At this conjuncture a notable _corrida_ occurred at Seville--six _Miurenos_ being listed for the fight. Ricardo Torres (Bombita II.) despatched his first with all serenity and valour; with his second, a magnificent animal worthy of a royal pageant, he would doubtless have comported himself with equal skill but for an extraneous incident. Upon rushing into the arena this bull had at once impaled a foolhardy amateur named Pepín Rodriguez who (quite against all recognised rule) had madly sprung into the ring. The poor fellow was borne out only in time to receive the last religious rite.
At the precise moment when Ricardo stepped forth to meet his foe, the murmur reached his ear--Pepín was dead, and his superstitious soul sank down to zero at that whisper from without. When the critical moment arrived--the popular matador stood pale, nerveless, incapable. Then the scorn of the mighty crowd burst forth in monstrous yells. Ricardo Torres had fallen from the pinnacle of fame to the level of a clumsy beginner. In a moment he was disgraced, his increasing reputation ruined for ever under the eyes of all the world--and that by a _Miureno_ bull. From that moment the fallen star organised his colleagues in open rebellion against the victorious breed.
The line of action adopted was to abuse and libel the incriminated herd. It was urged that the bulls lacked the true qualities of dash and valour and only scored by treachery; and especially insinuated that the young bulls were expressly taught at their _tentaderos_, or trials on the open plains, to discriminate between shadow and substance--in other words, to seek the man and disdain the lure--this naturally making the rôle of matador more dangerous, and double pay was demanded. To outsiders it would appear that on the day when bulls learn this, bull-fighting must cease.
A storm burst that raged all winter--all classes taking part. Spain was rent in twain; press and people, high and low, joined issue in this unseemly wrangle. We cannot here enter into detail of the various schemes, fair and unfair, whereby the bull-fighters' guild sought to justify their action and their demands and to prejudice the terrible _Miurenos_ in the public eye. They were seconded by most professionals of renown, and soon all but seven had joined the league. But the squabble with its resultant lawsuits and sordid financial aspect finally disgusted the public.
