midnight
He rejoiced in terrifying the servants of the tavern with his friendly greetings ; terrible hand-clasps that made the bones crack and drew shrieks of terror . He smiled , proud of his strength and proud to be called `` brute , '' and seated himself before his meal , a plate the size of a dishpan , full of meat and potatoes , besides a jug of wine . He tended the bulls acquired by the manager , sometimes in the pasture grounds of Muñoza , or , when the heat was excessive , in the meadows among the Guadarramas . He brought them to the enclosure two days before the _ corrida _ , at midnight , crossing the arroyo Abroñigal , at the outskirts of Madrid , accompanied by horsemen and cowboys . He was in despair when bad weather prevented the bull-fight and the herd had to remain in the plaza , and he could not return immediately to the tranquil solitudes where he pastured the other bulls . Slow of speech , dull of thought , this centaur who smelled of hide and hay expressed himself with warmth when he talked of his pastoral life herding wild beasts . The sky of Madrid seemed to him narrow and to have fewer stars .