Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

ably. The president alone goes with font
horses to his coach ; but the common vehicle
here is a calash, or kind of vis-a-vis, drawn by
one mule only. Bull-feasts are a common di¬
version here, and they far surpass anything oi
that kind I ever saw at Lisbon, or any where
else. Indeed, it is amazing to see the activity
and dexterity of those who attack the bulls.
It is always done here by those only who fol¬
low it as a trade, for it is too dangerous to be
practised as a diversion; as a proof of which,
it is found that, though some may hold out
longer than others, there are few who con¬
stantly practise it, that die a natural death.
The bulls are always the wildest that can be
brought in from the mountains or forests, and
have nothing on their horns to prevent their
piercing a man the first stroke, as they have
at Lisbon. I have seen a man, when the bull
came at him with the utmost fury, spring di¬
rectly over the beast’s head, and perform this
feat several times, and at last jump on his back,
and there sit a considerable time, the bull the
whole time attempting every means to throw
him. But though this practitioner was suc¬
cessful, several accidents happened while I
was there. The ladies, at these feasts, are