The various thrusts and parries are too large a subject to be gone into here. The thrust, however, it may be remarked, is always some kind of a longe, and in parrying the one sword does not beat the other aside, but simply turns it by a turn of the wrist. The idea of the parry may be gathered from the fact that the point of the foil always describes a circle of not more than three feet in diameter in the air. Thus the adversary's point is turned aside from its object.
The art of fencing is so difficult to learn without a master that it is useless for any one to attempt by himself to do more than acquire skill in the simpler movements; and it is so graceful an accomplishment that if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well.
A YOUNG PRINCE PRACTICING THE ART OF FENCING.
Without attempting, therefore, to go into all the mysteries of tierce and carte, of ripost and reprise, we will add a few words which an instructor might omit. In the first place, never cross your blade with any one who is not dressed for the exercise. He may say he will take his chances of getting hurt, but you can not afford to take the chance of putting out his eye. The proper armor to wear is a padded leather jacket, a gauntlet on the right hand, a piece of padded leather on the right thigh, and a wire mask over the head. Secondly, never use any but a good and sound foil, and see that the button is firm: many accidents have been caused by a broken foil or an unsafe button. Lastly—and though this applies to all games, it is perhaps more necessary in small-sword exercise than in anything else—remember that the coolest head always goes with the quickest eye and the surest hand.
"THEY PULLED WITH A WILL WHEN THE WORD WAS GIVEN."