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Our blades, the duke's and mine, came together with a ring, and I felt the strength of his wrist behind his, and of his short, powerful arm. The steel sung with our quick changes from 'quarte' to 'tierce'. 'Twas all by the feeling, without light to go by, and hatred between us left little space for skill. Our lunges were furious.

My series has served many in duelling, and I, Andreas, their master, have made tierce follow quarte and side-thrust tierce thousands of times, but always with buttons on the foils and against padded doublets. Outside the walls, in the battle-field, no one, often as I have pressed upon the leaders, has ever stood against me in single combat.

My series has served many in duelling, and I, Andreas, their master, have made tierce follow quarte and side-thrust tierce thousands of times, but always with buttons on the foils and against padded doublets. Outside the walls, in the battle-field, no one, often as I have pressed upon the leaders, has ever stood against me in single combat.

On your Engagement, the Enemy may do Three things, either of which, produces several others. First, either he will let you engage, or secondly, he will disengage, or thirdly, he will come to your Blade. If he lets you engage, you must push Quarte, or, by way of Precaution, make a Half-thrust, in order to see if he stirs, to retire, or to have recourse to his Parade, or to Time.

The second Reprise is made, after having pushed Quarte, when in recovering to Guard the Enemy advances, without being covered, or that suffering the Superiority of your Sword, he gives you room to thrust in Quarte, if he disengages, you must go off in Tierce, if he forces your Sword with his Feeble, you must disengage to Tierce, and if with his Fort cut Quarte under the Wrist.

If he disengages giving Light, to take a Counter on your Thrust, whether by Rispost or Time, you must make a Feint, and if he parrys with his Fort you must cut under in Seconde, if with his Feeble, you must disengage and push Quarte, if he takes the Time strait, you must lower the body, if he takes Time lowering his body, you must parry and push strait in Quarte, if he cuts in Flank, you must parry crossing the Sword in Quarte, and if he volts, you must parry and risposte in Flanconnade.

So saying, he gathered the long crown locks in his left hand, and with two slashes of his knife, held quarte and tierce, he cut a circle around the top of the head, as perfect as if it had been traced by compasses. He then took a turn of the hair over his wrist, giving it a quick jerk outward. At the same instant, the keen blade passed under the skin, and the scalp was taken!

If he disengages and comes to your Sword within, with his Fort, you must cut Quarte under the Wrist, and if with his Feeble, you must Counter-disengage from the Inside to the Outside. 5th. If he makes a Feint in order to return in Tierce, you must either parry or take the Time as I have said. 6th.

And already, with a sort of fear, a sort of sinking in my heart, I could hear the cries of the croupiers "Trente et un, rouge, impair et passe," "Quarte, noir, pair et manque."

If the Enemy after parrying Tierce shou'd Rispost strait or under, to the first you may disengage and volt, and to the other volt strait, advancing the left Foot a little in Lunging, in order to have the Liberty of Volting, because you cannot easily do it when you are extended: It is more easy to take the Time opposing with the left Hand; and 'tis best of all to parry and thrust strait in Quarte; if after having pushed Tierce, on your Recovery to Guard, you find you have the Command of the Enemy's Sword, or that he advances uncovered, you, must in these Cases push strait in Tierce if he disengage you must take the time and push Quarte, if he comes to your Sword with his Fort, you must cut under in Seconde, if with his Feeble, disengage in Quarte, it is also good after having pushed Tierce to recover with your Sword high, giving Light under, and if the Enemy pushes there, you must take the Time opposing with the left Hand, or Parry and Rispost.