ntre of the
ring and bowed ceremoniously to the ladies in the boxes. Then he bowed
to the bull. Then he bowed to Pepito. While he was bowing to Pepito's
assistant the bull started to rush at him from behind.

"Look out! Look out!--The bull! You will be killed!" yelled the crowd.

But the Doctor calmly finished his bow. Then turning round he folded
his arms, fixed the on-rushing bull with his eye and frowned a terrible
frown.

Presently a curious thing happened: the bull's speed got slower and
slower. It almost looked as though he were afraid of that frown. Soon
he stopped altogether. The Doctor shook his finger at him. He began to
tremble. At last, tucking his tail between his legs, the bull turned
round and ran away.

The crowd gasped. The Doctor ran after him. Round and round the ring
they went, both of them puffing and blowing like grampuses. Excited
whispers began to break out among the people. This was something new in
bullfighting, to have the bull running away from the man, instead of the
man away from the bull. At last in the tenth lap, with a final burst of
speed, Juan Hagapoco, the English matador, caught the poor bull by the
tail.

Then leading the now timid creature into the middle of the ring, the
Doctor made him do all manner of tricks: standing on the hind legs,
standing on the front legs, dancing, hopping, rolling over. He finished
up by making the bull kneel down; then he got on to his back and did
handsprings and other acrobatics on the beast's horns.

Pepito and his assistant had their noses sadly out of joint. The crowd
had forgotten them entirely. They were standing together by the fence
not far from where I sat, muttering to one another and slowly growing
green with jealousy.

Finally the Doctor turned towards Don Enrique's seat and bowing said in
a loud voice, "This bull is no good any more. He's terrified and out of
breath. Take him away, please."

"Does the caballero wish for a fresh bull?" asked Don Enrique.

"No," said the Doctor, "I want five fresh bulls. And I would like them
all in the ring at once, please."

At this a cry of horror burst from the people. They had been used to
seeing matadors escaping from one bull at a time. But FIVE!--That must
mean certain death.

Pepito sprang forward and called to Don Enrique not to allow it, saying
it was against all the rules of bullfighting. ("Ha!" Polynesia chuckled
into my ear. "It's like the Doctor's navigation: he breaks all the
r