An expert _banderillero_ will sit on a chair and await the rush of _toro_. The agility and daring of these performers is very extraordinary. If the bull is apathetic, drastic means are used to stir his anger. The _banderillas de fuego_, or fire darts, are used to arouse his fury. These instruments of irritation are provided with explosives, which startle and infuriate the bull with their noise and their sting. Now and then, a nimble and frenzied bull, when pursuing a _banderillero_, will even leap over the high barrier of the arena, causing tremendous consternation among the spectators. Sometimes a plucky bull-fighter grows bolder, and dares the bull by every imaginable device until, in a fatal moment, he receives a thrust of the horn, and falls bleeding to the ground.
Before entering the perilous arena, the _toreros_ receive the sacrament from the priest who is always in attendance at bull-fights. During the _corrida_ the _padre_ remains in waiting in the chapel of the Plaza de Toros, ready to minister, if need be, to a fighter borne dying from the scene.
The last great act in the drama is the _suerte de matar_. It is then that the _espada_ steps into the ring, carrying his red cloth over one arm, while the other arm is engaged with the sword. Bowing to the President, the _espada_ turns around and faces the bull, who is now somewhat fatigued from his exercise in chasing the _banderilleros_ and butting at the horses of the _picadores_. The bull, whose neck bristles with the darts, stands slowly moving his tail, and staring at his new aggressor in sullen anger. Waving the _muleta_, or red cloth, the _espada_ advances to _toro_, and impudently flutters the cloth in his face. The bull charges; the _muleta_ receives his horns, and is tossed in the air, while the _espada_ skips aside. Again and again the bull attempts to impale the man, but only succeeds in striking the _muleta_. Baffled and exasperated, _toro_ pauses as though in sober reflection. How can he outwit that smiling, calm assailant who fixes him with an insolent stare? The bull walks round and round the motionless _espada_, trying, as it were, to find a weak point for a charge, but the swordsman follows every movement with a shrewd and practised eye, and even divines what ruse the bull intends to adopt.