled at the bull and as the animal charged
leaned back tight against the fence and as the horns struck on either side of him, swung
forward over the brute's head and planted the two darts in his hump. He planted the next
pair the same way, so near to us we could have leaned over and touched him. Then he went
out to kill the bull and after he had made absolutely unbelievable passes with the little
red cloth of the muleta drew up his sword and as the bull charged Maera thrust. The sword
shot out of his hand and the bull caught him. He went up in the air on the horns of the
bull and then came down. Young Algabeno flopped his cape in the bull's face. The bull
charged him and Maera staggered to his feet. But his wrist was sprained.
With his wrist sprained, so that every time he raised it to sight for a thrust it brought
beads of sweat out on his face, Maera tried again and again to make his death thrust. He
lost his sword again and again, picked it up with his left hand from the mud floor of the
arena and transferred it to the right for the thrust. Finally he made it and the bull
went over. The bull nearly got him twenty times. As he came in to stand up under us at
the barrera side his wrist was swollen to twice normal size. I thought of prize fighters
I had seen quite because they had hurt their hands.
There was almost no pause while the mules galloped in and mitched on to the first bull
and dragged him out and the second came in with a rush. The picadors took the first shock
of him with their bull lances. There was the snort and charge, the shock and the mass
against the sky, the wonderful defense by the picador with his lace that held off the
bull, and then Rosario Olmos stepped out with his cape.
Once he flopped the cape at the bull and floated it around in an easy graceful swing.
Then he tried the same swing, the classic "Veronica," and the bull caught him at the end
of it. Instead of stopping at the finish the bull charged on in. He caught Olmos squarely
with his horn, hoisted him high in the air. He fell heavily and the bull was on top of
him, driving his horns again and again into him. Olmos lay on the sand, his head on his
arms. One of his teammates was flopping his cape madly in the bull's face. The bull
lifted his head for an instant and charged and got his man. Just one terrific toss. Then
he whirled and chased a man just in back of him toward the barrera. The man was running
full tilt and as he put his hand on the fence to vault it the bull had him and caught him
with his horn, shooting him way up into the crowd. He rushed toward the fallen man he had
tossed who was getting to his feet and all alone - Algabeno grabbed him by the tail. He
hung on until I thought he or the bull would break. The wounded man got to his feet and
started away.