 | Lady Layard’s Journal Go to a Date Search the Journal |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |
18 April 1870 — Madrid | |
Monday. 18th [April 1870]. In the morning I read Mme d’Aulnoy’s Voyage & Espagne & wrote some letters. At 4 Mme Bauer came to fetch me & the Genl & we drove to the Plaza de Toros & met the M & S. & Henry & Mr Cole at the Bauers box & Mr Alfred Weil (Mr Bauer’s nephew) I arranged with him that he should take me out to the carriage as soon as I asked to go. We were just in time & before the procession came in I had 8 minutes to look round the enclosure & see the mass of people there being about 14000 present. The President was in a box & there were private boxes all round. Our side happened to be in the shade & it was a curious sight to see on the opposite side the hundreds of coloured fans wh people held to shade them from the sun & wh are according to the fashion round & mostly of 2 different coloured papers [The author has drawn a fan.] & I saw them being sold at the door. Soon a door exactly opposite us opened & forth came the procession of matadors picadors &c. A gang under the President’s box bowed & asked leave to fight the Bull. They then jumped into the inner barrier except 2 men on horse back who remained & the 2 sets of mules who were to be used to drag out the dead animals, who were also driven away. Then one of the Picadors rode under the President’s box & asked for the keys of the bulls den, wh he threw into his hat & the door was at once unlocked & opened from above & the Bull rushed in & seemed quite dazed– I immediately got up & claimed Mr Weil’s promise & he took me to the carriage & I went home. Henry said afterwards he stayed to see the 1st Bull killed but he & Mr Cole were so disgusted that they then left. It appears that a shout I heard just when I got outside was the first horse killed that the Bull was so furious he returned to the charge & mangled & gored the horse all the time the man being under the horse & in a state of unconsciousness they had some difficulty in diverting the bull & carrying the man out– One of the Matadors soon after very unskillfuly wounded the Bull in such a manner as to disable him & the audience got furious & pelted the man with dirt & oranges & the President not giving the order to have the Bull driven out the people then turned their fury against the President—shrieked at him shook their fists at him & shouted that he did not know his business. This evening we had a reception and had a good many people Topete, Silvela &c and some music. | |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |