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United States (All laws relating to fish)

All laws relating to fish and game in the States which constitute the United States are enacted by the legislatures of each State separately, and therefore what may be lawful in one State may be unlawful in another and adjoining State.

Each State may have general and special laws, i.e., laws which relate to the State at large, except certain named counties of the State, or even certain townships of a county. Some States have laws which forbid the shipment of fish or game within the State unless it is accompanied by its owner, and some have laws forbidding the shipment of fish or game beyond the borders of the State.

The close times for the same species of fish may differ in different States or even in different counties of a State-not a great difference, but enough to prove a snare to the uninformed-and so, altogether, the "game laws," the term usually applied to acts governing furred and feathered game and to fish as well, prove a labyrinth to the unwary.

Class legislation is dead. Broadly stated, it is the intention of the game laws of the United States to-day that all wild game and fish shall become the property of him who reduces them to possession, by killing or catching, with due regard to the laws of trespass on private property, be it land or water. Wild game and fish are not to be molested during the season of reproduction, and they must be allowed free and unobstructed passage to their breeding grounds or waters.

Changed conditions in recent years have made it necessary to elaborate these fundamental laws; to draw them more closely and define them more clearly until, as a whole, they have become multitudinous and almost hopelessly confusing to one who desires to fish or shoot in the different States of the Union, and who has not made a study of the laws from year to year as enacted. To add to the confusion, the States having annual sessions of the legislature (the law-making body) each year amend, repeal, make new laws, or change the open season for both fish and game.

The tendency of the game laws in recent years is to shorten the close seasons and to increase the penalty for violating the laws; at the same time a constant warfare is waged by a body of thinking men on the one hand, to simplify the laws and make them less cumbersome by eliminating the special provisions which relate only to detached ponds or streams, and on the other hand by a horde of people who seek some personal advantage by excepting from the operation of the law waters in which they have a local interest.

The spread of civilisation; the destruction of the forests, drying up of the fountain heads of rivers and brooks; improved engines of destruction which thin out the fish and game; better means of transportation, which carry devastation to the remoter habitats of this food supply; the sewage and refuse from towns, mills, and factories, which have made streams unfit for food [FENCE MONTHS fish; the increase of population, and the growing love of all that relates to sport and outdoor life, have combined to make rigidly enforced game laws a necessity to preserve fish, birds, and animals from utter destruction. The lawless will always oppose the game laws, no matter how just or how necessary they may be, and the lawabiding must always strive for their enactment and enforcement. 66 In giving the close seasons (fence-months of England) for fish in the principal States, I shall deal only with the so-called game fishes," and refer alone to the general laws, omitting, except in special instances, the local laws which govern small bodies of water within the States. Anyone who may desire to study the fish, bird, and animal laws of all the States in detail should procure the Game Laws in Brief, published at a nominal sum by the Forest and Stream Publishing Company, New York City. This "Brief" is amended, annually, or oftener as occasion requires, and is a safe guide to any who desire to observe all the laws of all the States in the Union, and contains the laws of the Dominion of Canada as well.

Some fifty States and territories have enacted fish and game laws more or less elaborate and complicated, but fortunately not all of the States afford fishing to attract visitors from outside of the borders of the State.

New York State.

Kind of fish.

Trout Closed season.

Sept. Ist to April 15th. (This refers to brook, brown, rainbow, and Loch Leven trout.) Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Oct. Ist to April 30th. Land-locked salmon (the land-locked form of Salmo salar) Black bass (Micropterus salmonides and M. dolomieu) Pike, pickerel, and pike-perch Mascalonge Oct. Ist to April 30th.

Jan. Ist to May 30th.

Jan. 31st to May Ist.

Last day of Feb. to May 30th.

There is a close season for Salmon, S. salar, from August 15th to March 1st, but there is no fishing for this fish in the State to tempt an angler. The Hudson, a stocked stream, does not yet produce fish in numbers for fishing purposes.

There are limits to the length of fish which may be legally killed. For salmon it is 18 in., for black bass 8 in., except in the St. Lawrence River, where it is IO in. On Long Island the close season for trout of all kinds, except lake trout, is from August 31st to March 29th.

In the St. Lawrence River the close season for black bass, mascalonge, pike, pike-perch, and pickerel is from January Ist to June 9th, and not more than twelve black bass shall be killed or possessed by one person in one day. The penalties for violating the provisions of the close season are from $10 to $100, besides being a misdemeanour which carries a fine with it.

Vermont.

Kind of fish.

Trout (fontinalis), lake trout (namaycush), and landlocked salmon Black bass Closed season.

Sept. Ist to May Ist.

Jan. Ist to June 15th.

Fish can only be taken by angling, and angling is defined to mean "not exceeding two rods or lines, with hooks attached, held in the hand."

FENCING] New Hampshire.

Kind of fish.

Brown trout or lake trout Land-locked salmon Black bass Mascalonge Closed season.

Sept. 18th to May Ist.

Sept. 30th to Apr. 15th.

April 30th to June 15th.

April and May.

Not more than 10 lb. of brook trout can be taken in one day by one person. Angling only permitted. Fish commissioners of the State have power to close any waters in the State for a term of years by publishing notice.

Kind of fish.

Salmon (Salar) Maine.

Closed season.

Sept. 15th to April 1st.

No salmon to be taken on Saturday and Sunday.

Brook trout, lake trout, and land-locked salmon Black bass Oct. Ist to May Ist.

April 1st to July 1st.

Angling confined to single hook and line or artificial flies. Not more than 50 lb. of landlocked salmon, lake trout, or brook trout may be transported. about the Great Lakes. The Rocky Mountain States furnish the black-spotted trout, Salmo mykiss, and the Pacific States the rainbow trout, S. irideus, there called mountain trout.

A. NELSON CHENEY.

FENCING. - To Hold a Foil. The thumb must be flat on the hilt (convex part), the forefinger grasping the under part and the two sides, and the other fingers lying flat along the left side. The four fingers should touch each other, and a small place should be left between the third phalanx of the little finger and the under part of the hilt. Lightness in the grip, holding the foil mostly with the thumb and forefinger, makes finger play possible.

First Position. -The first position can be taken in two different ways:- (A) Place both feet at right angles, both heels touching each other, the right foot in Kind of fish.

Delaware.

Closed season.

Black bass and trout. Nov. Ist to June Ist.

Trout Black bass Connecticut.

July Ist to April 1st. . May and June.

Massachusetts.

Black bass Trout of all kinds and land-locked salmon Sept. Ist to April 1st.

Dec. Ist to June Ist.

Michigan.

Trout, grayling, landlocked salmon Sept. Ist to May Ist.

Colorado.

Trout Dec. Ist to June Ist.

South Dakota..

Trout Sept. Ist to May Ist.

Unlawful to export trout.

Pennsylvania.

Brook trout .

June 15th to April 15th.

Lake trout Oct., Nov., Dec.

Black bass Jan Ist to May 30th.

Oregon.

Trout Trout Trout Nov. Ist to April 1st.

Wyoming.

Oct. Ist to June Ist.

California.

Nov. Ist to April Ist.

Other States, Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, have no close season for fish, so far as hook and line fishing is concerned.

The States I have given cover the lake and wilderness regions of the New England States, the Adirondacks of New York, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific coast. In the Eastern and Atlantic States, the "trout" or brook trout is the fontinalis; this is also true of the States [By kind permission of Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co. front and pointing towards the opponentthe legs straight, the body upright without stiffness, and facing the opponent at threequarters; both arms down, falling naturally along both sides of the body, the point of the foil in front touching or nearly touching the ground. (B) The feet, the body, and left arm the same as above, the right hand holding the foil at the height of the head, knuckles upwards, and slightly to the right, the arm straight.

The first position (A) ought to be taken always by beginners before assuming the guard, and in assaults made in private. The first position (B) is used in public assaults and always when beginning an assault.

Second Position or Guard. - When in [FENCING taken backwards by placing the left foot behind, at about two soles' length from the right, the rest of the movement the same as above.

When in the first position (B) with the right hand high, to take the second position, lower the right hand, knuckles downwards, place it by the side of the left hip, and let the left hand take hold of the blade lightly as if it were in its sheath; raise both hands the first position (A) with the right hand low, the second position is taken thus:- Place the right foot at about two soles' length in front of the left heel, raise the left hand until on a level with the head, the arm half extended, rather backwards; raise the right hand until nearly at the height of the right breast, bending the arm, and keep ing the elbow near the body, but not touching it, and the point of the foil at about the same height as the eye. Bend both knees, keeping the weight of the body well divided between the two legs. Keep the body upright, shoulders down without leaning either backwards or forwards, and always facing the opponent at three-quarters. The distance between both heels may vary according to the height of the fencer; when the legs are properly bent, the right knee must be perpendicular to the instep.

The second position, or guard, may be together to a level with the head, taking care to round the movement; let go the blade with the left hand, and place the left arm, half extended, rather backwards, keeping the hand at the same height. Place the right hand in front, slightly lower than the right breast, the arm bent, the elbow near the body, but not touching it, the point of the foil at about the same height as the eye.

Place the right foot at about two soles' length in front of the left heel, and bend both knees as above.

Third Position or Lunge. From the second position, or guard, stretch out the right arm, without any jerk, on a level with the shoulder, finger nails turned upwards; advance the right foot about a sole and a half length, slightly raising the toes and allowing the heel almost to brush the ground; stretch the left leg and straighten the left knee, press in the loins and left hip, FENCING] and lower the left hand towards the left thigh at a few inches above it. The right knee should be perpendicular to the instep, and the left foot kept flat on the ground.

Great care must be taken not to drop forward, and the body should not be kept too upright, but in a slanting position, allowing a sufficiently long reach without promising the retreat. com- Observations on the Guard. - Quickness Duel, published in Paris, the first in 1886, the second in 1891, are mostly the cause of that progress.

The reasons that cause the effaced position to be wrong are the following. In regard to the defence, the effacement of the body makes it extremely difficult to keep a steady balance; it requires a constant muscular effort to turn the left shoulder and hip backwards towards the left. The right 66 and suddenness in the attack, readiness and firmness in the defence, and easiness in the retreat, depend on a good guard, therefore great care should be taken in assuming that position. Until late years most fencers thought it preferable to have the body well effaced," i.e., the body sideways, presenting the right side only, hoping to be exposed as little as possible to the thrust of the antagonist. This is an error which has been almost completely abandoned in France in the last few years.1 The Théorie pratique de l'Escrime and L'Escrime et le 1 There are two schools or methods of fencing: the French and the Italian. In the latter they have still kept the effaced position in the guard and lunge. The Italian foil is different from the French. There is a small iron bar (called barrette) across the handle; the foil is held with the forefinger and the middle finger round the barrette, the third and fourth grasping the handle, and the thumb lying close to the middle finger arm becomes stiff, and this stops finger play and causes the parries to be slower and wider. In regard to the attack, the effacement of the body, stiffening the right arm, makes its extension slower. The hip, being turned backwards, makes the left knee also turn backwards, and places it perpendicularly over the left toes; the left leg and thigh then are not in a favourable position to give quickness to the lunge; and the body is so placed that the action of the loins does not come into play. On guard, the left hand should always be placed as indicated, nail on the handle and barrette. Until about ten years ago, their blade was four or five inches longer than the French, and was heavy and whippy. Some Italian fencers, having been to Paris and having fenced with French fencers, understood that the exaggerated length and weight of their foil were a great disadvantage to them; they gradually shortened their blade, and have now adopted the French blade. They modified the left arm being a very useful counterbalance to the right. It is most important that the body should be upright and its weight equally shared by both legs. If the fencer leans forward, he shortens his reach and exposes himself, and the weight of the body, bearing mostly on the right leg, prevents the right foot from moving properly forward in the lunge.

If, on the other hand, the weight of the body is thrown on the left leg, the lunge becomes slow, as it cannot be done without a jump, or without a movement forward of the body before making use of the extension of the left leg.

Observations on the Lunge. A fencer must always bear in mind that quickness in the attack depends mostly on a supple and quick extension of the arm. The extension of the left leg must not begin the motion : the hand must start first, the right foot next, and the left leg must then push the body forward. These three parts of the lunge must follow each other so closely that they seem to be a single movement. To have a long reach, the body must certainly be slanted forward, but it is most important that it should not drop forward. The left hip must be well pressed in, and the loins tightened, or else the fencer will lose his balance and find the recovery extremely difficult. Care must be taken not to let the right knee overreach the foot; the knee must be just above the instep.

To Recover or Return on Guard.-Just as the left leg pushes the body forward in the lunge, the right leg must, with the help of the loins, push it backwards in the recovery; simultaneously, the left hand must be raised, the right arm and the left leg bent, and the right foot placed at about two soles' length from the left, and the position of the guard assumed.

When the adversary has retired a certain distance to avoid the attack, and has put himself far out of reach, the guard may their way of fencing, and instead of keeping their arm stretched out on guard they bend it, and have taken most of the French parries, which they could not use before on account of the weight and length of their blades. They have also changed their way of attacking and lunging, i.e., instead of making a sort of half lunge, keeping the body completely upright, always preceded by one or several little jumps forward, they make a longer lunge and slant the body forward, but they have not yet done away entirely with their jumps forward (the French advance one foot after the other, the right foot first; the Italians advance both feet at the same time with a jump).

On account of their effaced position and their way of holding their foil or sword, their attacks are not so quick, and they are obliged to move a great deal more for their defence, and they require much more muscular strength.

FENCING be regained forwards in the following manner. Keep the right knee bent, bring the left foot to about two soles' length from the right heel, bending the left leg; raise the left hand, bend the right arm, and take the position of the guard. When, having attacked without success, the fencer is in danger and wishes to place himself immediately out of reach, he must, with vigorous effort of the right leg and loins, throw the weight of the body on the left leg, which must be kept almost straight; place the right heel against the left, and assume the guard backwards. Beginners should not make use of these two latter ways of regaining the second position. a When on guard, the first position can be regained forwards by bringing the left foot close to the right, and backwards by placing the right heel near the left.

To Advance. When on guard, advance the right foot first a few inches, and let the left foot follow over an equal space.

To Retire or to Retreat. - When on guard, step back a few inches with the left foot first, and bring the right foot the same distance from the left as before. If, for some special reason, it is necessary to get instantly out of reach, throw the weight of the body entirely on the left leg, bring the right foot against the left heel, or, if needed, behind the left foot, without keeping the legs quite so much bent, and fall on guard backwards. This way of retreating must only be used by fencers of some skill, and not by beginners.

The Lines. The space between the right or the left of the blade and the limit of the body on the corresponding side is called the line. There are four lines: two high and two low. The two high lines are: the upper line on the right of the blade when pointed high, and the inside line on the left of the blade when also pointed high. The two low lines are: the lower line on the left of the blade when pointed low, and the outside line on the right of the blade when also pointed low. 1 A line is either open or closed; it is open when the opponent's point can hit the fencer's body; it is closed when 1 Some masters give the same names to the lines and the parries; for instance, they name the inside line quarte line or quinte line, according to the position of the hand holding the foil, being with the finger nails turned upwards or downwards; and the upper line tierce line if the finger nails are turned downwards, or sixte line if they are upwards. According to that system there are two names to each line; therefore it complicates a demonstration when taken as a rule. Nevertheless, it may simplify or help an explanation when used exceptionally, and for this reason these expressions will be sometimes found in the course of this article.

FENCING] the point cannot touch it. The two high lines cannot be closed at the same time; if the inside line is closed, the upper line is bound to be open, and vice versa. The same for the two low lines.

Simple Parries. A parry is the action of warding off a thrust of the opponent's foil or sword. A simple parry is a direct parry which meets the opponent's blade in the line in which he thrusts. There are eight point on a level with the eye and a little to the left.

Quinte. The same as quarte, with the finger nails turned downwards and the point further to the left. The hand may be slightly lower.

Sixte. The same as tierce, with the finger nails turned upwards.

Septime. The hand opposite the right shoulder, the finger nails turned upwards, [By kind permission of Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co. simple parries: four for the two high lines, four for the two low ones.

Their names are: Prime, Seconde, Tierce, Quarte, Quinte, Sixte, Septime, and Octave.

Prime. The right hand opposite the left shoulder, the thumb turned downwards, the arm half bent, the foil pointed downwards.

Seconde. The hand opposite the right hip (slightly higher), the finger nails turned downwards, the arm straight without stiffness, the point very little lower than the hand, the blade almost horizontal.

Tierce. The hand on the right, the finger nails very slightly turned downwards, the elbow near the body, the point on a level with the eye a little outside the line on the right.

Quarte. The hand to the left, the thumb uppermost, the elbow near the body, the 1 Septime has been called semicircle or halfcircle for many years. the arm half extended, elbow down, the blade horizontal, the point opposite the left shoulder. In the position of septime, the wrist must be slightly bent: the upper part convex, the inner part concave.

Octave. The same as seconde, with the finger nails turned upwards.

Theoretically there are eight parries, as described above, to protect four lines, two parries for each line, but this is a useless complication. Practically one parry for each line is sufficient; therefore, following the celebrated French master M. Bertrand's 1 example, we consider that four parries can be abandoned without any disadvantage, and they are the following:- I. Prime, which is a dangerous parry. It is slow and places the hand in such a position that, when deceived, the body is entirely uncovered. Septime protects the same line 1 M. Bertrand, born in 1797, died in 1876. and is much more convenient. It is a much quicker parry, and the ripostes from it are more easily delivered and more rapid. 2. Quinte, which is a heavy and clumsy parry. 3. Sixte, because, the hand being turned finger nails upwards, the parry is made with the help of the ends of the fingers, while with tierce, which covers the same line, the parry is made with the help of the thumb, the finger nails being turned slightly downwards. 4. Octave, for the same reasons as sixte.

There are two ways of making the same parry: by an opposition, or by a smart or dry beat on the blade.

When the opponent presses on the blade while attacking, trying to force the stroke in notwithstanding the parry, the parry should be made by closing the line, thus pushing the point out of the direction of the body, and this is called "by opposition (parade d'opposition). دو If the blades are not joined in the attack, the opponent not weighing on the blade when the parry is being made, the parry should be, as the French name it, "parade sèche" or "parade détachée," that is, with a dry or smart beat sending the opponent's point out of the line. From this last parry the riposte called "du tac-au-tac" (explained further on) can be made. In the parries of quarte and tierce, the point must be higher than in the ordinary engagement, so as to take the advantage of the fort of the blade on the feeble. As a rule it should be about on a level with the fencer's eye, and if the opponent weighs on the blade the point should be still higher.

The Engagement. The engagement is the junction of the blades. There are as many engagements as there are parries, and they take the same names, i.e., the engagement in quarte, the engagement in tierce, &c. It may be either with or without opposition. It is with opposition when the opponent's blade cannot reach the body with a straight thrust, that is, when the line in which the blades are joined is closed. It is without opposition when the blades are placed so that the same line is open. The height of the point, when the blades are engaged in quarte or tierce (or sixte), should vary according to the opponent's size; if the antagonist is tall, it should be higher than if he is short. As a rule the point must be placed in the direction of his eyes, more to the left if in quarte, with opposition, or more to the right if in tierce.

The Change of Engagement.-To change the engagement in the upper lines is to quit an engagement in one high line, pass- [FENCING ing the point under the opponent's blade, and to take the engagement in the other high line: from quarte to tierce, or from tierce to quarte. In the changes of engagements from one low line to the other-that is, from septime to seconde, or from seconde to septime, the point must pass over the opponent's blade. Both fencers cannot have the opposition in the engagement, one of the two is fatally uncovered, and it is dangerous to attempt to get the opposition by forcing on the opponent's blade; therefore the changes of engagements are very useful, as they allow one to take the opposition in the other line without any effort. Sometimes, when an adversary is preparing an attack, a change of engagement may oblige him to change his mind.

The Double Engagement. The double engagement is composed of two successive changes of engagement, rapidly done, the first very light, simply touching the blade, the second with opposition. It is only used in the high lines. It often allows opposition to be taken without forcing on the blade, and is very useful when advancing, as it renders a stop thrust (coup d'arrêt) very difficult. It may also disturb the adversary's plans. It requires light finger play to be well executed, and it is a very good exercise.

Finger Play (Doigté). - To have good finger play is to be able to direct the point and move the blade in attacking, in parrying, and in executing all movements in fencing, with only the action of the fingers on the hilt.

The foil must be held mostly with the thumb and forefinger. These must act as a sort of pivot, the thumb giving the direction to the point, the three other fingers holding the hilt very lightly, giving momentary pressures when needed, either to move the blade properly in feints, attacks, or ripostes, or to form the parries or "attacks on the blade," or to support any shock on it. It is a great mistake to hold the foil with force, but the fingers must never quit the hilt; they must be in continual contact with it. When parrying, the hand must be placed as explained for each parry, but when attacking, feinting, or riposting, the hand must be in supination-that is, with the finger nails turned upwards, this position of the hand being much more favourable for finger play there are but very few exceptions, which will be explained in their proper place.

The great advantage of finger play over arm or wrist work in fencing is that it gives considerably more quickness in the move- FENCING] ments of the blade. With it the feints are more effective and the opponent's parries deceived more surely and safely; the parries are more rapid and made with more precision; and if a parry is deceived by the antagonist, a second parry is more easily and quickly done; and ripostes are quicker and neater.

Simple Attacks. -Attacks which are not preceded by a feint are called simple attacks.

There are four simple attacks, and they can be executed in each line. Their names are: arm. a line of engagement, and lunge. The direction must be given to the point with pressure of the thumb while extending the Some fencers direct the point first, placing the blade horizontally, and then straighten the arm; this is a mistake, because it involves loss of time, and the success of a straight thrust depends on quickness.

The straight thrust can be made in each line with the fingers upwards or downwards, but a good direction is much more SWANTY PE the straight thrust (coup droit), the disengagement, the cut-over (coupé), and the counter-disengagement (contre - dégage ment). easily given to the point with the hand in supination. When engaged in tierce, if the opponent keeps his point too low, the straight thrust can be made thus: Place the fort of the blade on the feeble part of his, straighten the arm, and lunge, slightly forcing in the line, with the hand high, keeping opposition to the right.

A fencer must bear in mind that as the thrust is delivered with the foil or sword, the hand holding that weapon must move first in every attack, however quick the stroke may be. When a very good fencer makes a very quick straight thrust or a disengagement, the hand, foot, and body all seem to move together at the same time, but, in fact, the hand begins the motion.

The Straight Thrust. This is the most simple of all the attacks. To make a straight thrust, straighten the arm, directing the point to the adversary's body in the The Disengagement (or Disengage).- To disengage is to quit the line in which the blades are placed and to thrust in another.

In the high lines the disengage is made by passing the point under the opponent's hand; in the low lines, by passing it over the adversary's wrist.

When disengaging from the engagement in quarte into the upper line, pass the point under the antagonist's hand while straightening the arm, and turn the hand knuckles up, keeping it opposite the right shoulder, and thrust in tierce. The turning of the hand in supination, while disengaging, helps finger play considerably. The same for disengaging from tierce into the inside (or quarte) line, only with the hand slightly to the left.

It is a mistake to try, as some fencers do, to pass the point as close as possible to the opponent's blade, because then the straightening of the arm can only take place when the point has passed into the opposite line; this makes two movements of one; it is absolutely necessary to extend the arm while disengaging and to pass the point round the antagonist's hand very closely, and, when disengaging into tierce, round the arm if possible.

To disengage from a high line into a low line, drop the point into the low line, on the corresponding side, while extending the arm, and lunge, and vice versa to disengage from a low line into a high line.

The Cut-over (Coupé) engaged in quarte, to cut-over into the upper line, raise the point by a movement of the thumb and forefinger, loosening the three other fingers, pass the blade over the adversary's, lower the point by a pressure of the last three fingers while straightening the arm, and lunge. The same when engaged in tierce to cut-over into quarte. The coupés are not used in the low lines.

The Counter - Disengagement. - The counter-disengagement eludes a change of engagement or double engagement; or, when preceded by a feint, it deceives a parry.

The counter-disengagement is very much like a disengagement in appearance, but as it cannot be done if the opponent does not move his blade first, ipso facto it is quite different. The disengage goes from one line to another; the counter-disengage comes back into the same line.

When engaged in quarte, to counterdisengage, the instant the adversary quits the blade to change the engagement, let the point follow his blade, passing under his hand with a pressure of the thumb and forefinger, and lunge, thrusting in the inside line. The extension of the arm must take place while the point is passing under the hand. From the engagement in tierce, the counter-disengagement is the same, but in the reverse way. a The counter-disengage on a double engagement must take place on the second change, i.e., when engaged in quarte, let the blade be touched by the other in tierce and avoid the second change by a counter- [FENCING disengage in tierce. When in tierce, let the blade be touched in quarte and counterdisengage in quarte. Sometimes the counter-disengage may be abridged thus.

From the engagement in tierce, to avoid the change of engagement, the instant the adversary's blade quits the engagement, drop the point into the lower line, and lunge.

The same from the engagement in quarte, and thrust in the outside line.

In these two cases, although the thrust is not delivered in the line of engagement, the stroke is still called a counter-disengagement, and must not be mistaken for a disengage, as it is still made in the reverse way, following the opponent's blade.

How to protect oneself against the above Attacks with Simple Parries.- Against a straight thrust that does not quit the blade, in whatever line the engagement may be, take the opposition. For instance, if engaged in quarte with the line open, and the adversary attacks with a straight thrust without quitting blades, raise the point slightly so as to take advantage of the fort of the blade on the feeble, and send the opponent's point out of the direction of the body by closing the line with a pressure of the fingers. The same in the other lines.

Against a straight thrust with the blades not engaged, close the line with a smart beat, the fort of the blade on the feeble.

Against a disengage or a cut-over into the inside line, parry quarte, or septime (this last parry protecting the inside line as well as the lower line). Against a disengage or cut-over into the upper line, parry tierce.

Against a disengage into the lower line, parry septime; in the outside line, parry seconde.

Against a counter-disengage from the engagement in quarte into the inside line, parry quarte after the change of engagement: from the engagement of tierce into the upper line, parry tierce after the change of engagement. If the counter-disengagement is abridged and the thrust delivered in the outside line, parry seconde; in the lower line, parry septime.

Feints. A feint is a sham attack, or, rather, the threatening of an attack without lunging. Its object is to mislead the opponent, making him believe in a true attack, inducing him to form a parry which will be eluded by avoiding his blade, and thrusting in an open line. The feint takes the name of the simple attack it simulates.

Attacks made with one or more feints are called compound or composed attacks.

Feints should be made with finger play and the extension of the arm, but great care must be taken not to straighten the arm with FENCING] stiffness and not to move the shoulder forward, because then the finger play would become impossible. There must be no jerk in the extension of the arm.

When making a compound attack, the lunge must take place with the last movement. When making an attack with an advance, composed of one feint and the thrust, the step must be made rapidly with the feint and the lunge with the finale. the success of an attack; it may sometimes happen to be the right one, but very seldom; and generally causes what are called parries by contraction, and ugly fencing. To foresee the opponent's parries is certainly not easy, but in the course of this article some advice will be given how to acquire judgment.

Some fencers very seldom engage the blades, and with others it is sometimes wiser to avoid joining blades. The reasons for so doing will be explained farther on; for the present it is simply useful to state the fact.

In order to be more easily understood, all the attacks that will be described, to deceive parries, will be said to start from an engagement, but in practice, when there is no junction of blades, the same attacks can be made to deceive the same parries.

When making an attack with an advance, composed of more than one feint, the step must be made with the first feint and the unge with the finish; but as there should be no pause between the step and the lunge, their quickness must be moderated so as to accord with the movements of the blade, the step beginning with the first feint, and the lunge finishing with the finale.

When making composed attacks, it is most important to regulate one's speed by that of the opponent. Indeed, although a composed attack may be made with good judgment and well combined, if the feints are quicker or slower than the parries they are intended to deceive, the blades catch each other, and the attack cannot succeed.

Judgment is required to deceive parries; it is a mistake to rely on mere chance for Counter-Parries. There is no English word equivalent to the French contre, but the French word contre is generally used with an English orthography and transformed into counter. Counters are circular parries in which the blade follows that of the opponent, and meets it again where the former engagement was, sending the point out of the direction of the body.

There are as many counters as there are simple parries, and they are called counterquarte, counter-tierce, &c., according to the engagement from which they are made. A counter can be correct only when the opponent's attack is either a disengagement or a cut-over in the line opposite that of the engagement; e.g., from the engagement in quarte the counter-quarte can only be made against a disengage or a cut-over in the upper line (in tierce or sixte).

When engaged in quarte, to parry counter-quarte, the moment the adversary quits the blade to disengage into the upper line, let your blade follow his, and describe a circle with its point passing under his hand or blade from left to rigut, thus bringing the blades in quarte again, and closing the line. The hand must not move while doing this; the thumb and forefinger must act as a pivot, slightly loosening the three other fingers at the first part of the movement, and tightening them at the finish to raise the point, and give a smart beat with the fort of the blade on the feeble of the adversary's. The movement is the same against a cut-over.

When engaged in tierce, to parry countertierce, the moment the adversary quits the blade to disengage into the inside line, let your blade follow his and describe a circle with your point, passing under the hand from right to left, and close the line in tierce.

The principles are the same as for counterquarte.

The counter-tierce parry is not much used, and we do not recommend it; the parry of septime, as we have described it, is far superior, as it is much quicker (the point describing at least one-third less than a circle) and protects two lines, the lower and the inside lines.

When in seconde to parry counterseconde, the moment the adversary quits the blade to disengage into the lower line, let your blade follow his and describe a circle with your point, passing it over his hand from right to left, and bring the blades in seconde again, and close the line. Like the counter-quarte, it must be made with the forefinger and thumb, and finished with a pressure of all the fingers.

When in septime, to parry counterseptime, the moment the adversary quits the blade to disengage¹ in the inside line. let the blade follow his and describe a circle with your point, passing it over his wrist from left to right, and close the line. The finger play is the same as for the other counters. 1 The disengagements, from one low line to the other, are made by passing the point over the wrist. [FENCING When the blades are not engaged, as often occurs, the counters are made in the same manner, and are named according to the line in which they are. For instance, when the point is directed high, and the blades are to the left of each other-that is, in the inside line, if the adversary attacks in the upper line with a simple disengagement or a cut-over, the circular parry is called counter-quarte. If the blades are in the upper line, and the attack made in the inside line, the circular parry is called counter-tierce. The same for the counters in the low lines.

Attacks on the Sword.An attack on the sword is intended to get the opponent's blade out of the way before making an attack at the body, to disarm him, to check his blade in a parry, to prevent him from timing, or to draw an attack.

The attacks on the blade are called: a pressure, a beat, a scrape, a twist disarmament, or a twist-and-thrust (pressions, battement, froissé, croisé, liement).

The pressure is the action of pressing on the blade in order to make an opening either for a direct attack or with the intention of deceiving a parry, &c.

The beat is a smart tap on the opponent's blade. Light beats are more advisable than heavy ones, but they must be done very suddenly and with finger play only; if they are done otherwise they are very easy to avoid. Their object is to get the opponent's blade slightly out of the way for a direct attack, or, when followed by a simple or compound attack, to check the blade and render the parry more difficult and slower.

The scrape (this is the nearest English word for the French froissé) is made only in the high lines and mostly in the upper line (tierce). It can only be used when the adversary keeps his point low; it is still more effective when his blade is horizontal and his arm straight. It is meant either to disarm, or to send the other blade violently out of the line. It jars the hand considerably. To execute a scrape, raise the point so as to place the fort of the blade against the feeble, the three last fingers loosened, and then with a vigorous pressure of the fingers, and especially of the thumb, and a three-quarter extension of the arm, bring the point violently down to the fort, near the hilt, sending the other blade away to the right, if in tierce, or to the left if in quarte. It must be quickly and suddenly done, otherwise it would be very easily deceived. It is intended either to disarm or to open a line widely for a simple attack, or, less violently done, and followed by a composed attack, to deceive a parry.

FENCING] The twist disarmament (croisé) is to send the opponent's blade violently from a high line into and out of a low line; like the scrape it can only be effected if the opponent's point is low. The twist disarmament is executed thus: when engaged in quarte, raise the point so as to bring the fort of the blade against the feeble, loosening the three last fingers, pass the point over the adversary's wrist, and violently the croisé, it can only be attempted when the opponent keeps his point too low, and is more easily executed when his arm is stretched out. It is delivered thus: place the fort of the blade against the feeble, and, if in quarte, pass the point over the opponent's hand and thrust in the outside line with the hand rather low and a strong opposition to the right. This is the stroke called the "Flanconnade." The twist and thrusts from tierce to the lower line, and from seconde into the inside or quarte line are dangerous, and should not be resorted to as an attack, but may sometimes be used as a riposte. From septime the twist and thrust is done by passing the point over the opponent's wrist and thrusting in the upper line, with opposition to the right. This is often used as a riposte after the parry of septime. bring the blades into seconde with a powerful pressure of the thumb and fingers, but mostly of the thumb, and with full extension of the arm; at the end bring the point slightly higher than in the parry of seconde.

When engaged in tierce, raise the point as above, and with the fort against the feeble, bring the blades violently into septime. If this does not completely disarm a fencer, it will at least loosen his grasp and jar his hand. The first described is the more telling of the two. The twist and thrust is very much like the above, but is not intended to disarm, and for that reason is not so violent. It is an attack at the body as well as at the blade, with a continuous movement bringing the blades from a high line into a low one, or from a low one into a high one with a lunge. Like