Sidebilder
PDF
ePub

double, and longe in carte; the same rule is to be observed in the lower guards; that is, if you are engaged in half-circle, disengage to octave; if your adversary takes the counter of half-circle, double and longe in octave, engage in octave, disengage to half-circle; if he takes the counter of octave or seconde, doubie circle, and longe in half-circle or carte.

HOW TO GUARD THE DOUBLE COUNTERS.

your

After having taken the counter guard twice, not meeting with the foil of adversary, take the simple guard on the opposite side; for example, being deceived in your double guard of counter carte, take the simple guard of tierce or half-circle; being deceived in your double guard of counter tierce, take the simple guard of carte; the same for the low guards. Being deceived in your double circle, take the guard of octave; being deceived in your double of octave or seconde, take the guard of half-circle or tierce, always continuing the guard until you meet with the adversary's foil.

Another way of stopping the double movements is to take the guards of counter carte and counter tierce, or counter tierce and counter carte, without stopping; for the lower part of the body, take the guards of counter circle and counter octave, or counter octave and counter circle. This is an excellent practice to strengthen the wrist and make it supple.

OBSERVATIONS ON FENCING.

I. Never put yourself on guard within reach of your adversary's thrust, more especially at the time of drawing your sword.

2. Be not affected, negligent, nor stiff.

3. Be not angry at receiving a touch, but take care to avoid it.

4. Do not think yourself expert, but hope you may become so.

5. Be not vain of the hits you give, nor show contempt to those you receive. 6. Do not endeavour to give many thrusts on the longe, running the risk of receiving one in the interim; and it is wrong to deliver a second hit on the longe if you are certain you made a hit the first time.

7. When you present the foils to a stranger, give the choice without pressing. 8. If you are much inferior, make no long assaults.

9. Do nothing that is useless; every movement should tend to your advantage.

10. Judge of a thrust rather by reason than by its success.

II. Let your play be made as much as possible within the line of your adversary's body.

12. It is not enough that the parts of your body agree, i.e., that you are supple, firm, and vigorous; they must also answer to your adversary's move

ments.

13. Endeavour to discover your adversary's designs and conceal your own. 14. Two skilful men fencing together act more with their heads than their hands.

15. The smaller you make your feints the quicker will your point arrive at your adversary's body.

16. Do not take the time-thrust too frequently, unless your adversary is much your inferior, and that you are not likely to be hit at the same time. 17. If one hit the body, and the other the face or elsewhere, at the same time, the hit on the body only is counted.

18. If in binding, parrying, or by any means, your adversary's foil falls, the

hit that is made in the interval is good, because you are not obliged to know that he will lose the grasp of it; but if the hit is made after you see the foil is out of his hand, you cannot reckon it, but in politeness you should pick up his foil and present it to him.

19. Never attempt to hit your adversary while thrusting carte and tierce in the salute, unless by mutual agreement; and it is a proper civility in saluting, to ask the adversary to thrust first.

20. Be sure, at no time while fencing with a skilful man, to attempt to volte, disarm, &c.; these are ridiculous things, only taught by the ignorant, and often attended with danger.

21. Never deny a hit.

22. Do not laugh nor ridicule another's manner of taking his lessons.

23. Never make use of the left arm, nor turn your back to avoid being hit on the chest.

24. Always join foils (if possible) after a hit is made, previous to another attack.

N.B.-Never use the foils without having the mask on.

A DIALOGUE ON FENCING.

2. When I parry your thrust over the arm, with the simple parade of tierce, what are you to do to avoid my parade?

Ans. I make the feint, une-deux, in carte, within the arm.

2. If I make use of the counter in carte?

Ans. I should avoid your counter in carte, by doubling over the arm.

Q. Which parade must I take to prevent your doubling?

Ans. You must parry with the counter in carte, miss my blade, and take the parade of tierce, or semi-circle.

Q. If I parry your feint, une-deux, over the arm, with the counter in carte, what should you do to avoid my parade?

Ans. I make the feint, une-deux, and take advantage of your round parade, to push double carte over the arm.

2. When I parry the feint, une-deux, in carte, with the parade of semi-circle, how would you deceive that parade?

Ans. I make the feint, une-deux, and as soon as you form the parade of semi-circle, I go over your blade, and thrust low carte.

Q. If I had parried with the circle?

Ans. I should pass twice over your blade, and thrust double carte, within the arm.

Q. When you perceive that I am going to parry with the counter in tierce, what thrust are you to make in order to touch me?

Ans. I am to double carte within the arm.

Q. How if I had parried the counter in tierce and carte?

Ans. I should have been round once, and made the feint, une-deux, over the arm.

Q. When you fence with an adversary who keeps a straight guard, what are you to do?

Ans. I am to make several beats with the right foot upon the ground; if that do not put him in disorder, I am to give him a dry beat upon the foible of his sword, in order to put it aside, then push a straight thrust.

2. When your adversary disengages and extends his arm to thrust, what are you to fear?

Ans. I perceive it is a snare to oblige me to form a parade, so I instantly cross his blade, put it aside, and push seconde.

2. What do you risk in crossing the blade?

Ans. He may take the opportunity to push carte over the arm.

2. Which parade would you make in that case?

Ans. Having missed his sword, I should parry tierce; my return would be, carte over the arm, or seconde.

Q. Which is the best time to attack one's adversary?

Ans. When the least motion puts him in disorder, or when he breaks ground. Q. Do you not fear his retreat is but a snare to take the time?

Ans. In closing on him I make sure of his sword, and know by the feel of it whether he has a mind to thrust or parry.

Q. When you have to deal with an adversary that does not feel your blade, and puts himself in an open guard, with the point of his sword downwards, what would you do?

Ans. Make false attacks, to oblige him to take a proper guard, and only thrust when he answers them.

2. Which are the best parades in fencing?

Ans. The counter parades and circles, because they baffle all the feints. Q. How can you tell when your adversary will make use of them?

Ans. In disengaging either in carte or tierce, or by the feel of his sword. Q. Which are the best thrusts in fencing?

Ans. The straight thrusts pushed with swiftness; they are the only ones we ought to use when within reach, because then the body is less exposed. 2. What is the best method to acquire swiftness?

Ans. To practise thrusting perseveringly tierce and carte, for by that exercise only I gain swiftness, firmness, exactness, &c.

[graphic][merged small]

Aquatic Sports.

RIVER-BOATING.

INTRODUCTION.—When sitting down to teach the art of Rowing, we must confess that, had it been possible, we would rather have taken up an oar than a pen. First impressions, however, are not always to be depended upon: in this very instance, we are not at all certain that we cannot give a good deal of information and do a considerable amount of good even with the instrument to which we have been reduced.

If you know little or nothing about river-rowing, we may inspire you with a desire to excel in that noble art; we can prevent you from acquiring a faulty style and bad habits which are so fearfully difficult to drop; we can put you up to the boating vocabulary, so that, though quite a young hand, you will be able to avoid blunders which would turn a laugh against you. We can describe to you all the different classes of boats on the river, so that you will know what they are called, and what they are used for, when you see them; and when you hear people talking about "tubs," "canvasses," "whiffs," &c., you will know what they are speaking about; and, finally, among other things, we can even if you are somewhat of "an oar"-give much information which will be most useful to you when on the river, and which, if you have not been taken regularly in hand by a waterman, you must have had very little chance of obtaining. You cannot always have a professional waterman at your elbow, but you may easily carry the following advice in your mind.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.-Rowing is one of the most useful of the outdoor sports, as it is far more than a mere pastime, and ranks almost on a par with swimming. It is the most healthy of all exercises, as good rowing exercises every part of the body equably and at the same time; and if the rower is in a good state of health, and his strength is not over-taxed, it can not only do him absolutely no harm, but much good; and all violent exertion is hurtful to those of a weak constitution. However, it is not "boat-racing" which we wish to recommended, as that may be, and often is, carried to too great an excess, but the art of "boating," from which you will derive pleasure, and acquire skill, health, and strength. Before learning how to row, it is essential that you should know how to swim. Boats are liable to be upset even when in the most experienced hands, and any one unable to swim not only risks his own life, but seriously endangers those of others. Many of the rowing-boats on a river are so exceedingly light, or cranky as they are called, that a young oarsman, as he takes his place in one, cannot but feel that an upset is not an unlikely occurrence. The knowledge that he would sink like a stone in such a case would not by any means be an assistance to him in learning how to row skilfully and fearlessly. Almost the same arguments might be used as to the expediency of becoming a good "waterman," that is, mastering everything connected with river navigation, as well as becoming a

good "oar." You may get into many an awkward fix on the river which, unless you are an old hand or have the necessary skill, will more than likely end in a ducking, a thing to be avoided under any circumstances.

Try and avoid being on the water either too early in the day, when the morning dew is unwholesome, or too late, when the heavy evening mist is equally objectionable. Darkness is infinitely more dangerous on the water than on the land: however well you may know the river, only skill will save you from being run down. Changing your clothes, both before and after rowing, is of great importance. "Flannels"-as boating costumes are called -show what you should wear. These should be taken off as soon as possible; and if you are not too tired, a good sponge over, or even a dip in the stream, is a wholesome thing to do before resuming your ordinary dress.

We shall restrict ourselves in this paper entirely to rowing on fresh water, for it is scarcely any exaggeration to say that on a river you see good rowing and bad sailing, and on the sea good sailing and bad rowing.

The popularity of rowing is remarkable, it seems so unmistakably a true British pursuit; and yet the first inter-University match was only in 1829; and boating trips, of which there are now dozens every year, were almost unheard of ten years ago. England is almost the only country in Europe in which one style of river-rowing is universal. On the Continent, standing up, forward rowing appears to be a very common method of propulsion. We also use much lighter boats than our neighbours across the Channel; but here again this is quite a modern practice: the earlier matches between the two Universities were rowed in heavy boats, and it was not until 1846 that outrigged boats were used. Inconceivably light as are some of our racing boats (a wager sculling-boat only weighs an average of 38 lbs.), there is this to be said in their favour, that they enable skill and science to compete on even terms with superior weight and strength.

Before describing all the different classes of river-boats, it will be best to begin with the model of an ordinary pair-oar GIG or DINGY.

[subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

The other parts of a boat, which cannot well be shown in the model, are--

« ForrigeFortsett »