40 The Cozirse, the Camp, the Chase 



I entered Angelo's School-at-Arms, old Mr. Angelo took 

 me in hand himself, as no other master was disengaged at 

 the moment. Mr. Angelo was very fond of a little " tour 

 dc force " — the trick of disarming your opponent — which 

 is very easy, if he happens to be a beginner or is careless. 

 The trick consists of manoeuvring your own blade until 

 you get it exactly on the opposite side of your opponent's 

 foil, to where the tips of his fingers meet the ball of the 

 thumb. A very slight effort then knocks the handle of 

 his weapon out of his grasp. As I had never in my life 

 had a foil in my hand before, Angelo very soon was able 

 to put his favourite trick into practice, but instead of the 

 foil flying out of my hand, as he had expected, my wrist 

 gave to his jerk, and I still retained my weapon. 

 " Hulloh," said he, " you have a wrist ! You are worth 

 teaching. Now I shall teach you myself, and you shall 

 win the fencing." He took great pains with me after 

 that, and so did his chief instructor, that beautiful fencer, 

 Mr. M'Turk. After I left Eton — and, indeed, before it — 

 I was most kindly given " free run " of the School-at-Arms 

 in St. James's Street, and for two or three years I con- 

 stantly attended there in the summer; but the exigencies 

 of the service then took me away from London. My old 

 friends, too, Angelo and M'Turk, had died, and I knew the 

 place no more. I learned to beat my opponents by com- 

 bining attacks. After a little loose play, to get an insight 

 into the other's method, I commenced on a settled plan. I 

 tried one attack, which was probably guarded against ; after 

 a little more play, I returned to the same attack, but the 

 instant it was met I instantaneously added another. If 

 this was again guarded, in a short time I repeated the two 

 previous attacks and added a third. This was almost 



