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SPECIAL NOTE

John Henry Stonehenge Walsh and Rev. J. G. Wood, the authors of this book, have engaged in whole-cloth plagiarism. Most notably, they have plagiarized significant amounts from John Gaspard le Marchant who wrote his popular military and Broadsword manual 67 years prior.

DEDICATION

Special dedication to my amazing wife Mylinda, my fantastic son Christopher, and my wonderful daughter Allison.

-Kirk Lawson

ARCHERY, FENCING,

AND

BROADSWORD.

ARCHERY, FENCINGAND

BROADSWORD.

BY

S T O N E H E N G E ,

AND THE

REV. J. G. WOOD.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.

LONDON:ROUTLEDGE, WARNE, AND ROUTLEDGE,

FARRINGDON STREET.1863.

CAMDEN PRESS, LONDON.

PREFACE.

THE pursuit of all kinds of manly, sports isso much on the increase in this country, thatno apology is necessary for the productionof this to the practice of some of themost popular of our muscular recreations.

Notwithstanding the almost general adop-tion of the rifle as the national arm, themembers of the different Archery Clubshave not in any way relaxed their efforts toattain that proficiency in the use of thebow which enabled their forefathers to

vi PREFACE.

uphold the honour of England on many ablood-stained field.

The steady progress of the VolunteerMovement has greatly tended to developthe science of Fencing, as well as the skilfuluse of the Broadsword, by adding manyfresh pupils to the hitherto comparativelysmall number of those desirous of emulatingthe feats performed at an Assault of Armsby the renowned swordsmen of of HerMajestys Household Cavalry; As thismanly kind of exercise is, moreover one ofthe most healthy and strengthening pastimesthat can be indulged in, the originators ofour Citizen Army have in thus incident-ally encouraging it, acquired an additionalclaim to the gratitude of their fellow-country-men.

Fortified by the assurances of the growingpopularity of the athletic sports treated of inthis little book, the Publishers have great

PREFACE. vii

confidence in its success, and cordially re-commend it to all who desire to becomepractically acquainted with the arts ofArchery, Fencing, and Broadsword Exer-cise.

Farringdon Street, July, 1863.

CONTENTS OF ARCHERY.

PAGE

IMPLEMENTS OF THE CRAFT. . . . 15The Bow . . . . . 16Bowstrings . . . . . 16The Arrows . . . . 17The Quiver . . . . . 18A Pot to hold Grease for touching the

Glove and String, and a Tassel . 18A Brace for the Arm, and Shooting-Glove 19The Target . . . . . 21A Scoring Card . . . . 21

THE USE OF THE BOW:To Bend and String the Bow . . 21To Unstring the Bow . . . 23Before Using the Bow . . . 23

10 CONTENTS OF ARCHERY.

PAGE

THE USE OF THE BOWcontinued.The General Management of the Bow 24In Selecting the Bow . . . 24In Selecting the Arrows . . . 24In Shooting . . . . . 25In Shooting at the Target . . . 25The Attitude . . . . . 26Methods in Drawing the Bow . . 26Directions to be followed . . . 27TARGET SHOOTING . . . . 28BUTT SHOOTING . . . . 29ROVING . . . . . . 30FLIGHT-SHOOTING . . . . 30CLOUT-SHOOTING . . . . 30CROSS-BOW SHOOTING . . . 31RULES OF ARCHERY MEETINGS . . 31DRESS . . . . . . 34EXPENSES . . . . . 34

CONTENTS OF FENCING.

PAGE

FENCING . . . . . . 39The Guard . . . . . 42Advance . . . . . 44Retreat . . . . 44The Longe . . . . . 44The Recover . . . . . 46The Engage . . . . . 46

PARADES . . . . . . 48Quarte . . . . . . 49Tierce . . . . . . 49Seconde . . . . . 54Demi-Circle . . . . . 54Ocatave. . . . . . 55

CENTRE PARADES . . . . . 56

12 CONTENTS OF FENCING.

PAGE

ATTACKS . . . . . . 58The Straight Thrust . . . . 58The Disengagement . . . 58The One-two . . . . . 59The Beat and Thrust . . . 59The Beat and Disengagement . . 59Cut over the Point . . . . 60Cut over and Disengagement . . 60Double . . . . . . 61All Feints . . . . 62

THE ASSAULT . . . . . 62GENERAL ADVICE . . . . . 63

CONTENTS OF BROADSWORD.

PAGE

BROADSWORD . . . . . 67Positions . . . . . 68

CUTS AND GUARDS . . . . .Cuts . . . . 72Points . . . . . 73Guards . . . . . 75Parry . . . . . 77Hanging Guard . . . . 77Inside Guard . . . . . 78Outside Guard . . . . 79

ATTACK AND DEFENCE . . . . 79Draw Swords . . . . . 80Recover Swords . . . . 82

14 CONTENTS OF BROADSWORD.

PAGE

ATTACK AND DEFENCEcontinuedCarry Swords . . . . . 82Slope Swords . . . . . 84Return Swords . . . . 84

PRACTICES . . . . . . 84Second Practice . . . . 85Third Practice . . . . 86Fourth Practice . . . . 87Fifth Practice . . . . . 88

FORT AND FEEBLE . . . . 89DRAWING CUT . . . . . 89GENERAL ADVICE . . . . . 90

ARCHERY.IMPLEMENTS OF THE CRAFT.

FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE ARCHER the followingimplements are required, which may be obtained atany of the principal makers in Edinburgh or Londonfirst, the bow; secondly, arrows; thirdly, a quiver,pouch, and belt; fourthly, an tassel and grease pot;fifthly, an arm-guard, or brace, and a shooting-glove;

16 ARCHERY.

sixthly, a target or targets; and seventhly, a scoringcard.

THE BOW is the most important article in archery,and also the most expensive. (See Fig. 1.) It isusually from five to six feet in length, made of asingle piece of yew, or of lancewood and hickoryglued together back to back. The former suitsgentlemen the best and the latter being more livelyis better adapted or the short sharp pull of theladies. The wood is gradully tapered, and at eachend is a tip of horn, the one from the upper end (A)being longer than the other or lower one (B). Thestrength of bows is marked in pounds, varying from25 to 80 lbs. Ladies bows from 25 to 40 lbs. instrength, and those of gentlemen from 55 to 80 lbs.One side of the bow is flat, called its back; theother rounded, is called the belly: and nearly inthe middle at D, where the hand should take thehold, it is lapped round with velvet, and that part iscalled the handle. In each of the tips of horn isa notch for the string called the nock.

BOWSTRINGS are made of hemp or flax, the formerbeing the better material; for though at first theystretch more, yet they wear longer, and stand aharder pull as well as being more elastic in theshooting. In applying a fresh string to a bow, becareful in opening it not to break the compositionthat is on it; cut the tie, take hold of the eye,which will be found ready worked at one end, letthe other part hang down, and pass the eye over theupper end of the bow. If for a lady, it may he heldfrom 2 to 2 inches below the nock; if for a gentle-man, half an inch lower, varying it according to the

ARCHERY. 17

length and strength of the bow; then run yourhand along the side of the bow and string to thebottom nook, turn it round that and fix it by thenoose, called the timber noose, taking care not tountwist the string in making it. This noose ismerely a simple turn back and twist without a knot,but it is better seen than described. When strung,a ladys bow will have the string about 5 or 5inches from the belly; and a gentlemans abouthalf an inch more. The part opposite the handle,namely, C, is bound round with waxed silk, in orderto prevent its being frayed by the arrow. As soonas a string becomes too soft and the fibres toostraight, rub it with beeswax, and give it a few

turns in the proper direction, so as to shorten it andtwist its strands at little tighter; a spare stringshould always be provided by the shooter.

THE ARROWS are differently shaped by thevarious markers; some being of uniform thicknessthroughout, while others are protuberant in themiddle; some, again, are larger at the point thanat the feather end, which I believe to be the bestform for shooting; and others are quite the reverse.They are new invariably made of white deal,with points of iron or brass rivetted on, but

C

Fig. 1.

THE BOW.

18 ARCHERY.

generally having a piece of heavy wood spliced onto the deal between it and the point, by whichtheir flight is improved. At the other end (see fig.2) a piece of horn is inserted, in which is a notchfor the string; and they are armed with three feathersglued on, one of which is of a different colour to theothers, and is intended to mark the proper positionof the arrow when place on the sting,this onealways pointing from the bow. These, feathers,properly applied, give a rotary motion to the arrowwhich causes its flight to be straight. They aregenerally from the wing of the turkey or goose.The length and weight vary; the latter beingmarked in sterling silver coin, stamped on the arrowin plain figures. It is usual to paint a crest, or adistinguishing ring or rings, on the arrow just abovethe feathers, by which they may be known inshooting at the target.

THE QUIVER is merely a tin case painted green,and is intended for the security of the arrows whennot in use (fig. 3). The POUCH and BELT (fig. 3)are worn round the waist, and the letter con-tains those arrows which are actually being shot.

A POT TO HOLD GREASE FOR TOUCHING THEGLOVE AND STRING, AND A TASSEL TO wipe thearrows, are hung to the belt, (see fig. 3). Thegrease is composed of deer-suet, or of beef-suet,and beeswax melted together. Instead of a leatherbelt, ladies use a cord and tassels round the waist,to which the pouch, of a different shape to thatadopted by gentlemen, hooked; and this, again,has the grease-pot suspended to it. (See sketch ofladies costume, page 33).

ARCHERY. 19

THE ARM is protected from the blow of thestring by the brace (see fig. 4), a broad guard ofstrong leather buckled on by two straps. A

SHOOTING-GLOVE, also of thin tubes of leather, isattached to the wrist by three flat pieces ending ina circular strap buckled round it. This glove

C 2

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

20 ARCHERY.

Fig. 4.

BRACE AND SHOOTING-GLOVE.

Fig. 5.

THE TARGET.

ARCHERY. 21

prevents that soreness of the fingers which sooncomes on after using the bow without it. (See fig.4.)

THE TARGET consists of a circular thick mat ofstraw covered with canvas, painted in a series ofcircles. It is usually from three feet six inches tofour feet in diameter; the middle is about six oreight inches in diameter, gilt, and called thegold, the next is called the red, after whichcomes the inner white, then the black, andfinally, the outer white. These targets aremounted upon triangular stands, at distances apartof from 50 to 100 yards; 60 being the usualshooting distance. (See fig. 5.)

A SCORING-CARD is provided with columns foreach colour, which are marked with a pin, as hereindicated. The usual score for a gold hit, 9; thered 7 ; inner white, 6 ; black, 3, and outer white, 1.

THE USE OF THE BOW.

TO BEND AND STRING THE BOW properly, thefollowing directions will be serviceable, and theyoung archer should pay particular attention tothem, since a neglect of these cautions will oftenlead to a fracture of the bow by bending it thewrong way:

Take the bow by the handle (fig. 1.) in theright hand.

Place the bottom end (B) upon the ground,

22 ARCHERY.

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ARCHERY. 23

resting against the hollow of the inside of the rightfoot, keeping the flat side of the bow (called theback) towards your person; the loft foot should beadvanced a little, and the right placed so that thebow cannot slip sideways.

Place the heel of the left hand upon the upperlimb of the bow, below the eye of the string. Now,while the fingers and thumb of the left hand slidethis eye towards the notch in the horn, and theheel pushes the limb away from the body, the righthand pulls the handle towards the person, and thusresists the action of the left, by which the bow isbent, and at the same time the string is slipped intothe nock, as the notch is termed.

Take care to keep the three outer fingers freefrom the string, for if the bow should slip from thehand, and the string catch them, they will beseverely pinched. If shooting in frosty weather,worm the bow before a fire, or by friction with awoollen cloth. If the bow has been lying by for along time, it should be well rubbed with boiledlinseed oil before using it.

TO UNSTRING THE BOW, hold it as in stringing;then press down the upper limb exactly as before,and as if you wished to place the eye of the stringin a higher notch; this will loosen the string andliberate the eye, when it must be lifted out of thenook by the forefinger, and suffered to slip down thelimb.

BEFORE USING THE BOW, hold it in a perpen-dicular direction, with the string towards you, andsee if the line of the string cuts the middle of thebow; if not, shift the eye and noose of the string

24 ARCHERY.

to either side, so as to make the two linescoincide. This precaution prevents a very commoncause of defective shooting, which is the result ofan uneven string throwing the arrow on one side.AFTER USING IT, unstring it; and if a large partyis shooting, after every end it should he liberatedfrom its state of tension; but in this respect thereis a great difference in different bows, some goodones soon getting cast from their true shape, andothers, though inferior bows, bearing any ordinaryamount of tension without damage.

THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE BOWshould be on the principle that damp injures it, andthat any loose floating ends interfere with its shoot-ing. It should, therefore, he kept well varnished,and in a waterproof case, and it should be carefullydried after shooting in damp weather. If there are anyends hanging from the string cut them off prettyclose, and see that the whipping in the middle of thestring is close and well-fitting. The case should hehung up against a dry internal wall, not too nearfire.

IN SELECTING THE BOW, be careful that it isnot too strong for your power, and that you candraw the arrow to its head without any tremblingof the hand. If this cannot be done after a littlepractice, the bow should he changed for a weakerone, for no arrow will go true if it is discharged bya trembling hand.

IN SELECTING ARROWS, be careful that they arenot too long. For a bow of 5 feet 10 inches, thearrows should be about 2 feet 4 inches in length.

ARCHERY. 25

For a ladys bow of 4 foot 10 inches, the arrowshould measure about 2 feet.

IN SHOOTING, keep the longer limb of the bowupwards, as the bow is liable to be broken if usedthe other way, and the wrapping of the string doesnot coincide with the upper part of the handle.Bows may be broken either from the above circum-stance, or by overdrawing them, or by snapping thestring without an arrow in it, or by the stringbreaking, and if a bow stands all these trials, it isto be prized as a sound and good bit of stuff.

After an arrow has been shot into the target orthe ground, be particularly careful to withdraw it.by laying hold close to its head, and by twisting itround as it is withdrawn in the direction of its axis.Without this precaution it may be easily bent orbroken.

IN SHOOTING AT THE TARGET, the first thing tobe done is TO NOCK THE ARROWthat is, to placeit properly on the string. In order to effect this,take the bow in the left hand, with the stringtowards you, the upper limb being towards theright. Hold it horizontally while you take thearrow by the middle, pass it on the under side ofthe string and the upper side of the how, till thehead reaches two or three inches past the left hand;hold it there with the fore-finger or thumb whileyou remove the right hand down to the nock.Turn the arrow till the cock-feather comes upper-most; then pass it down the bow, and fix it on thenocking point of the string. In doing this, allcontact with the feathers should be avoided, unlessthey are rubbed out of place, when they may be

26 ARCHERY.

smoothed down by passing them through the handfrom the point towards the nock.

THE ATTITUDE for shooting should he gracefulas well es serviceable. The body should be atright angles with the target; but the face must beturned over the left shoulder, so as to be opposedto it. The feet are to be flat on the ground, withthe heels a little apart, the left foot turnedtowards the mark; the head and chest inclined alittle forward, so as to present a full bust, but notbent at all below the waist.

IN DRAWING THE BOW, proceed as follows :1st Method.Take hold of the bow with the left

hand, having the elbow straight; then, havingplaced the arrow as directed in the last paragraph,and having the finger-stalls or shooting-glove on,put a finger on each side of the arrow on the stringand the thumb on the opposite side, so as to steadyit; then raise all at the full length of the arm tillthe right hand reaches nearly to the level of theshoulder, and the left is opposite the target, when,by drawing the one to the ear, and the othertowards the target, the arrow is brought to a directline with the bulls-eye, and at that moment it isreleased.

2nd Method.Draw the arrow as before, butpause when the arrow is fully extended to the head,and take aim. This, however, requires a verystrong arm, and also at strong bow, or there will bea quivering of the muscles, which is communicatedto the arrow; beside the danger of breaking thebow. The loosing must be quick, and the stringmust leave the fingers smartly and steadily, the

ARCHERY. 27

bow hand at that moment being held as firm as avice, upon which the goodness of the flight mainlydepends.

THE FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS, should be attendedto strictly, if good shooting is to he attained :

l.Fix the attention steadily upon the object,and disregard all external objects, which are liableotherwise to distract the eye at the moment ofshooting.

2.In drawing the bow, in order to secure thearrow in its place, turn the bow a little obliquely,so that the handle and your knuckles will togetherform a groove for the arrow to run in. When itfalls off, it is from the string being held too far upby the fingers, which causes it to twist in thedrawing, and the arrow is thereby thrown off fromresting against the bow. The proper length ismidway between the ends and the first joint of the

ATTITUDE IN SHOOTING.

28 ARCHERY.

fingers. Three fingers may he used, but the arrowshould be between the first and second.

3.In taking aim, two points must be at-tended toviz., the LATERAL direction and thedistance, because there is no bow which willdrive an arrow many yards perfectly point blank,and, consequently, a slight elevation must in allcases the made, and for long distances, with weakbows, a very considerable one. It requires greatexperience to manage the elevation properly, andmuch must depend upon the exact strength of thebow, and the distance of the shot. With regard tothe lateral direction, it is materially affected by thewind, and this must always be allowed for if thereis any stirring; and if it is in the line of thetargets, one end will require much less elevationthan the other.

4.Fix the eyes on the mark, and not on thearrow. Avoid all such expedients as putting amark on the glove to aim by. Do not look fromthe mark to the arrow and back again. Theproper plan is to keep both eyes open, and looksteadily at the mark, while with the ands the bowis raised or lowered in accordance with what themind thinks is the roper direction.

5.If an arrow falls off the string, and the archercan reach it with his bow, it is not shot; but if hecannot, it must be counted as such.

TARGET-SHOOTING.

THE TARGETS are fixed exactly opposite eachother, at 60 yards or perhaps more apart. The

ARCHERY. 29

stands, when properly placed, are each called anend. The proper number of arrows, as fixedby the rules, are then shot from each end by allthe party assembled, when all proceed to pick upor extract their arrows, the marker scoring for eachbefore drawing them from the target, after whichthe party shoot back again to the other end, andso on until the whole number of ends have beenshot.

BUTT-SHOOTING.

BUTTS are built of long sods of turf pressedtogether. The form of the base is an oblong square,being about 8 or 9 feet on this front side, and 5 feetwide at the ends. The height is generally about 7feet, and the depth diminishes gradually from thebottom to the top. When more than two arewanted they are ranged in sets; each set consistsof four, ranged at the distance of 30 yards apart,and forming a chain of lengths of 30, 60, 90, and120 yards; but so dispose as not to stand in theway of the archers when shooting at any of thelengths. (See Roberts English Bowman.) Againstthe front of the butt is placed the mark, which isa circular piece of thin white pasteboard, fastenedby a peg through the middle. The size of this, for30 yards, is four inches in diameter: for 60 yards,8 inches; an so on increasing in diameter in pro-portion to the distance. Shots in the butt missingthe mark are not scored; and he who makes thegreatest number of hits is the winner. If two are

30 ARCHERY.

alike, the nearest to the central peg is the successfulone.

ROVING

This is so called because the archers rove fromplace to place, and have no fixed target, but shoot attrees or any other object which presents itself.The winner of the first shot chooses the next, andso on; the distance being from 100 to 200 yards;and all arrows falling within five bows lengthsscoring, if nearer to the mark than the adversarysarrow.

FLIGHT-SHOOTING.

FLIGHT-SHOOTING is merely a trial of distance,and he who can shoot the farthest is the winner ofthe trial.

CLOUT-SHOOTING.

CLOUT-SHOOTING is a small white target of pasteboard,about twelve inches in diameter, which is slippedinto a cleft stick, and this is stuck into the groundobliquely, so as to bring the lower edge of the cloutto the ground. The distance is generally from 8 to10 score yards, and the same rules apply as inroving.

ARCHERY. 31

CROSS-BOW-SHOOTING.

CROSS-BOWS are bows set in a frame, which re-ceives the arrow or bolt; and they are set anddischarged by a trigger after taking aim. Theyare, however, now seldom used except for rook-shooting; and even there the pea-rifle has almostentirely superseded them. (See fig. 6.)

RULES OF ARCHERY MEETINGS.

THE RULES by which archery meetings aregoverned are partly the same as in all other similarsocieties, and partly peculiar to this craft. Theformer consist of those which regulate the electionof members, providing for refreshments, &c., whichvary according to circumstances, and need not herebe specified. The latter are generally as follows:

Fig. 5.

NORMAN BOW.

32 ARCHERY.

lThat a lady paramount be annuallyelected.

2That there be meetings in each year, thegentleman at whose house the meeting takes placeto be president; and that every member intendingto shoot should be on the ground by oclock.The shooting to commence at and to terminateat

3.That all members; intending to shoot shallappear in the uniform of the club; and that asilver badge be worn by every member of thesociety, or a forfeit of ten shillings will be enforcedfor such omission.

4.That the secretary do send out cards at leasta month before each day of meeting, acquaintingthe members with the day and place of meeting.

5.That there shall be four prizes at each meet-ing, two for each sex; the first for numbers, thesecond for hits; and that no person shall be allowedto have both on the same day. The sum of pounds to be placed at the disposal of the ladyparamount for prizes at each meeting.

6.That the winner of a prize, or prizes, shalllose a ring for each prize won. But that a ringbe given; back after any subsequent meeting atwhich such member shall shoot without winning.

7.That in case of a tie for hits, numbers shalldecide; and in case of a tie for numbers, hits shalldecide.

ARCHERY. 33

8.That the decision of the lady paramountshall be final.

9.Two prizes to be given at each meeting forstrangers, of the value of .

10.That there be a challenge prize of the valueof , and that a commemorative silver ornamentbe presented to winners of the challenge prize, towhich at clasp be added on future occasions.

D

Fig. 7.

LADIES COSTUME.

34 ARCHERY.

11.That the distance for shooting be 60and 100 yards, and that 4-feet targets be used.

12.That each shooter be allowed to shoot arrows, distinctively marked or coloured.

DRESS.

THE USUAL DRESS FOR LADIES peculiar toarchery is shown in the preceding sketch, which alsogives the attitude in ladies shooting extremelywell. In most cases a green jacket is worn overthe white; sometimes, however the colour is black.(See fig. 7)

The gentlemans costume is not generally fixed inarchery clubs, but sometimes a green suit is theclub uniform.

EXPENSES.

The expenses of archery are not usuallygreat; though of good many arrows will be lost orspoiled during a seasons shooting; especially if thegrass is not kept mown very close. Bows and allthe other paraphernalia last a long while and, withthe exception of the arrows, the first cost may beconsidered to be the only one, over and above thesubscription to the club to which most a archers liketo belong, competition being the essence of thesport.

The following are about the usual charges which

ARCHERY. 35

are made for bows, arrows, &c., &c., but they varya good deal with different makers:

s. d. s. d.Gentlemans bow . . 2 2 0 to 9 9 0Ladys bow . . . 1 1 0 3 3 0Arrows (each) . . 0 1 6 0 3 0Quiver, brace, glove, &c., about . . 1 1 0Targets (per pair) . . . . 1 11 6Stands (per pair) . . . . 1 1 0

D 2

F E N C I N G

AND

B R O A D S W O R D .

FENCING.

FENCING is the art of using the small-sword, orrapier. The small-sword has a straight blade, aboutthirty-two inches in length outside the guard, andis fashioned for thrusting only. Although it is anart of the greatest antiquity, very great improve-ments have been made in it during the last halfcentury, chiefly by French masters, who excel those

40 FENCING.

of all other countries. This has been attributed tovarious causes; by some to the agility and acknow-ledged power of rapid physical action possessed bythis nation; by others, to their natural vivacity andmental quickness. In my opinion, however, a moredirect and powerful cause may be traced in thegreat encouragement and universal patronage whichit has ever received from every grade ei a chival-rous and military people. Every regiment has itsmaitre darmes, and every barrack its fencing-school.Indeed, in so important a light was the properteaching of this art held, that one of the Frenchkings, (Louis XIV) granted letters-patent to twentyeminent masters, who alone were permitted to teachin Paris. When a vacancy occurred, no interest andno favour could enable a candidate to obtain this pri-vilege: he had to fence in public with six of thesechosen masters, and if by, any of them he was beatenby two distinct hits, he was considered unqualifiedto teach in the capital.

Independent of its value as the scientific use ofthe sword,the gentlemans weapon of defence,par excellence,fencing stands unrivalled as an ex-ercise; and it is in this sense that it will now betreated. The most eminent physicians which thiscountry have produced, have all, in the most earnestmanner, recommended it to the attention of theyoung. Thus, Dr. Clive says :

Muscular exertion is essential in perfecting theform of the body, and those exercises which requirethe exercise of the greatest number of muscles, arethe most conducive to this end. Fencing causesmore muscles to act at the same time than mostother exercises. It promotes the expansion ofthe chest, and improves respiration, whereby the

FENCING. 41

functions of the most important organs of the bodyare more perfectly performed.

Sir Anthony Carlisle uses similar language :According to my judgment, the exercise of

fencing tends to promote bodily health, and the de-velopment of athletic powers. It is likewise appa-rent that the attitudes and exertions of fencing areconducive to the manly forms and muscular energiesof the human figure.

Again, Sir Everard Home, in still strongerterms :

Of all the different modes in which the bodycan be exercised, there is none, in my judgment,that is capable of giving strength and velocity, aswell as precision, to the action of all the voluntarymuscles of the body in an equal degree as the prac-tice of fencing, an none more conducive to bodilyhealth.

I shall give one more extract from another phy-sician of equal eminence, Dr. Babbington :

I am of opinion that, in addition to the amuse-ment which this exercise (fencing) affords, it is par-ticularly calculated to excite in young persons agreater degree of energy and circumspection thanthey might otherwise possess; and it is obviousthat, in respect of health, that mode of exertion issuperior to all others, which, while it gives motionand activity to every part of the body, produces atthe same tine corresponding interest in the mind.

Sir John Sinclair, Dr. Pemberton, &c., speak interms equally recommendatory.

To avoid all danger in the lessons and practice,foils are substituted for real swords. Strong wiremasks are worn on the face, a well-padded glove onthe hand; and the upper part of the body, at which

42 FENCING.

alone the thrusts are aimed, is protected by a strongjacket, the right side and collar of which should beof leather.

The first movement a beginner has to learn, is themanner of placing himself in the position called

THE GUARD.

It is from this position that all movements aremade, whether offensive or defensive. Let the be-ginner be placed with his knees straight, his feet atright angles, heel to heel; the right foot, rightside, and face directed to the master. The bodymust he held upright and firm, the arms hangingdown by the side, but easily and without con-straint, the left hand holding the foil a few inchesbeneath its guard. Next, let him bring the righthand across the body, and seize the foil-handle; bya second movement, bring the foil above the head,the hands separating as they ascend, until botharms be nearly extended upwards and outwards.Here pause. This may be called the first positionof the Guard.

These movements should be frequently practised,as they accustom the arms to move independentlyof the body, flatten the joints of the shoulders, andgive prominence to the chest.

To arrive at the second position of the Guard,the right arm, with the foil, is brought down to thefront, until the right elbow is a little above and inadvance of the waist; the fore-arm and foil slopingupwards; the point of the foil being the height ofthe upper part of the face; then, by a second move-

FENCING. 43

ment, the learner must sink down, separating theknees, and stepping forward with the right footfourteen or sixteen inches; for, of course, theguard of a tall man will be wider than that of ashort one. However, his own comfort in the

position will direct him as to the distance; and thegeneral rule is, that the knee of the left leg will jutover the toes of the left foot, and the right leg fromankle to knee be perpendicular. It is in this posi-tion that he will receive all attacks from an adver-sary, and from this position will all his own attacksbe made. Also in this position will he

44 FENCING.

ADVANCE

noon an adversary , when beyond hitting distance.The step in the advance is usually about that of thewidth of the Guard, although of course this wouldvary with circumstances. The step is made byadvancing the right foot the distance I have named;and on its reaching the round, the left foot isbrought up, end takes its place. To

RETREAT,

the reverse of the above movement is made. Theleft foot takes the lead, stepping to the rear aboutas far es the right had stepped to the front; theright occupying is place on its taking up its newposition. The next movement,

THE LONGE,

is a very important movement, and is rather diffi-cult to make properly, and fatiguing to practise.Indeed, the first movements in fencing are themost trying to the learner; and be must not bediscouraged if he fails to do them correctly at firstpractice only will give him this power. TheLonge is that extension of body which accompaniesevery attack, and is thus made :The right arm isextended straight from; the shoulder, the arm andblade being on the same level; by a second move-ment, the right foot is raised from the ground, anda step made forward, about eighteen inches inlength, while the left remains firmly planted in its

FENCING. 45

place. At the instant that this step is made, theleft hand is allowed to fall within a few inches of

the left thigh, and the left knee is stiffened backuntil the leg is perfectly straight.

46 FENCING.

The thigh of the right leg will mow be in a posi-tion nearly horizontal; from the knee downwardsperpendicular. Having executed the Longe, thenext movement to be made is

THE RECOVER;

that is, to return from the position of the Longe tothat of the Guard, and is thus effected :The leftarm is nimbly thrown up to its place, the right armdrawn in, and the left knee re-bent. These move-ments must be made at the same time, as it is theirended action that enables a person to recover fromso extended a position as the Longe quick enoughto avoid a thrust if his own attack has failed.

These movements must be frequently practisedbefore any others are attemptedthe Guard, theAdvance, the Retreat, the Longe, and the Recover;and when the learner has attained some proficiencyin them, he may begin the more delicate move-ments of attack and defense. Of these I will nowspeak.

THE ENGAGE.

It is customary for adversaries, on coming to theGuard, to Engage, or to join blades, on what iscalled the inside, that is, the right side; althoughthere are occasions on which it is advisable toengage on the outside, or on the left; otherwisecalled the Quarte or Tierce sides.

Two men thus opposed to each other will at once

FENCING. 47

perceive that there are two lines of attack open tothem, i.e. the line inside and the line outside the

bladethese, and no more. But these may be, andin fencing are, subdivided into inside above the

48 FENCING.

hand, and inside under the hand, and the same subsdivision for outside. This gives four lines of attackor, to speak more simply, gives four openingsthrough which an adversary may be assailed. Now,to {protect each of these assailable points, are fourdefensive movements, called

PARADES.Each opening has its own parade on defence, and

each parade will guard its own opening, and,strictly speaking, no other. The opening insideabove the hand is defended by two parades.

As its name imports, the first and most naturalparade is that of Prime. The action of drawingthe sword from its sheath is almost exactly themovement made use of in the parade of Prime.

In this parade, the hand is raised as high as theforehead, so that the fencer can see his opponentsface under his wrist. The blade of the foil isalmost horizontal, but the point is rather loweredtowards the ground. As this parade will throwthe right side of the body open to the adversaryssword, it is good play to disengage from left toright, and deliver a rapid thrust at the adversary,in order to anticipate him before he can bring hisown sword round for another thrust. His pointwill be thrown far out of line, so that he is behind-hand in point of time.

This is a very useful parade for fencers of shortstature, as they can sometimes get in their bladeunder their adversarys arm, after they have parriedhis thrust.

The other parade is that of

FENCING. 49

QUARTE.

It is thus formed. On the approach of thepoint of an adversarys blade (and how these ap-

proaches are made I will presently explain), theright hand is moved a few inchesthree or four

E

50 FENCING.

will be enoughacross the body on the inside;the hand being neither depressed nor raised, and

the foil being kept on the same slope as in theGuard. This guards the body on the inside abovethe hand, but (and here comes an important law in

FENCING. 51

fencing) the very movement which has guardedthe body on one side has exposed it on the other;this is the case with all the simple parades.

Suppose, now that the exposed part outsideabove the hand were assailed, then the defense forit is the parade of

E 2

52 FENCING.

It is formed by turning the hand with the nails

downwards, and crossing the opposite side somesix or eight inches; the hand and point at the

FENCING. 53

same elevation as before; this will guard thisopening. If, however, the attack had been made

under instead of over the hand, then the properparade would have been seconde.

54 FENCING.

There is another method of parrying calledquarte, over the arm, which is executed by makingalmost the same parade as in Tierce, with thisexceptionfirst, the hand is retained in its originalposition, with the nails upwards; and, secondly,the point is not raised above the eye of the ad-versary.

It is rather more delicate than tierce, but wantsits power and energy. The ripostes, or replythrusts, are made, as they would have been had theparade been that of Tierce.

SECONDE.

is formed by turning the hand in the same positionin which it was turned for tierce, but the point ofthe foil slopes as much downwards as in tierce itdid upwards; the direction and distance for thehand to traverse being the same. Again, had theattack been delivered at none of these, but at theinside under the hand, then the proper paradewould have been

DEMI-CERCLE,

which, as its name expresses, is a half-circle, de-scribed by a sweep of the blade traversing theunder line. Next comes the parade of

FENCING. 55

OCTAVE.

In this parade the hand is held as in Quarte;

the hilt of the foil is kept lower than that of theopponent: the blade is almost horizontal, the point

56 FENCING.

being only slightly lower than the hilt, and directedtowards the body of the adversary.

Octave is extremely useful when the fencermisses his parade of Demi-cercle, as there is but ashort distance for the point to traverse, and itgenerally meets the blade of the adversary beforethe point can be properly fixed. Moreover, itbrings the point so near the adversarys body, thathe will not venture to make another thrust until hehas removed the foil.

Thus I have enumerated, and partly explained,the forms and uses of these four parades; they arecalled Simple Parades, to distinguish them fromanother set of defensive movements, called

CONTRE-PARADES.

I have said and shown that a man standing foilin hand, in the position of the guard, is exposed infour distinct places to thrusts from an adversarywithin longing distance. I have also shown thathe has a defence for each of these exposed places;but if a man has but one defence for each assailablepart, then his adversary, knowing beforehand whatthe defence must be, would be prepared beforehandto deceive him. But if he has a reserveif he hasa second defence for each part,then the adversarycannot tell what the defence will be, until his attack,false or real, is begun.

To meet this contingency, a second series ofdefences have been devised, which are of an entirelydifferent nature from the Simple Parades.

Again, as each of the simple parades is framed to

FENCING. 57

guard only one opening, it was found desirable thatthe contre-parades should be of a more comprehen-sive character. They are therefore devised so thateach is capable of protecting the entire front. Itis evident that this object could not be attainedwithout the sacrifice of quickness, because a largerspace must be traversed, and therefore more timeis occupied with a contre than a simple parade.

To know one contre-parade is virtually to knowall, as they are all formed on the same plan. Theyare all full circles in the position of hand anddirection of foil of the different simple parades;or more clearly speaking, each simple parade hasa contre-parade; there are, therefore, four simpleand four contre-parades, which may be thusarranged :

.Quarte. . . . .Contre de Quarte.Tierce . . . . .Contre de Tierce.Seconde . . . .Contre de Seconde.Demi-cercle . . . .Contre de Cercle.

I have said that a contre-parade is a full circle inthe position of hand and direction of blade of itssimple; thus, contre de quarte is made by retainingthe hand in the position of quarte, while the foildescribes a circle descending on the inside, andreturning by the outside to the place of itsdeparture. So with all the others, the foil followingthe direction of the simple parade, of which it is thecontre. These complete the entire system ofdefences.

I now come to movements of an opposite nature,namely, the

58 FENCING.

and shall begin with the most simple of them. Iwill again suppose two adversaries standing, enguard, within longing distance of each other: nowthe most simple movement that the attacking partycould make would be,

THE STRAIGHT THRUST

to the outside or inside, according to his line ofengagement. I have, in describing the longe, ineffect described the straight thrust; it is but atlonge in a straight line, taking care, however, tofeel firmly the adversarys blade, but taking carealso not to press or lean on it during the deliveringof the thrust.

Next in character comes

THE DISENGAGEMENT.

This attack is made by dropping the point of thefoil beneath the adversarys blade, and raising it onthe opposite side, et the same time, rising with thearm fully extended, on the completion of theextension the longe is made and the thrustdelivered.

FENCING. 59

THE ONE-TWO

is but a double disengagement, the first being but afeint or false attack, to induce the adversary toform a parade to cover the part threatened, for thecovering of one part of the body exposes theopposite; the second disengagement is made to takeadvantage of this exposure. The arm is extendedhalfway on the first, and then wholly on the second,to be immediately followed by the longe.

THE BEAT AND THRUST.

This is another variety of attack. Supposingthe adversarys blade to be firmly joined to yours,when you wished to deliver a straight thrust, therewould then be danger of your falling upon hispoint. This danger is avoided by giving a slightbeat on his blade the instant preceding yourextension of arm, of course to be followed en suiteby the longe.

The companion attack to this one is

THE BEAT AND DISENGAGEMENT.

The beat here takes the character of the firstdisengagement in one-two, i.e. becomes a feint, andis intended to induce the adversary to return to theplace he occupied when the beat was made. Youthen immediately pass to the opposite side of his

60 FENCING.

blade in the manner described in the disengage-ment.

It will be seen that ell these movements passunder the adversarys blade. However, there arecertain situations in the assault, as in fencing aboutis called, when an adversary is more assailable overthe point than under the blade; for this purposethere is what the French cell the coup sur peint,or

CUT OVER THE POINT.

It is thus made :By the action of the hand, andwithout drawing it back at all, the foil is raised andbrought down on the opposite side of th adversarysblade, the arm being extended during its fall to thehorizontal position, on attaining winch the longe isdelivered.

CUT OVER AND DISENGAGEMENT

is on the same principle as the one-two and the beatand disengagement. On the adversary opposing thefirst movement (the cut) with a parade, the secondmovement (the disengagement) is made to theopposite side, to be followed of course by thelonge; the extension of the arm being dividedbetween the two movements.

These attacks are celled simple attacks, becausethey may be parried by one or more simple parades,according to the number of movements in the

FENCING. 61

attack. In fact, ever attack can be parried andevery parade can be deceived: it is the additionalmovement last made which hits or guards.

Thus, you threaten by a disengagement to theoutside; your adversary bars your way effectuallyby the parade of tierce; you make a second disen-gagement to the inside, which is now exposed fromthe very fact of the outside being guarded (for bothlines of attack cannot be guarded at the same time),thus converting your attack into one-two; but ifyour adversary parties quarte on your second move-ment, your attack would be warded off. This canbe carried much further, but the above will, I think,befuidicigpt to explain the nature of simple paradesand attacks.

To deceive a contre-parade, a separate movement,called a doubl, or

DOUBLE,has been invented; it is very simple in principle,and admirably answers the purpose. For instance,if you were to threaten your adversary by a disen-gagement to the outside, and if, instead of tierce,be parried contra de quarte, the double is then madeby your making a second disengagement to the sameside as the first, for it will be found that his contrade quarte has replaced the blades in the positionsthey occupied previous to your disengagement. Youwill then have an opening, and may finish the at-tack by the longe.

As all the contra-parades are on the same planand principle, so are all the doubles. Of course, it

62 FENCING.

is understood that you will make all the movementsof the double en suite, and without allowing youradversarys blade to overtake yours.

ALL FEINTS.

The foregoing movements have been well prac-tised in the lesson, the next step is that of all feintsand all parades, may be practised either with amaster or fellow pupil. The practice consists ofone pupil standing on the defensive entirely, whileanother assumes the offensive, and attacks him withall the feints of which he is master, the other, ofcourse, defending with all his parades. It is excel-lent practice, as it accustoms the pupil to think forhimself gradually, he having thus but one set ofmovements to think about. He is therefore enabledto make them boldly, without having to encounterunknown movements from his adversary.

It also enables him to see the extent of his re-sources, both for attack and defence. When he canboth attack and defend with some presence of mind,he may then begin

THE ASSAULT;

that is, he may encounter an adversary, to attack ordefend as occasion presents. He is then left to hisown resources entirely. The following

FENCING. 63

GENERAL ADVICE,

given by a very eminent fencer and excellentteacher, cannot fail to be of use :

Do not put yourself on the position of the guardwithin the reach of your adversarys thrusts, espe-cially at the time of drawing your sword.

If you are much inferior make no long assaults.

Do nothing that is useless; every movementshould tend to your advantage.

Let your movements be made as much withinthe line of your adversarys body as possible.

Endeavour both to discover your adversarysdesigns, and to conceal your own.

Two skilful men, acting together, fight more withtheir heads than their hands.

The smaller you can make the movements withyour foil, the quicker will your point arrive at youradversarys body.

Do not endeavour to give many thrusts on thelouge, thus running the risk of receiving one in theinterim.

64 FENCING.

If your adversary drops his foil by accident, orin consequence of a smart parade of yours, youshould immediately pick it up, and present it to himpolitely.

Always join blades (if possible) previously toanother attack, after a hit is given.

BROADSWORD.

BROADSWORD.

THE principal distinction between the broadswordand the rapier is, that the latter is formed only forthrusting, while the former is adapted for cuttingalso. Indeed, those who use the broadsword are,in my opinion, too apt to neglect the use of thepoint, and to give their attention almost exclusivelyto the cuts.

The first lesson in the sword exercise is necessa-rily to know how to stand; The learner should beinstructed to perform the different movements byword of command, remembering to consider thefirst parts of the word as a caution, and not to stiruntil the last syllable is uttered. At the last syl-lable, the movement should be performed smartly.In giving the word, the instructor always makes aslight pause, in order to give his pupils time to re-member what they must do. For example, the

68 BROADSWORD.

words Draw Swords is given thus, Draw . . . . .Swordsthe word swords being spoken smartly, inorder that the movement may correspond.

POSITIONS.

First Position.Make the target* about fourteeninches in diameter, and place it on the wall, havingits centre about four feet from the ground. Drawa perpendicular line from the spot at the bottom ofthe target to the ground, and continue it on thefloor, in order to ensure the prober position of theheels. The learner stands perfectly upright op-posite; the target, with his right side towards it, hisheels close together, his right toe pointing to thetarget, and his left foot at right angles with theleft. His arms must be clasped behind his back,his right palm supporting the left elbow, and hisleft hand grasping the right arm just above theelbow. In this position, he must bend both kneesand sink down as far as possible. This will not bevery far at first, but he will soon sink down quiteeasily.

Second Position.This is accomplished by placingthe right foot smartly in front, about sixteen orfourteen inches before the left. (See fig. 1.) Hemust accustom himself to balance himself so per-fectly on his left foot, that he can place the righteither before or behind it, without losing hisbalance.

* For target, see page 71.

BROADSWORD. 69

Third Position.The third position must then belearned. This consists of stepping well forwardwith the right foot, until the left knee is quitestraight, and the right knee exactly perpendicularlyplaced over the right foot. Great care must be

taken to keep the heel exactly in the same lineand the body perfectly upright. (See fig. 2.)

These preliminaries having been settled, thelearner stands upright before the target. A swordis then put into his hand, and the target is explainedas follows :

Fig. 1.

70 BROADSWORD.

TARGET.

The interior lines represent the cuts. Cut onebeing directed from No. 1 diagonally through thetarget, coming out at 4. Cut two is the same,only from left to right. Three is made upwards

diagonally, and four is the same, only in the oppo-site direction. Cut five is horizontally through thetarget, from right to left, and six from left toright. Cut seven is perpendicularly downwards.Care must be taken that the cuts are fairly givenwith the edge.

Fig. 2.

BROADSWORD. 71

The swords drawn on the target represent theguards. The seventh guard ought, however, notto be made directly across, but must have the pointdirectly rather forwards and downwards, as a cut 7glides oil the blade, and can be instantly answeredeither by a thrust or by cut 1.

The two dark circles represent the places wherethe thrusts take effect.

The learner begins by taking the sword in hisright hand, having its edge toward the target andits back resting on his shoulder. His right arm isbent at right angles, and the elbow against his side.The left hand must rest upon the hip, the thumbbeing to the rear. At the word

72 BROADSWORD.

CUTS AND GUARDS.

CUTS.

Cut 1.The young swordsman extends his rightarm, and makes the cut clear through the target.When the point has cleared the target, continue

the sweep of the sword, and by a turn of the wristbring it with its back on the left shoulder, its edgetowards the left. The arm is then ready for

Cut 2.Bring the sword from 2 to 3, continuethe movement of the sword, and tum the wrist so

BROADSWORD. 73

that the point is below the right hip and the edgetowards the ground.

Cut 3.Cut through the target diagonally, bring-ing the sword from No. 3 to No. 2, and bring thesword onwards, so that it rests with the edge down-wards, and point below the left hip. At

Cut 4.Cut from 4 to l, and bring the swordround until its point is over the right shoulder, andits edge well to the right.

Cut 5.At the word Five, make a horizontal cutfrom 5 to 6, and sweep the sword round until itrests on the left shoulder, with its edge to the left,and its point well over the shoulder.

Cut 6.Cut horizontally through the target from6 to 5, and bring the sword over the head with theedge upwards, and its point hanging over the back.From this position,

Cut 7.Make a downward stroke until the swordreaches the centre of the target. Arrest it there,and remain with the arm extended, waiting forthe word

POINTS.

First Point.Draw back the sword, until theright wrist is against the right temple, the edge ofthe sword being upwards. Make a slight pause,and then thrust smartly forward toward the centre

74 BROADSWORD.

of the target, raising the right wrist as high as No.1, and pressing the left shoulder well back.

Second Point.Turn the wrist round to the left,so that the edge comes upwards, draw the handback until it rests on the breast, and give thepoint forwards, to the centre of the target, raisingthe hand as before.

Third Point.Give the handle of the sword aslight twist in the handle to the right, so that theedge again comes uppermost, and the guard restsagainst the back of the hand. Draw back the handuntil it rests against the right hip, and deliver itforwards towards the spot at the bottom of the

FIRST POINT.

BROADSWORD. 75

target, raising the wrist as high as the spot in thecentre. The object in raising the wrist is to deceivethe eye of the opponent, who will be more likely tonotice the position of your wrist than of your point.In all the thusts, the left shoulder should be ratherbrought forward before the point is given, andpressed well beck while it is being delivered,

GUARDS.

Wait after the third point has been delivered forthe word

SECOND POINT.

76 BROADSWORD.

Defend.At this word draw up the hand smartly,and form the first guard. Make the other guardsin succession as they are named, while the instructorproves their accuracy by giving the corresponding

cuts. The guards must be learned from the target,by placing the sword in exactly the same positionas those delineated. The guards are these :

A First Guard. E Fifth.B Second. F Sixth.C Third. G Seventh.D Fourth.

THIRD POINT.

BROADSWORD. 77

The two spots H and I mark the places towardswhich the points are made, H for the first andsecond point, I for the third.

PARRY.

The parry or parade of a thrust is executed withthe back of the sword. The firmest way of parry-ing is to hold the sword perpendicular, with itsedge to the right and its hilt about the height ofand close to the right shoulder; then, by sweepingthe sword round from left to right, any thrustwithin its sweep is thrown wide of the body.

The parry is executed with the wrist, and notwith the arm, which must not move.

HANGING GUARD.

When the pupil is acquainted with both cutsand guards, he should learn the hanging guard, amost useful position, as it keeps the body wellhidden under the sword, and at the same time leavesthe sword in a good position to strike or thrust.

It is accomplished in the following way:Stepout to the second position, raise the arm until thehand is just over the right foot, and as high as thehead. The edge of the sword is upwards, and thepoint is directed downwards and towards the left.The left shoulder is pressed rather forward, and theneck and chest drawn inward.

In this position, the swordsman is in a position

78 BROADSWORD.

to receive or make an attack as he may think fit.It is rather fatiguing at first, owing to the unac-customed position of the arm and head, but thefatigue is soon overcome, and then it will be foundthat there is no attitude which gives equal advan-tages.

There are two other modes of standing on guard,each possessing their peculiar advantages. Theseare, the inside and outside guard. The inside guardis made as follows :

INSIDE GUARD.

Stand in the second position, having the wrist ofthe right hand nearly as low as the waist, the hand

BROADSWORD. 79

being exactly over the right foot. The point of thesword is raised as high as the eyes, end the edge isturned inwards.

OUTSIDE GUARD.

The outside guard is formed in the same manneras the inside, with the exception that the edge ofthe sword is turned well outwards.

To get to the hanging guard, the words acre givenas follows :Inside guardoutside guardguard.

ATTACK AND DEFENCE.

The swordsman having learned thus far, is taughtto combine the three movements of striking, thrusting, and guarding, by the following exercise :

1. Inside Guard.2. Outside Guard.3. Guard.4. Cut One.5. First Guard.6. Cut Two.7. Second Guard.8. Cut Three.9. Third Guard.

10. Cut Four.11. Fourth Guard.12. Cut Five.13. Fifth Guard.14. Cut Six.

80 BROADSWORD.

15. Sixth Guard.16. Cut Seven.17. Seventh Guard.18. First Point. [Prepare for the point in First

Position.] Two. [Thrust in Third Position.]19. Second Point. [Prepare for it in First

Position.] Two. [Thrust in Third Position.]20. Third Point. [Prepare.] Two. [Thrust.]21. Parry. [Prepare to parry in the First Position.]

Two. [Parry.]22. Guard.The young swordsman must remember that in

this, as in all the exercises, the cuts and pointsmust be given in the third position, as in the ac-accompanying illustration, which shows the swords-man just as he has delivered the seventh cut, andis waiting for the, next word before he resumes thefirst position.

The guards, on the contrary, are given in thefirst position, as is seen in the; figure on p. 2,which illustrates the seventh guard.

These exercises asre always learned with thesinglestick, or basket-hilted cudgel, in order toavoid the dangers which would be inevitable if thesword were used. But as the singlestick is onlyan imitation of the sword, I will give the methodof getting the sword out of the sheath into anyposition required.

DRAW SWORDS.

The first word of command is draw swords. Atthe word draw, seize the sheath just below the hilt,

BROADSWORD. 81

with the left hand, and raise the hilt as high as thehip, at the same time grasping the hilt with theright hand, turning the edge of the sword to the

rear, and drawing it partially from the sheath, toensure its easy removal.

At the word swords, draw the blade smartly outof the scabbard, throwing the point upwards, atthe full extent of the arm, the edge being still tothe rear.

G

82 BROADSWORD.

RECOVER SWORDS.

The wrist is now smartly lowered until it islevel with the chin, the blade upright, and theedge to the left. This is the position of recoverswords: The elbow must be kept close to thebody as in the cut.

CARRY SWORDS.

The wrist is now sharply lowered until the armhangs at its full length, the wrist being in the line

SEVENTH CUT.

BROADSWORD. 83

with the hip, the edge of the sword to the front,and its back resting in the hollow of the shoulder,the fingers lightly holding the hilt. The left hand

hangs at the side until the word inside guard, whenit is placed on the left hip.

C 2

RECOVER SWORDS.

84 BROADSWORD.

SLOPE SWORDS.

At the word swords, raise the right hand smartly,until it forms a right angle at the elbow.

RETURN SWORDS.

At the word, raise the blade until it is perpen-dicular, move the hilt to the hollow of the leftshoulder, drop the point of the sword into thescabbard (which has been I grasped by the left handand slightly raised), at the same time turning theedge to the rear. Pause an instant, and send thesword smartly into the sheath, removing bothhands as the hilt strikes against the mouth of thescabbard; drop them to the side, with the palmsoutwards, and in the first position.

PRACTICES.

There are many exercises with the broadsword,called practices. I have given one of them, whichis to be practised alone; but when the pupil hasattained some confidence in the use of his weapon,he must be placed oposite another pupil, andthey must go through them, each taking the attackand defence in turn.

The young swordsman must be provided with avery stout wire mask, which defends the face andpart of the neck, and which should be worked in a

BROADSWORD. 85

kind of helmet above, to guard against the disastrousconsequences of receiving the seventh guard. Nopractices, loose or otherwise, should be permittedwithout the masks, as neither party would be ableto cut or thrust with proper confidence.

SECOND PRACTICE.

This is very useful in teaching the point andparry, as well as giving steadiness on the feet. Twoboys are placed opposite each other, at just such adistance, that when perfectly erect they can touchthe hilt of their adversarys sword with the point oftheir own.

The one who gives the first point is called FrontRank (there may be a dozen in each rank, eachhaving tried the distance to his right by extendinghis sword), and the one who gives first parry iscelled Rear Rank.

Word ofCommand. Front Rank. Rear Rank.

Guard Hanging guard Hanging guardThird Point Prepare to give

third pointPrepare to parry

Point

Give third Point,and when par-ried springback to firstposition, andprepare toparry

Parry thirdpoint, andprepare togive thirdpoint

86 BROADSWORD.

Word ofCommand. Front Rank. Rear Rank.

Point

Parry thirdpoint, and pre-pare for thirdpoint.

Give thirdpoint, andprepare toparry

Point, &c. &c.

This should be continued until both are wear.Both swordsmen should learn to do it more rapidlyevery time they practice. Next time of goingthrough it, front rank and rear rank change places,as they must do in all the practices.

THIRD PRACTICE.Word of

Command. Front Rank. Rear Rank.GuardLeg

Hanging guardCut four

Hanging guardCut seven

Inside guardLeg

Inside guardCut six [at leg]

Inside guardCut six [at neck]

Outside guardLeg

Outside guardCut five [at leg]

Outside guardCut five [at neck]

GuardSlope swords

Hanging guardSlope swords

Hanging guardSlope swords

In this and the other practices, the cuts must bedelivered in the third position, and the guards in thefirst. In the third and fourth practices, the cutsmust be given lightly, as many of them are not in-tended to be guarded, but merely to show thepower of the sword in various positions.

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FOURTH PRACTICE.Word of

Command. Front Rank. Rear Rank.GuardHead

Hanging guardSeventh cut

Hanging guardSeventh guard

HeadLeg

Seventh guardFourth cut

Cut sevenSeventh guard

LegHead

Seventh guardSeventh cut

Fourth cutSeventh guard

Head Seventh guard Seventh cutGuardSlope swords

Hanging guardSlope swords

Hanging guardSlope swords

In this and the preceding exercise, the power ofshifting the leg is shown. If two swordsmen attackeach other, and No. 1 strikes at the leg of No. 2, itwill he better for No. 2 not to oppose the cut bythe third or fourth guard., but to draw back the legsmartly, and cut six or seven at the adversaryshead or neck.

In loose play, as it is called, i.e. when two partiesengage with swords without following any word ofcommand, but strike and guard as they can, bothplayers stand in the second position, because theycan either advance or retreat as they choose, and canlonge out to the third position for a thrust or acut, or spring up to the first position for a guardwith equal ease.

It is often a kind of trap, to put the right legmore forward than usual, in order to induce the ad-versary to make a cut at it. When he does so, theleg is drawn hack, the stroke passes harmless, and

88 BROADSWORD.

the deceived striker gets the stick of his opponenton his head or shoulders.

We now come to a very complicated exercise,called the

FIFTH PRACTICE.Word of

Command. Front Rank. Rear Rank.

Draw swords Draw swords Draw swordsInside guard Inside guard Inside guardOutside guard Outside guard Outside guardGuard Hanging guard Hanging guardHead Seventh cut Seventh guardHead Seventh guard Seventh cutArm Second cut [at arm] Second guardHead Seventh guard Seventh cutHead Seventh cut Seventh guardArm Second guard Second cut [at

arm]Head Seventh cut Seventh guardHead Seventh guard Seventh cutRight side Sixth cut Sixth guardHead Seventh guard Seventh cutHead Seventh cut Seventh guardRight side Sixth guard Sixth cutGuard Hanging guard Hanging guard

This practice is capital exercise, and looks veryimposing. All these practices ought to be sofamiliar, that the words of command are not needed,the only word required being First, Second, orThird Practices, as the case may be.

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I can remember once, that two of my pupils hadattained such a mastery of their weapons, that weused often to go through the practices with realswords. On one occasion, we were acting acharade, and my eldest pupil and myself wereenacting the part of two distinguished foreigners(country unknown) who were to et up a fight. Sowe began by a little quarrel, and finally drew ourswords and set hard to work at the fifth practice,which we could do with extreme rapidity, andwithout the use of words of command. The spec-tators were horrified, and the ladies greatly alarmed;for there seems to be no particular order in thatpractice, and an inexperienced eye would certainlyfancy that the combatants were in earnest.

FORT AND FEEBLE.

The half of the sword blade next the hilt is calledthe fort, because it is the strongest place onwhich the cut of an adversary can be received.Always parry and guard with the fort of your sword,as, if you try to guard a cut with the feeble,which is the remaining half of the blade, yourguard will be forced, and the cut take effect.

DRAWING CUT.

The drawing cut is made best with a curvedsword, and is executed by placing the edge of thesword on the object, and drawing it over it until itis severed. A good large mangel-wurzel is capital

90 BROADSWORD.

practice. Place the root loose on a table, standat arms length from it, lay the edge of the swordlightly on it, and slice he root by repeatedlydrawing. the sword over it. This is very difficult,although it looks easy enough, and is sure to jarthe arm from the wrist to the shoulder the firsttime or two, while the sword glides off as if theroot were cased in polished steel. However, a littlepractice will soon overcome the difficulty. Thiscut is much in use among he Sikhs.

GENERAL ADVICE.

Never look at your own sword, but watch theeye and sword wrist of your opponent.

Remember that the great point in this exercise,as in fencing, is to gain time. Endeavour, therefore,to advance your point nearer your adversary thanhis is to you.

Begin the assault out of distance, so that neitherparty can complain of being taken by surprise.

If the two parties exchange a cut or a thrust atthe same moment, the one who gave his cut orthrust in the third position is victorious.

When a cut or thrust is made, the one whoreceives it passes his sword, i.e. stick, into hisleft hand, and his opponent comes to inside guard.

Always spring back to the second position afterdelivering a cut or thrust.

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Keep the line of direction carefully, or you willleave an open space for the adversary to get hissword into.

Last and most important,Dont lose yourtemper!

THE END.