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  THE guard is the position most suitable for attack and defence. To be properly on guard, the position of the fencer should be such that he can make any movement of attack or defence, without indicating his intention to his adversary by any preliminary movement. The most important conditions of a good fencer are, that the hands and arms should be detached from the body, and the knees well bent. If the knees are too straight, the development cannot be rapidly made; and with a slow development an attack can but rarely succeed.

  The measure is the proper distance at which a fencer can touch his adversary; he should choose his mode of attack according to this distance.

The measure varies with the height and make of the fencer. He should learn to know his own measure, and judge of that of his opponent as quickly as possible; he should always place himself on guard beyond the measure. When the distance which separates two adversaries permits them to en­gage only with the middle of their bayonets, they can reach each other by the thrust and development, or by lunge alone. If they can only engage with the points, they can still touch by means of the lunge-out.

In the lessons with the plastron, the engagement should be formed by crossing the bayonets—never nearer.  

THE MEANS OF LOCOMOTION.

In this exercise it is necessary to be able to turn rapidly in every direction, as well as to advance and retreat.

When a fencer advances upon his antago­nist, it must be by short steps, watching his motions, and being prepared to parry. He should advance only when he is too far from his antagonist to reach him; to approach within the measure is useless, and may be dangerous.

The measure is broken to avoid an antago­nist who presses too close, to induce him to advance, in order to attack him during the movement; to obtain a little rest out of reach of his thrusts; or, finally, to avoid an attack received in an unguarded moment.

The leap to the rear is intended to remove a fencer, by a rapid movement, from an an­tagonist who presses too closely.

The volts are employed to turn in the direction whence one is threatened, or to facilitate the attack and defence. The volt is not only of use in facing a new enemy, but may be resorted to in order to avoid the shock of a horse at full speed; it is therefore proper, in the lessons with the plastron, to unite the volts with the advance, retreat, and leap to the rear, besides combining them with the movements of attack and defence.

If, in the lessons with the plastron, the in­structor wishes to unite, for instance, a right volt with any movement of attack or defence, he will, the pupil being at guard, and facing him, first cause him to execute the left volt, and then bring him back by the right volt, which will at once be followed by the desired movement. In the same manner for the other volts.

 The use of the arms is independent of the use of the legs; the first is often sufficient to reach the body of the adversary. There are three methods of using the arms—the thrust, the lunge, the lunge-out.

Of these three the thrust is the best, because, since the hands retain their usual posi­tion on the piece, the aim is more certain, and the parry of a riposte easier; the thrust should, therefore, be used whenever the dis­tance of the antagonist will permit it.

The lunge reaches as far as the thrust with the development; it is a very rapid and quite sure blow—far preferable to the lunge-out; it, however, exposes the fencer to a quick riposte, which would be difficult to parry, especially on the outside.

The lunge-out reaches farther than either of the preceding, but it throws the piece so completely out of control, that it should only be used against an antagonist who cannot riposte, or is endeavoring to escape; it may be used with advantage against the horse of a cavalry soldier, to keep him at a distance.

  When the thrust alone will not reach the adversary, it must be accomplished by the development or passade, according to the dis­tance. In the assault, or against an enemy, the lunge and lunge-out may be accompanied by the development or passade; but the recovery of the guard, and the parry of a riposte, are so difficult after these combined movements, that they should only be resorted to against an unskilful or flying antagonist.

In the lesson with the plastron, the in­structor will usually employ the thrust and the development, or the lunge alone. Occa­sionally he will cause the pupil to attack him by the thrust and passade; in this case he will, in the first place, suitably regulate the distance.

In order to exercise the arms and legs of the pupil, he will sometimes cause him to execute the lunge and lunge-out with the development or passade.   

The recover is the action of resuming the guard, after the development or passade. As a general rule, the guard should be re­covered immediately after a thrust is made. If the attack has been parried, and a riposte is made, the assailant must rise as he parries the riposte. The parries during the recover should be frequently practised. The assail­ant whose attack is parried is in one of the worst possible situations; the means for escaping from it cannot be too thoroughly taught.  

A line is the space on either side of the weapon. The two principal lines are the outside and inside lines. The outside line is the space on the side of the weapon to­wards the back of the fencer, viz., the left. The inside line is that on the side of his breast, viz., the right. Each of these two lines is divided into two other lines, re­spectively above and below the weapon; they are called the upper and under, or the high and low, lines.

There are thus, in all, four lines: the low inside, the low outside, the high outside, and the high inside, corresponding, respectively, with the directions prime, aeconde, tierce, and quarte.  

  The engagement is the act of crossing weapons with an adversary. This may occur when the points are high, in the lines high outside, or high inside; with the points low, it may be in the lines low outside, or low inside. There are, then, four engagements, which are named as follows:- 

In prime, when the engagement is the low inside line.

In seconde, when the engagement is the low outside line.

In tierce, when the engagement is the high outside line.

In quarte, when the engagement is the high inside line.  

Of these, but two should be used in the lessons with the plastron—tierce and quarte; the others will occur in the course of an assault, in consequence of certain thrusts and parries; but tierce and quarte should be regarded as the starting-points for all attacks, and should be returned to as soon as possible after every attack.

In this exercise the fencers are near enough to touch, as soon as the bayonets can cross.

When the weapons cross, each fencer should endeavor to close against his oppo­nent, the line of the direct thrust; this is called having the engagement. He effects this by holding his weapon far enough to the right or left, according to the engage­ment, to protect his body from a direct blow; the obstacle thus presented is called the opposition. The opposition is necessary in all thrusts made—he who attacks or ripostes should be careful to have it. To have the opposition, or to be covered, is an advantage which both fencers cannot pos­sess at the same time; they must, therefore, strive for it in turn.

For the outside lines the opposition is obtained by moving the piece to the left; for the inside, to the right. The opposition should never be carried beyond the right or left of the body.

The position of the piece is the same in the engagements of tierce and quarte, as in the middle guard, with the exceptions of the position of the point, and that the opposition is more or less marked, according as the fencer has, or has not, the engagement. The lock-plate must be turned at an angle of 45⁰, so that the piece may have a motion of rota­tion both in thrusting and parrying.  

 This is the action of the fencer, who endeavors to touch his opponent by thrust­ing at him.

 The blow is the “ensemble” of the attack; it is the method employed, the route followed, to reach the body of the opponent.

The point is the termination of the blow, the manner of finishing it. The blow is the action of an attack; the point is the aim. To express completely an attack — to ex­plain, on the one hand, the method em­ployed and the route followed to reach the body; and, on the other hand, to indicate the line in which it terminated, and ther respective positions of the weapons at that moment—we must name both the blow and the point, thus: The direct blow in tierce, the disengagement in quarte, etc.

There are four points, or ways, of term­inating a blow, viz., prime, seconde, tierce, and quarte. They are effected in the lines having the same names.   

A simple blow is one in which the point of the weapon makes only the movement necessary to direct itself towards the body; it admits of no feint. It may be effected by a direct blow, or by a disengagement.

The direct blow is the action of directing the point in a straight line towards the body of the opponent; it is the movement which finishes all the blows. There are four dis­tinct direct blows, because one may be made in each line. When a feint precedes a direct blow, they form a compound blow; the direct blow which follows a parry is a simple blow.

The disengagement is the act of passing the point of the weapon from one line into another, in order to reach the body in the latter line. Two disengagements can be made from each line—into the one just above or below it, and into that on the same level, but never into the one diagonally opposite—so there are eight disengagements in all.

From an upper line into an upper line, the point of the bayonet moves under that of the adversary. From a lower line into a lower line, it moves over his point.

By the term disengagement is to be under­stood, not only the action of passing the point from one line into another, but also that of thrusting it towards the body. The mere act of passing from one line into an­other, without thrusting, should be called a feint of a disengagement.

A parry is the action of turning aside the weapon of the antagonist from the direction of the body, when he attacks. As there are four directions of attack, there are four corresponding parries, viz., prime, seconde, tierce, and quarte. The parries in high tierce and quarte, seconde and tierce in re­treat, are mere variations of those whose names they bear. There are two kinds of parries—the simple parries, and the parries in opposition.

A simple parry is one which throws off the opponent’s point in the same line as that in which it presents itself to reach the body; for instance, if a thrust be made at the left breast, the parry in tierce (No. 32) throws off the point to the left of the body, and is a simple parry. The parries in prime, seconde, and quarte (Nos. 28, 30, and 34), are all simple parries, and serve both against direct blows and disengagements.

A parry in opposition is one which throws off the point of the antagonist into a differ­ent line from that in which it presents itself to reach the body. They are of two kinds, the half counter, which is made against a direct thrust, and the counter, against a disengagement. 

In the half counter, the point describes a semicircle; it will be best described by an example. Suppose the antagonists are en­gaged in tierce; one of them makes a direct thrust at his opponent’s right breast; the latter parries by dropping his point under his adversary’s, and then bringing it up on the right, in quarte; and at the same time, by moving his piece to the left, he throws off the point to the high outside line, or to his own left. The half counter for the other engagements is similar to the one described; in prime and seconde the point passes over that of the assailant.

In the counter, the point describes a circle. Let the antagonists be engaged as before, in tierce; one disengages and thrusts in quarte at his opponent’s left breast; the latter par­ries by following the movement, passing his point under his assailant’s and bringing it up on the left, in tierce, as they were in the first place, thus throwing off the point to his right.

From this the remaining counters will readily be understood; recollecting that in prime and seconde the point passes over the opponent’s.

The parries in opposition are very useful in the lessons with the plastron, as increasing the quickness of the eye and hand; but in actual combat, the simple parries should alone be used, for they are quicker and more certain.

In order to accustom the soldier to vary­ing the high parries according to the direc­tion of the attack, the instructor will use a wooden sabre, and cause the soldier to pay particular attention to protecting his hands. The German system of placing the soldier inside of a circular platform, at such a height that the instructor, when on it, will be at the height of a man on horseback, seems to merit adoption. They also provide the in­structor with a lance. 

 This is a parry in tierce against thrusts at the upper part of the breast. It is made by turning the lock-plate upwards, drawing the barrel to the left, and throwing the stock in towards the body.—See Plate 23.

This cannot be used against thrusts directed at the lower part of the breast; and, therefore, was not introduced into the school of the soldier. But, as it is a very rapid parry, it would frequently be of great ser­vice in the hands of a good fencer; it should, therefore, be taught in the lessons with the plastron.  

A feint is a pretended blow made for the purpose of attracting the opponent’s piece into one line, and then making a real attack in another. It may be made either by feigning a direct blow, and then, at the in­stant the proper parry is commenced, sud­denly disengaging and making a real blow in another line; or else, by making the feint of a disengagement, and, as soon as it is answered, rapidly making another disengage­ment, followed instantly by a real blow.  

 An appel is the act of striking the ground with the left foot when at guard; it should be a very rapid motion. Its object is to dis­concert the antagonist by the noise, and to withdraw his attention from his defence.

This should be practised occasionally in figurative lessons, and may be frequently used in the lessons with the plastron.

 To attack the weapon of an opponent is to exert some action upon it with our own. The object is to disconcert him by attract­ing his piece where we do not intend at­tacking him, or to displace his point from a threatening position. This is done by press­ing upon his piece so as to displace it, either to open the direct line to his body, or else to call forth a resistance which will facilitate an attack, made in the opposite line, by a sudden disengagement. Another method is to strike his piece so as either to throw it out of opposition, or else derange his guard, in order to render his parry more difficult. This last method is particularly efficacious in the engagement in tierce.  

The riposte is an attack which follows a parry. It is the best blow that can be made; it is safer than any other for the one who executes it, and more dangerous to his opponent. It should be made instantly after the parry, and with such rapidity as to touch the opponent at the same time his foot reaches the ground in his development. The parry, according to the direction given to the weapon, opens a passage either in the direct line, or in that above or below it; it is then only in one of these two lines that the immediate riposte can be given. If the riposte does not follow the parry instan­taneously, its direction will be determined by the movements of the assailant, and will generally be given by a disengagement, as he recovers his guard.

In the immediate riposte the development will seldom be necessary; a simple extension of the arms will generally be sufficient to reach the opponent’s body.  

A repeat is a blow given, without recover­ing the guard, immediately after one which is parried. It should only be used when it is evident that the parry will not be fol­lowed by an immediate riposte. It should never be made in the line in which the attack terminated, but by a disengagement into the one above, or below. It should be but sparingly used; it may sometimes be used as a time-thrust before a riposte.  

 A time-thrust is a blow by means of which we anticipate an adversary who is slow or awkward in his attack. When delivered, we should be certain that we have the op­position perfectly. It is, at the best, an unsafe attack.  

 stop-thrust is one delivered against an adversary who attacks advancing. It should be given at the very instant he raises his foot to advance and attack. If given at that moment, the opposition is not so necessary as in the time-thrust, but, if delayed, it becomes a simple time-thrust.  

  The object of the shortened thrust is to stab an antagonist who presses up breast to breast. It is the action of throwing the musket to the rear, or either side of the body, so that the bayonet may be used as a poniard.

This blow may be used in riposte as well as in attack. After the parries in prime, seconde, quarte, and seconde in retreat, the riposte should be made by the thrust short­ened on the right. After the parries in tierce, and tierce in retreat, the riposte will be made by shortening on the left. The panes against the shortened thrusts are made with the stock of the piece; and the blow to the front, with the butt, will be given in riposte.

The men should be carefully drilled at these parries, which will at once suggest themselves to the instructor. 

 The bayonet is undoubtedly more effective than the butt. Yet it may occur that the soldier is so completely surprised on his right, or in rear, that he cannot volt, so as to use his bayonet; in this case, he must, according to circumstances, parry and strike with the butt.

To cause the blow to the rear, the instructor will command —

" Right (or left) rear — VOLT!" — then " Stock to the— REAR!"

which will be followed either by a blow, or by a movement of the butt, which will parry such thrusts as the instructor may make.

For the blow to the right, the instructor will command—

" Left— VOLT!" then "Stock to the— RIGHT!" etc. etc.

No blow to the left is given, for the reason that, from the position of the guard, it will alsways be easier to use the point, in that direction, than the butt.

LESSONS WITH THE PLASTRON.

When the men are proficient in the "school of the soldier" (Bayonet Exercise, Part I.), they should be made to fence with each other, or with the instructor.  They will be told off by pairs, and numbered in each pair, as one and two.

At first they will execute the different movements at the commands of the instructor, who will give those of attack only, cautioning the men attacked as to the parry they are to use, e.g.—

"Numbers one, In prime— THRUST!" informing numbers two, before he gives the commands, that they will parry in seconde.

In the lessons with the plastron, the movements will be taught in the order in which they occur in the school of the soldier; that is, commencing with the most simple thrusts and parries.

When the men are sufficiently adroit in executing the attacks and parries, by the words of command, they will be allowed to choose their own thrusts, parries, etc., the instructor giving no commands, but merely watching that the movements are properly made, and in strict conformity with the directions.

THE SALUTE WITH THE BAYONET.

An "assault" in fencing, whatever may be the weapon used, should be preceded by a salute.

It is a compliment paid by the fencers to spectators, and to each other.  The salute is made simultaneously by both fencers.

FORMULA OF THE SALUTE

1. Assume the position of guard, and engage, in quarte, with the middle of the bayonets.

2. Make two appels, then rise, by straightening both knees, and bring the left heel against the right, the feet at right angles; at the same time raise the musket to a vertical position against the right solder, the rammer to the front, the left arm on the breast, and the left hand at the height of the shoulder..

3. Salute to the right by turning the rammer, and advancing the hands in that direction, keeping the piece vertical, the feet do not move, but the head is turned to the right.

4. Salute to the left by a similar movement, advancing the right hand as far as possible in that direction, and bringing up the right shoulder upon the same line with the left.

5. Salute the antagonist by a similar movement to the front, lowering the hands slightly at the same time.

6. Resume the position of guard, and make two appels.