air to the no small discomposure of his Spanish
gravity; but let her once catch a Tartar who will give her the garrote
right well between the ears, and she can behave as well as any body. One
of the best of her riders was Charles the First. How the brute lay
floundering in the dust on the plains of Villalar, turning up the whites
of her eyes, the blood streaming thick from her dishonest nose! There
she lay, the Fleming staring at her, with the garrote in his hand.
That's right, Fleming! give it her again--and withhold the sopa till the
very last extremity.

Then there was Napoleon again, who made her taste the garrote; she was
quiet enough under him, but he soon left her and went to ride other
jades, and his place was filled by those who, though they had no liking
for her, had not vigour enough to bring her down on her side. She is
down, however, at present, if ever she was in her life--blood streaming
from her nose amidst the dust, the whites of her eyes turned up very
much, whilst staring at her with uplifted garrote stands Narvaez.

Yes, there lies Spain, and who can pity her?--she could kick off the kind
and generous Espartero, who, though he had a stout garrote in his hand,
and knew what kind of conditioned creature she was, forbore to strike
her, to his own mighty cost and damage. She kicked off him, and took
up--whom? a regular muleteer, neither more nor less. We have nothing
further to say about him; he is at present in his proper calling, we bear
him no ill-will, and only wish that God may speed him. But never shall
we forget the behaviour of the jade some two years ago. O the yell that
she set up, the true mulish yell--knowing all the time that she had
nothing to fear from her rider, knowing that he would not strike her
between the ears. 'Come here, you scoundrel, and we will make a
bell-clapper of your head, and of your bowels a string to hang it
by'--that was the cry of the Barcelonese, presently echoed in every town
and village throughout Spain--and that cry was raised immediately after
he had remitted the mulct which he had imposed on Barcelona for
unprovoked rebellion. But the mule is quiet enough now; no such yell is
heard now at Barcelona, or in any nook or corner of Spain. No, no--the
Caballero was kicked out of the saddle, and the muleteer sprang up--There
she lies, the brute! _Bien hecho_, _Narvaez_--Don't spare the garrote
nor the mule!

It is very possible that from certain passages