68 THE BRIDLE BITS. 



soldier is at a disadvantage in his conflict with the in- 

 fantry soldier, armed with a magazine gun ; yet, under all 

 circumstances, men in action do the best they can, and 

 in this emergency the pursuing blood-thirsty cavalier 

 brings his bit again into requisition, and attacking a 

 pursued man on his left, suddenly throws his horse low 

 upon his haunches, and with the assault or rear cut hews 

 the man down with a single blow. The expert infantry 

 soldier parries the sword with his boyonet, while the ex- 

 pert and cool-headed swordsman lets the parry pass his 

 feint and then deliA^ers his cut. The expert swordsman 

 takes care, when he can, that his parry ends where his 

 most effective cut or point begins, and is delivered in the 

 opening made by the parry. In these critical movements 

 of both the horse and rider, and the necessarily dexterous 

 handling of the sword or lance, it will be perceived that 

 the bit plays the most delicate and necessary part, and 

 that without it nothing could be done. 



In some cavalry scliools of practice we have seen the 

 same pace kept up in delivering both points and cuts, 

 but this is contrary to the plainest rules of common sense 

 and the Eastern swordsman's effective practice. For, if 

 we cut to the rear while we are charging to the front, the 

 sneed neutralizes the force of our cut, because we are 

 moving away from instead of to the object we assault — 

 on the same principle of rowing with or against a stream. 

 In rowing down stream we have the advantage of the 

 force of the current against our oars ; but, if we row 

 against it, the water gives way with the oars and we 

 lose power that we gain by the resistance of the current 

 against the oars in going with it. So that when the pur- 

 sued and pursuers are going the same way the halt of the 

 latter is indispensable for an effective cut to the rear ; 

 besides it is safer to entertain the antagonist till disposed 

 of, rather than to pass on and leave him in a condition 

 to keep up a magazine fusillade at the cavalry target. In 



