Directly behind the espadas or matadores march their servants, for each of these celebrities has his own valet who attends him in the ring as well as out of it. The servants carry their master's cloaks, in which the bull fighter wraps himself until it comes his turn to despatch the bull.

The procession marches across the arena and halts before the royal box. In the adjoining box sits the Alcalde, the master of ceremonies, and to him a request is made for the key with which to unlock the cells containing the bellowing bulls already goaded to anger by being tormented by attendants. The Alcalde tosses down the key and the official who has caught it proceeds to the door of one of the cells and throws it wide open.

There is a grand flourish of trumpets and the angry bull comes bounding into the arena, his eyes red with anger and his head shaking with wrath. He stops and glares at the toreros and paws the ground, throwing the tan bark high in the air. It is a peculiarity of these bulls that they either select the horsemen as the special objects of their hatred and pursue them throughout the fight, or else they will ignore the horsemen entirely and concentrate all their maddened energy upon the banderilleros.

In a recent fight graphically described it happened that the bull charged upon a picador. The picador plunged his lance into the animal's shoulders, but was unable to hold him at bay. The bull buried his horns in the horse's barrel and disemboweled him, bringing horse and rider to the ground. The capadores quickly threw their cloaks over the bull's head and tantalized him until he was completely disconcerted, and charged aimlessly about the ring. Then came the most disgusting and brutal part of the exhibition. The horse had not been killed, although mortally wounded. The wound was plugged up and another picador put upon his back.

Sometimes it happens that the horses, scenting the bulls, although they cannot see them, will be so terror-stricken that they will rear upon their hind legs. This is the bull's opportunity, and he is quick to take advantage of it. Plunging his horns into the horse he lifts him clear from the ground, carries him a moment and tosses him to the earthdead, or too badly crippled to rise. Sometimes as many as a dozen horses are slain in an encounter with one bull.

When the picadores have finished their part of the work, the banderilleros engage the animal. Theirs is the most skillful part of the work of torturing the poor beast. The dart must be thrown to strike on the upper side of the bull's neck. In order to do this the banderillero must approach the bull directly from the front; in fact,he must almost place his arm between the bull's horns in order to strike in the proper place. It is the most dangerous part of the work and requires great courage and agility. It sometimes happens that a banderillero is caught upon the horns of the animal and tossed into the air, but such fatalities are rare. When they do happen, however, the spectators shout and howl their approval.

When the banderillero has completed his work the espada or matador comes forward to put the fatal finishing touches upon the affair. He has been an interested spectator of all that has passed and has had an opportunity to estimate the courage and intelligence of the animal he is to despatch.

Gracefully removing his cloak he hands it to his valet and then approaches the royal box. Removing his cap, he bows and asks permission to slay the bull. This is granted, and he then approaches the enraged animal for the final scene in the gory spectacle. In one hand he carries a little flag attached to a stick, called a muleta. This he uses to divert the attention of the bull. In the other he carries his two-edged sword. As man and beast confront each other, one is reminded of the American prize fight, where the antagonists study each other, looking for a weak point to attack.

The espada waves his muleta in front of the bull's eyes and the ani mal charges straight upon him. It seems as if there were no escape, but he steps nimbly aside and smiles at the spectators, who applaud his agility. Again and again this is repeated, but presently the sought-for opportunity arrives, and as the bull passes him the espada buries his sword to the hilt in the animal's neck at the base of the skull, and the poor beast, covered with blood and foam, sinks down and expires.

A great shout goes up and the espada smilingly bows his acknowledgment of the spectators' approval.

The closing scene of the spectacle is given when a team of gaily caparisoned mules is brought into the arena, and the bull is dragged out at a gallop.

CHAPTER XXXV.

BEAUTIFUL PORTO RICO.

THE HEALTHIEST AND MOST ATTRACTIVE OF UNCLE SAM'S
NEW POSSESSIONS-IMPORTANT FACTS IN ITS HIS-
TORY, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF ITS WONDER-
FUL RESOURCES.

ORTO RICO, the most beautiful island of the Antilles, which was ceded to the United States by the Spanish-American treaty at Paris, 1898, is situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, east of Haiti, from which it is separated by the Mona Passage. Haiti lies between it and Cuba. Porto Rico is 95 miles long and 35 broad, with an area of about 3,600 square miles, or nearly three-fourths the size of the State of Connecticut (4,990 square miles), and considerably larger than that of the States of Delaware and Rhode Island, which aggregate 3,300 square miles. The island has always been noted for its mineral and agricul tural wealth; hence the Spanish name, which, in English, means "rich harbor."

Porto Rico, or Puerto Rico (the Spanish name), was discovered by Columbus on his second voyage, November 16, 1493. The discoverer first sighted land near Cape San Juan and for three days sailed along the northern coast, landing at Aguadilla. The richness and fertility of the island caused him to name it Puerto Rico or "rich port." He saw little or nothing of the natives, who fled at his approach, believing that they were about to be attacked.

The actual conquest of the island was made in 1510, two years after his first visit, by Juan Ponce De Leon, Governor of the Island of Haiti, then known as Hispaniola. He won the confidence of the natives and landed an expedition to subjugate them. The Spanish conquest of Porto Rico was marked by the bloodshed and cruelty that has characterized Spanish conquest in all parts of the Western world. Natives were slaughtered, or condemned to slavery. The colonization

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of Porto Rico by Spaniards then followed, and to-day there is scarcely a trace of aboriginal blood in the islands.

The aboriginal population numbered about 600,000; they were copper-colored, though somewhat darker than the Indians of the North American continent. The aborigines called the island Boringuen and themselves Boringuenans.

Physically, Porto Rico is a continuation of the emerged lands of Haiti. It is very mountainous, the altitudes ranging from 1,500 to 3,600 feet, and among the rocks coralligenous limestones predominate. All lands exposed to the northeast trade winds have abundant rains. The mean temperature at the city of San Juan is 80.7 degrees F. In January and February it is 76.5 degrees, and in July and August, 83.2 degrees. The island is known as the most healthful of the Antilles. There are no reptiles and no wild animals, except rats, which are numerous. The hills are covered with tropical forests and the lands are very productive. The streams are numerous and some of them are navigable to the foothills.

AGRICULTURAL AND MINERAL RESOURCES.

The most flourishing plantations of Porto Rico are situated on the littoral plains and in the valleys of rivers which, says Longman's Gazetteer, are "intensely cultivated.” The principal products are sugar, molasses, coffee, tobacco; then maize, rice, cotton, tobacco, hides, dyewoods, timber, and rice. Coffee is produced to the extent of over 16,000 tons per annum, and the annual sugar production averages 67,000 tons.

The forests abound in mahogany, cedar, ebony, dyewoods, and a great variety of medicinal and industrial plants. All kinds of tropical fruits are found. An average of 190,000,000 bananas, 6,500,000 oranges, 2,500,000 cocoanuts, and 7,000,000 pounds of tobacco is produced an nually.

Sugar cane is cultivated on 61,000 acres, the districts in which it. is produced on the largest scale being Ponce, 6,500 acres; Juan Diaz, 4,000 acres; Vieques, 3,000; Arecibo, 3,000; San German, 2,500. Coffee is cultivated on about 122,000 acres, two-thirds of the whole being in the following districts: Utuado, Las Marias, Adjuntas, Maricao, Ponce, Lares, Mayaguez, Yauco, San Sebastian, Ciales, Barros, and Juan Diaz,

Ponce, Mayaguez, and Arecibo are the provinces which produce more largely than any others in the island. It is estimated that every acre of coffee plantations averages in production 330 pounds. Tobacco is cultivated on over 2,000 acres, and over 1,100,000 acres are devoted to pastures. As these figures change from year to year, they can be given only approximately. The total quantity of "declared lands" in 1894 amounted to 3,171 square miles, and as the total extent of the Island of Porto Rico is some 3,668 square miles, the difference between the rural property and the total area is 497 square miles, which are taken up by the towns, roads, rivers, bays, etc.

The sugar industry was the most important, but, owing to the excessive land tax assessed by the Spanish officials and the growing use of beet sugar, it suffered a marked decline. Then, too, the mills used are equipped with machinery of an obsolete character. All the natural conditions-soil, climate, and labor--are favorable to the culture of this product.

Coffee is also a staple product. The greater part of it was formerly shipped to New York, where it commanded a good price. Much of the. coffee produced is grown by planters of small capital, who make use of the wild and waste lands of the hillsides to grow the berry. They prefer to cultivate coffee on account of the ease with which it can be produced, requiring but little expenditure as compared with the manufacture of sugar and molasses.

Tobacco, which ranks second in quality to that of Cuba, can be produced in great quantities, but the natives are generally careless in guarding against destructive insects and in drying and sorting the leaves. A considerable quantity, both in the form of leaf and manufactured cigars, is exported each year to the United States, England, France, Cuba and Spain. Three qualities are produced: "Capa," which is the leaf of first quality, used for wrappers; "tripa," also a wrapper of medium grade; and "beliche," or ordinary leaf. Tobacco culture is capable of enormous development under favorable circumstances.

A small quantity of cocoa is produced each year. Maize is grown on considerable areas only at times when high prices promise to prevail. Some cotton is also produced. Grass grows luxuriantly and affords pasturage for numerous herds of cattle, nearly all of which are exported. The hides of those consumed on the island are sent to other countries.