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Connolly, James Brendan, 1868-1957

"Wide Courses"


"Juan spurred his horse, waved the scarlet cape aloft, took up a new
position, and the people cheered. And again cheered as the bull charged,
for once more Juan was safe away. Oh, Juan was the brave one! And Juan
looked toward the other bull-fighters, as if to say: 'And now is not
this Argentine a horse to talk about?' And that horse Juan patted and
whispered to, and laughed and sang to him; and with the reins taut in
the left hand and the flaming cape always in his right, he did as he
pleased with that bull. He talked to the bull, too, but differently--he
knew how--to make him angry, and the bull frothed and tore up the sand
to get at him, and a dozen times it looked as if the bull would bowl
over and gore both the horse and Juan, but always just in time Juan
flashed the red cape, and always he and the wonderful horse would come
safe away. Juan was certainly the champion horseman of all that Cogan
had ever seen. And when Juan rode out of the ring and the bull stood
there and looked after him, bewildered like, Cogan didn't half blame
him, for the pair of them, Juan and his horse, certainly made a tough
combination.
"And then into the ring came the capeadors on foot. Cogan took part with
these. They were to play the bull on foot as Juan had been playing him
on horseback, but instead of one there were eight of them in the ring
together.


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