Baker\'sBluejayYarn[WhatStumpedtheBlueJays]
\"WhenIfirstbeguntounderstandjaylanguagecorrectly,therewasalittleincidenthappenedhere。Sevenyearsago,thelastmaninthisregionbutmemovedaway。Therestandshishouse——beenemptyeversince;aloghouse,withaplankroof——justonebigroom,andnomore;noceiling——nothingbetweentheraftersandthefloor。Well,oneSundaymorningIwassittingouthereinfrontofmycabin,withmycat,takingthesun,andlookingatthebluehills,andlisteningtotheleavesrustlingsolonelyinthetrees,andthinkingofthehomeawayyonderinthestates,thatIhadn\'theardfrominthirteenyears,whenabluejaylitonthathouse,withanacorninhismouth,andsays,\'Hello,IreckonI\'vestrucksomething。\'Whenhespoke,theacorndroppedoutofhismouthandrolleddowntheroof,ofcourse,buthedidn\'tcare;hismindwasallonthethinghehadstruck。Itwasaknot-holeintheroof。
Hecockedhisheadtooneside,shutoneeyeandputtheotheronetothehole,likeapossumlookingdownajug;
thenheglancedupwithhisbrighteyes,gaveawinkortwowithhiswings——whichsignifiesgratification,youunderstand——andsays,\'Itlookslikeahole,it\'slocatedlikeahole——blamedifIdon\'tbelieveitIS
ahole!\'
\"Thenhecockedhisheaddownandtookanotherlook;
heglancesupperfectlyjoyful,thistime;winkshiswingsandhistailboth,andsays,\'Oh,no,thisain\'tnofatthing,Ireckon!IfIain\'tinluck!——Whyit\'saperfectlyeleganthole!\'Soheflewdownandgotthatacorn,andfetcheditupanddroppeditin,andwasjusttiltinghisheadback,withtheheavenliestsmileonhisface,whenallofasuddenhewasparalyzedintoalisteningattitudeandthatsmilefadedgraduallyoutofhiscountenancelikebreathoff\'narazor,andthequeerestlookofsurprisetookitsplace。Thenhesays,\'Why,I
didn\'thearitfall!\'Hecockedhiseyeattheholeagain,andtookalonglook;raisedupandshookhishead;
steppedaroundtotheothersideoftheholeandtookanotherlookfromthatside;shookhisheadagain。
Hestudiedawhile,thenhejustwentintotheDetails——
walkedroundandroundtheholeandspiedintoitfromeverypointofthecompass。Nouse。Nowhetookathinkingattitudeonthecomboftheroofandscratchedthebackofhisheadwithhisrightfootaminute,andfinallysays,\'Well,it\'stoomanyforME,that\'scertain;mustbeamightylonghole;however,Iain\'tgotnotimetofoolaroundhere,Igotto\"tendtobusiness\";Ireckonit\'sallright——chanceit,anyway。\'
\"Soheflewoffandfetchedanotheracornanddroppeditin,andtriedtoflirthiseyetotheholequickenoughtoseewhatbecomeofit,buthewastoolate。
Heheldhiseyethereasmuchasaminute;thenheraisedupandsighed,andsays,\'Confoundit,Idon\'tseemtounderstandthisthing,noway;however,I\'lltackleheragain。\'Hefetchedanotheracorn,anddonehislevelbesttoseewhatbecomeofit,buthecouldn\'t。Hesays,\'Well,Ineverstrucknosuchaholeasthisbefore;
I\'moftheopinionit\'satotallynewkindofahole。\'
Thenhebeguntogetmad。Heheldinforaspell,walkingupanddownthecomboftheroofandshakinghisheadandmutteringtohimself;buthisfeelingsgottheupperhandofhim,presently,andhebrokelooseandcussedhimselfblackintheface。Ineverseeabirdtakeonsoaboutalittlething。Whenhegotthroughhewalkstotheholeandlooksinagainforhalfaminute;
thenhesays,\'Well,you\'realonghole,andadeephole,andamightysingularholealtogether——butI\'vestartedintofillyou,andI\'mdamnedifIDON\'Tfillyou,ifittakesahundredyears!\'
\"Andwiththat,awayhewent。Youneverseeabirdworksosinceyouwasborn。Helaidintohisworklikeanigger,andthewayhehoveacornsintothatholeforabouttwohoursandahalfwasoneofthemostexcitingandastonishingspectaclesIeverstruck。Heneverstoppedtotakealookanymore——hejusthove\'eminandwentformore。Well,atlasthecouldhardlyflophiswings,hewassotuckeredout。Hecomesa-droppingdown,oncemore,sweatinglikeanice-pitcher,droppedhisacorninandsays,\'NOWIguessI\'vegotthebulgeonyoubythistime!\'
Sohebentdownforalook。Ifyou\'llbelieveme,whenhisheadcomeupagainhewasjustpalewithrage。
Hesays,\'I\'veshoveledacornsenoughintheretokeepthefamilythirtyyears,andifIcanseeasignofoneof\'emIwishImaylandinamuseumwithabellyfullofsawdustintwominutes!\'
\"Hejusthadstrengthenoughtocrawlupontothecombandleanhisbackaginthechimbly,andthenhecollectedhisimpressionsandbeguntofreehismind。
IseeinasecondthatwhatIhadmistookforprofanityinthemineswasonlyjusttherudiments,asyoumaysay。
\"Anotherjaywasgoingby,andheardhimdoinghisdevotions,andstopstoinquirewhatwasup。Thesufferertoldhimthewholecircumstance,andsays,\'Nowyonder\'sthehole,andifyoudon\'tbelieveme,goandlookforyourself。\'
Sothisfellowwentandlooked,andcomesbackandsays,\"Howmanydidyousayyouputinthere?\'\'Notanylessthantwotons,\'saysthesufferer。Theotherjaywentandlookedagain。Hecouldn\'tseemtomakeitout,soheraisedayell,andthreemorejayscome。Theyallexaminedthehole,theyallmadethesufferertellitoveragain,thentheyalldiscussedit,andgotoffasmanyleather-headedopinionsaboutitasanaveragecrowdofhumanscouldhavedone。
\"Theycalledinmorejays;thenmoreandmore,tillprettysoonthiswholeregion\'pearedtohaveablueflushaboutit。
Theremusthavebeenfivethousandofthem;andsuchanotherjawinganddisputingandrippingandcussing,youneverheard。Everyjayinthewholelotputhiseyetotheholeanddeliveredamorechuckle-headedopinionaboutthemysterythanthejaythatwenttherebeforehim。Theyexaminedthehouseallover,too。
Thedoorwasstandinghalfopen,andatlastoneoldjayhappenedtogoandlightonitandlookin。Ofcourse,thatknockedthemysterygalley-westinasecond。
Therelaytheacorns,scatteredalloverthefloor……
Hefloppedhiswingsandraisedawhoop。\'Comehere!\'
hesays,\'Comehere,everybody;hang\'difthisfoolhasn\'tbeentryingtofillupahousewithacorns!\'Theyallcamea-swoopingdownlikeabluecloud,andaseachfellowlitonthedoorandtookaglance,thewholeabsurdityofthecontractthatthatfirstjayhadtackledhithimhomeandhefelloverbackwardsuffocatingwithlaughter,andthenextjaytookhisplaceanddonethesame。
\"Well,sir,theyroostedaroundhereonthehousetopandthetreesforanhour,andguffawedoverthatthinglikehumanbeings。Itain\'tanyusetotellmeabluejayhasn\'tgotasenseofhumor,becauseIknowbetter。
Andmemory,too。TheybroughtjaysherefromallovertheUnitedStatestolookdownthathole,everysummerforthreeyears。Otherbirds,too。AndtheycouldallseethepointexceptanowlthatcomefromNovaScotiatovisittheYoSemite,andhetookthisthinginonhiswayback。Hesaidhecouldn\'tseeanythingfunnyinit。ButthenhewasagooddealdisappointedaboutYoSemite,too。\"Humor,ajayknowswhenheisanassjustaswellasyoudo——maybebetter。Ifajayain\'thuman,hebettertakeinhissign,that\'sall。NowI\'mgoingtotellyouaperfectlytruefactaboutsomebluejays。\"
CHAPTERIV
StudentLife[TheLaboriousBeerKing]
Thesummersemesterwasinfulltide;consequentlythemostfrequentfigureinandaboutHeidelbergwasthestudent。MostofthestudentswereGermans,ofcourse,buttherepresentativesofforeignlandswereverynumerous。Theyhailedfromeverycorneroftheglobe——forinstructionischeapinHeidelberg,andsoisliving,too。TheAnglo-AmericanClub,composedofBritishandAmericanstudents,hadtwenty-fivemembers,andtherewasstillmuchmateriallefttodrawfrom。
Nine-tenthsoftheHeidelbergstudentsworenobadgeoruniform;theothertenthworecapsofvariouscolors,andbelongedtosocialorganizationscalled\"corps。\"Therewerefivecorps,eachwithacolorofitsown;therewerewhitecaps,bluecaps,andred,yellow,andgreenones。
Thefamousduel-fightingisconfinedtothe\"corps\"boys。
The\"KNEIP\"seemstobeaspecialtyoftheirs,too。
Kneipsareheld,nowandthen,tocelebrategreatoccasions,liketheelectionofabeerking,forinstance。
Thesolemnityissimple;thefivecorpsassembleatnight,andatasignaltheyallfallloadingthemselveswithbeer,outofpint-mugs,asfastaspossible,andeachmankeepshisowncount——usuallybylayingasidealucifermatchforeachmudheempties。Theelectionissoondecided。
Whenthecandidatescanholdnomore,acountisinstitutedandtheonewhohasdrankthegreatestnumberofpintsisproclaimedking。Iwastoldthatthelastbeerkingelectedbythecorps——orbyhisowncapabilities——emptiedhismugseventy-fivetimes。Nostomachcouldholdallthatquantityatonetime,ofcourse——buttherearewaysoffrequentlycreatingavacuum,whichthosewhohavebeenmuchatseawillunderstand。
Oneseessomanystudentsabroadatallhours,thathepresentlybeginstowonderiftheyeverhaveanyworking-hours。Someofthemhave,someofthemhaven\'t。
Eachcanchooseforhimselfwhetherhewillworkorplay;
forGermanuniversitylifeisaveryfreelife;
itseemstohavenorestraints。Thestudentdoesnotliveinthecollegebuildings,buthireshisownlodgings,inanylocalityheprefers,andhetakeshismealswhenandwherehepleases。Hegoestobedwhenitsuitshim,anddoesnotgetupatallunlesshewantsto。
Heisnotenteredattheuniversityforanyparticularlengthoftime;soheislikelytochangeabout。
Hepassesnoexaminationsuponenteringcollege。
Hemerelypaysatriflingfeeoffiveortendollars,receivesacardentitlinghimtotheprivilegesoftheuniversity,andthatistheendofit。Heisnowreadyforbusiness——orplay,asheshallprefer。Ifheelectstowork,hefindsalargelistoflecturestochoosefrom。
Heselectsthesubjectswhichhewillstudy,andentershisnameforthesestudies;buthecanskipattendance。
Theresultofthissystemis,thatlecture-coursesuponspecialtiesofanunusualnatureareoftendeliveredtoveryslimaudiences,whilethoseuponmorepracticalandevery-daymattersofeducationaredeliveredtoverylargeones。Iheardofonecasewhere,dayafterday,thelecturer\'saudienceconsistedofthreestudents——andalwaysthesamethree。Butonedaytwoofthemremainedaway。
Thelecturerbeganasusual——
\"Gentlemen,\"——then,withoutasmile,hecorrectedhimself,saying——
\"Sir,\"——andwentonwithhisdiscourse。
ItissaidthatthevastmajorityoftheHeidelbergstudentsarehardworkers,andmakethemostoftheiropportunities;
thattheyhavenosurplusmeanstospendindissipation,andnotimetospareforfrolicking。Onelecturefollowsrightontheheelsofanother,withverylittletimeforthestudenttogetoutofonehallandintothenext;
buttheindustriousonesmanageitbygoingonatrot。
Theprofessorsassisttheminthesavingoftheirtimebybeingpromptlyintheirlittleboxed-uppulpitswhenthehoursstrike,andaspromptlyoutagainwhenthehourfinishes。
Ienteredanemptylecture-roomonedayjustbeforetheclockstruck。Theplacehadsimple,unpaintedpinedesksandbenchesforabouttwohundredpersons。
Aboutaminutebeforetheclockstruck,ahundredandfiftystudentsswarmedin,rushedtotheirseats,immediatelyspreadopentheirnotebooksanddippedtheirpensinink。Whentheclockbegantostrike,aburlyprofessorentered,wasreceivedwitharoundofapplause,movedswiftlydownthecenteraisle,said\"Gentlemen,\"
andbegantotalkasheclimbedhispulpitsteps;andbythetimehehadarrivedinhisboxandfacedhisaudience,hislecturewaswellunderwayandallthepensweregoing。
Hehadnonotes,hetalkedwithprodigiousrapidityandenergyforanhour——thenthestudentsbegantoremindhimincertainwell-understoodwaysthathistimewasup;
heseizedhishat,stilltalking,proceededswiftlydownhispulpitsteps,gotoutthelastwordofhisdiscourseashestruckthefloor;everybodyroserespectfully,andhesweptrapidlydowntheaisleanddisappeared。
Aninstantrushforsomeotherlecture-roomfollowed,andinaminuteIwasalonewiththeemptybenchesoncemore。
Yes,withoutdoubt,idlestudentsarenottherule。
Outofeighthundredinthetown,Iknewthefacesofonlyaboutfifty;buttheseIsaweverywhere,anddaily。
Theywalkedaboutthestreetsandthewoodedhills,theydroveincabs,theyboatedontheriver,theysippedbeerandcoffee,afternoons,intheSchlossgardens。
Agoodmanyofthemworecoloredcapsofthecorps。
Theywerefinelyandfashionablydressed,theirmannerswerequitesuperb,andtheyledaneasy,careless,comfortablelife。Ifadozenofthemsattogetherandaladyoragentlemanpassedwhomoneofthemknewandsaluted,theyallrosetotheirfeetandtookofftheircaps。
Themembersofacorpsalwaysreceivedafellow-memberinthisway,too;buttheypaidnoattentiontomembersofothercorps;theydidnotseemtoseethem。Thiswasnotadiscourtesy;itwasonlyapartoftheelaborateandrigidcorpsetiquette。
ThereseemstobenochillydistanceexistingbetweentheGermanstudentsandtheprofessor;but,onthecontrary,acompanionableintercourse,theoppositeofchillinessandreserve。Whentheprofessorentersabeer-hallintheeveningwherestudentsaregatheredtogether,theseriseupandtakeofftheircaps,andinvitetheoldgentlemantositwiththemandpartake。Heaccepts,andthepleasanttalkandthebeerflowforanhourortwo,andbyandbytheprofessor,properlychargedandcomfortable,givesacordialgoodnight,whilethestudentsstandbowinganduncovered;andthenhemovesonhishappywayhomewardwithallhisvastcargooflearningafloatinhishold。Nobodyfindsfaultorfeelsoutraged;
noharmhasbeendone。
Itseemedtobeapartofcorpsetiquettetokeepadogorso,too。Imeanacorpsdog——thecommonpropertyoftheorganization,likethecorpsstewardorheadservant;
thenthereareotherdogs,ownedbyindividuals。
OnasummerafternoonintheCastlegardens,Ihaveseensixstudentsmarchsolemnlyintothegrounds,insinglefile,eachcarryingabrightChineseparasolandleadingaprodigiousdogbyastring。Itwasaveryimposingspectacle。Sometimestherewouldbeasmanydogsaroundthepavilionasstudents;andofallbreedsandofalldegreesofbeautyandugliness。Thesedogshadaratherdrytimeofit;fortheyweretiedtothebenchesandhadnoamusementforanhourortwoatatimeexceptwhattheycouldgetoutofpawingatthegnats,ortryingtosleepandnotsucceeding。However,theygotalumpofsugaroccasionally——theywerefondofthat。
Itseemedrightandproperthatstudentsshouldindulgeindogs;
buteverybodyelsehadthem,too——oldmenandyoungones,oldwomenandniceyoungladies。Ifthereisonespectaclethatisunpleasanterthananother,itisthatofanelegantlydressedyoungladytowingadogbyastring。
Itissaidtobethesignandsymbolofblightedlove。
Itseemstomethatsomeotherwayofadvertisingitmightbedevised,whichwouldbejustasconspicuousandyetnotsotryingtotheproprieties。
Itwouldbeamistaketosupposethattheeasy-goingpleasure-seekingstudentcarriesanemptyhead。
Justthecontrary。Hehasspentnineyearsinthegymnasium,underasystemwhichallowedhimnofreedom,butvigorouslycompelledhimtoworklikeaslave。Consequently,hehasleftthegymnasiumwithaneducationwhichissoextensiveandcomplete,thatthemostauniversitycandoforitistoperfectsomeofitsprofounderspecialties。
Itissaidthatwhenapupilleavesthegymnasium,henotonlyhasacomprehensiveeducation,butheKNOWSwhatheknows——itisnotbefoggedwithuncertainty,itisburntintohimsothatitwillstay。Forinstance,hedoesnotmerelyreadandwriteGreek,butspeaksit;thesamewiththeLatin。Foreignyouthsteerclearofthegymnasium;
itsrulesaretoosevere。Theygototheuniversitytoputamansardroofontheirwholegeneraleducation;
buttheGermanstudentalreadyhashismansardroof,sohegoestheretoaddasteepleinthenatureofsomespecialty,suchasaparticularbranchoflaw,ordiseasesoftheeye,orspecialstudyoftheancientGothictongues。
SothisGermanattendsonlythelectureswhichbelongtothechosenbranch,anddrinkshisbeerandtowshisdogaroundandhasageneralgoodtimetherestoftheday。
Hehasbeeninrigidbondagesolongthatthelargelibertyoftheuniversitylifeisjustwhatheneedsandlikesandthoroughlyappreciates;andasitcannotlastforever,hemakesthemostofitwhileitdoeslast,andsolaysupagoodrestagainstthedaythatmustseehimputonthechainsoncemoreandentertheslaveryofofficialorprofessionallife。
CHAPTERV
AttheStudents\'Dueling-Ground[DuelingbyWholesale]
Onedayintheinterestofsciencemyagentobtainedpermissiontobringmetothestudents\'dueling-place。Wecrossedtheriveranddroveupthebankafewhundredyards,thenturnedtotheleft,enteredanarrowalley,followeditahundredyardsandarrivedatatwo-storypublichouse;
wewereacquaintedwithitsoutsideaspect,foritwasvisiblefromthehotel。Wewentupstairsandpassedintoalargewhitewashedapartmentwhichwasperhapsfiftyfeetlongbythirtyfeetwideandtwentyortwenty-fivehigh。
Itwasawell-lightedplace。Therewasnocarpet。
Acrossoneendanddownbothsidesoftheroomextendedarowoftables,andatthesetablessomefiftyorseventy-fivestudents[1。SeeAppendixC]weresitting。
Someofthemweresippingwine,otherswereplayingcards,otherschess,othergroupswerechattingtogether,andmanyweresmokingcigaretteswhiletheywaitedforthecomingduels。Nearlyallofthemworecoloredcaps;
therewerewhitecaps,greencaps,bluecaps,redcaps,andbright-yellowones;so,allthefivecorpswerepresentinstrongforce。Inthewindowsatthevacantendoftheroomstoodsixoreight,narrow-bladedswordswithlargeprotectingguardsforthehand,andoutsidewasamanatworksharpeningothersonagrindstone。
Heunderstoodhisbusiness;forwhenaswordlefthishandonecouldshavehimselfwithit。
Itwasobservablethattheyounggentlemenneitherbowedtonorspokewithstudentswhosecapsdifferedincolorfromtheirown。Thisdidnotmeanhostility,butonlyanarmedneutrality。Itwasconsideredthatapersoncouldstrikeharderintheduel,andwithamoreearnestinterest,ifhehadneverbeeninaconditionofcomradeshipwithhisantagonist;therefore,comradeshipbetweenthecorpswasnotpermitted。Atintervalsthepresidentsofthefivecorpshaveacoldofficialintercoursewitheachother,butnothingfurther。Forexample,whentheregulardueling-dayofoneofthecorpsapproaches,itspresidentcallsforvolunteersfromamongthemembershiptoofferbattle;threeormorerespond——buttheremustnotbelessthanthree;thepresidentlaystheirnamesbeforetheotherpresidents,withtherequestthattheyfurnishantagonistsforthesechallengersfromamongtheircorps。
Thisispromptlydone。Itchancedthatthepresentoccasionwasthebattle-dayoftheRedCapCorps。
Theywerethechallengers,andcertaincapsofothercolorshadvolunteeredtomeetthem。ThestudentsfightduelsintheroomwhichIhavedescribed,TWODAYSINEVERYWEEK
DURINGSEVENANDAHALFOREIGHTMONTHSINEVERYYEAR。
ThiscustomhadcontinuedinGermanytwohundredandfiftyyears。
Toreturntomynarrative。Astudentinawhitecapmetusandintroducedustosixoreightfriendsofhiswhoalsoworewhitecaps,andwhilewestoodconversing,twostrange-lookingfigureswereledinfromanotherroom。
Theywerestudentspanopliedfortheduel。Theywerebareheaded;
theireyeswereprotectedbyirongoggleswhichprojectedaninchormore,theleatherstrapsofwhichboundtheirearsflatagainsttheirheadswerewoundaroundandaroundwiththickwrappingswhichaswordcouldnotcutthrough;fromchintoankletheywerepaddedthoroughlyagainstinjury;theirarmswerebandagedandrebandaged,layeruponlayer,untiltheylookedlikesolidblacklogs。
Theseweirdapparitionshadbeenhandsomeyouths,cladinfashionableattire,fifteenminutesbefore,butnowtheydidnotresembleanybeingsoneeverseesunlessinnightmares。Theystrodealong,withtheirarmsprojectingstraightoutfromtheirbodies;theydidnotholdthemoutthemselves,butfellow-studentswalkedbesidethemandgavetheneededsupport。
Therewasarushforthevacantendoftheroom,now,andwefollowedandgotgoodplaces。Thecombatantswereplacedfacetoface,eachwithseveralmembersofhisowncorpsabouthimtoassist;twoseconds,wellpadded,andwithswordsintheirhands,tooktheirstations;
astudentbelongingtoneitheroftheopposingcorpsplacedhimselfinagoodpositiontoumpirethecombat;
anotherstudentstoodbywithawatchandamemorandum-booktokeeprecordofthetimeandthenumberandnatureofthewounds;agray-hairedsurgeonwaspresentwithhislint,hisbandages,andhisinstruments。Afteramoment\'spausetheduelistssalutedtheumpirerespectfully,thenoneafteranothertheseveralofficialssteppedforward,gracefullyremovedtheircapsandsalutedhimalso,andreturnedtotheirplaces。Everythingwasreadynow;
studentsstoodcrowdedtogetherintheforeground,andothersstoodbehindthemonchairsandtables。
Everyfacewasturnedtowardthecenterofattraction。
Thecombatantswerewatchingeachotherwithalerteyes;
aperfectstillness,abreathlessinterestreigned。
IfeltthatIwasgoingtoseesomewarywork。Butnotso。
Theinstantthewordwasgiven,thetwoapparitionssprangforwardandbegantorainblowsdownuponeachotherwithsuchlightningrapiditythatIcouldnotquitetellwhetherIsawtheswordsoronlyflashestheymadeintheair;therattlingdinoftheseblowsastheystrucksteelorpaddingswassomethingwonderfullystirring,andtheywerestruckwithsuchterrificforcethatIcouldnotunderstandwhytheopposingswordwasnotbeatendownundertheassault。Presently,inthemidstofthesword-flashes,Isawahandfulofhairskipintotheairasifithadlainlooseonthevictim\'sheadandabreathofwindhadpuffeditsuddenlyaway。
Thesecondscried\"Halt!\"andknockedupthecombatants\'
swordswiththeirown。Theduelistssatdown;astudentofficialsteppedforward,examinedthewoundedheadandtouchedtheplacewithaspongeonceortwice;
thesurgeoncameandturnedbackthehairfromthewound——
andrevealedacrimsongashtwoorthreeincheslong,andproceededtobindanovalpieceofleatherandabunchoflintoverit;thetally-keepersteppedupandtalliedonefortheoppositioninhisbook。
Thenthedueliststookpositionagain;asmallstreamofbloodwasflowingdownthesideoftheinjuredman\'shead,andoverhisshoulderanddownhisbodytothefloor,buthedidnotseemtomindthis。Thewordwasgiven,andtheyplungedateachotherasfiercelyasbefore;
oncemoretheblowsrainedandrattledandflashed;
everyfewmomentsthequick-eyedsecondswouldnoticethataswordwasbent——thentheycalled\"Halt!\"struckupthecontendingweapons,andanassistingstudentstraightenedthebentone。
Thewonderfulturmoilwenton——presentlyabrightsparksprungfromablade,andthatbladebrokeninseveralpieces,sentoneofitsfragmentsflyingtotheceiling。
Anewswordwasprovidedandthefightproceeded。
Theexercisewastremendous,ofcourse,andintimethefightersbegantoshowgreatfatigue。Theywereallowedtorestamoment,everylittlewhile;theygototherrestsbywoundingeachother,forthentheycouldsitdownwhilethedoctorappliedthelintandbandages。
Thelawsisthatthebattlemustcontinuefifteenminutesifthemencanholdout;andasthepausesdonotcount,thisduelwasprotractedtotwentyorthirtyminutes,Ijudged。Atlastitwasdecidedthatthemenweretoomuchweariedtodobattlelonger。Theywereledawaydrenchedwithcrimsonfromheadtofoot。Thatwasagoodfight,butitcouldnotcount,partlybecauseitdidnotlastthelawfulfifteenminutesofactualfighting,andpartlybecauseneithermanwasdisabledbyhiswound。
Itwasadrawnbattle,andcorpslawrequiresthatdrawnbattlesshallberefoughtassoonastheadversariesarewelloftheirhurts。
Duringtheconflict,Ihadtalkedalittle,nowandthen,withayounggentlemanoftheWhiteCapCorps,andhehadmentionedthathewastofightnext——andhadalsopointedouthischallenger,ayounggentlemanwhowasleaningagainsttheoppositewallsmokingacigaretteandrestfullyobservingthedueltheninprogress。
Myacquaintanceshipwithapartytothecomingcontesthadtheeffectofgivingmeakindofpersonalinterestinit;Inaturallywishedhemightwin,anditwasthereverseofpleasanttolearnthatheprobablywouldnot,because,althoughhewasanotableswordsman,thechallengerwasheldtobehissuperior。
Theduelpresentlybeganandinthesamefuriouswaywhichhadmarkedthepreviousone。Istoodcloseby,butcouldnottellwhichblowstoldandwhichdidnot,theyfellandvanishedsolikeflashesoflight。Theyallseemedtotell;theswordsalwaysbentovertheopponents\'
heads,fromtheforeheadbackoverthecrown,andseemedtotouch,alltheway;butitwasnotso——aprotectingblade,invisibletome,wasalwaysinterposedbetween。
Attheendoftensecondseachmanhadstrucktwelveorfifteenblows,andwardedofftwelveorfifteen,andnoharmdone;thenaswordbecamedisabled,andashortrestfollowedwhilstanewonewasbrought。EarlyinthenextroundtheWhiteCorpsstudentgotanuglywoundonthesideofhisheadandgavehisopponentonelikeit。
Inthethirdroundthelatterreceivedanotherbadwoundinthehead,andtheformerhadhisunder-lipdivided。
Afterthat,theWhiteCorpsstudentgavemanyseverewounds,butgotnoneoftheconsequenceinreturn。Attheendoffiveminutesfromthebeginningoftheduelthesurgeonstoppedit;thechallengingpartyhadsufferedsuchinjuriesthatanyadditiontothemmightbedangerous。
Theseinjurieswereafearfulspectacle,butarebetterleftundescribed。So,againstexpectation,myacquaintancewasthevictor。
CHAPTERVI
[ASportthatSometimesKills]
Thethirdduelwasbriefandbloody。Thesurgeonstoppeditwhenhesawthatoneofthemenhadreceivedsuchbadwoundsthathecouldnotfightlongerwithoutendangeringhislife。
Thefourthduelwasatremendousencounter;butattheendoffiveorsixminutesthesurgeoninterferedoncemore:
anothermansoseverelyhurtastorenderitunsafetoaddtohisharms。IwatchedthisengagementasIwatchedtheothers——withraptinterestandstrongexcitement,andwithashrinkandashudderforeveryblowthatlaidopenacheekoraforehead;andaconsciouspalingofmyfacewhenIoccasionallysawawoundofayetmoreshockingnatureinflicted。Myeyeswereupontheloserofthisduelwhenhegothislastandvanquishingwound——itwasinhisfaceanditcarriedawayhis——butnomatter,Imustnotenterintodetails。Ihadbutaglance,andthenturnedquickly,butIwouldnothavebeenlookingatallifI
hadknownwhatwascoming。No,thatisprobablynottrue;
onethinkshewouldnotlookifheknewwhatwascoming,buttheinterestandtheexcitementaresopowerfulthattheywoulddoubtlessconquerallotherfeelings;andso,underthefierceexhilarationoftheclashingsteel,hewouldyieldandlookafterall。Sometimesspectatorsoftheseduelsfaint——anditdoesseemaveryreasonablethingtodo,too。
Bothpartiestothisfourthduelwerebadlyhurtsomuchthatthesurgeonwasatworkuponthemnearlyorquiteanhour——afactwhichissuggestive。Butthiswaitingintervalwasnotwastedinidlenessbytheassembledstudents。
Itwaspastnoon,thereforetheyorderedtheirlandlord,downstairs,tosenduphotbeefsteaks,chickens,andsuchthings,andthesetheyate,sittingcomfortableattheseveraltables,whilsttheychatted,disputedandlaughed。Thedoortothesurgeon\'sroomstoodopen,meantime,butthecutting,sewing,splicing,andbandaginggoingoninthereinplainviewdidnotseemtodisturbanyone\'sappetite。
Iwentinandsawthesurgeonlaborawhile,butcouldnotenjoy;itwasmuchlesstryingtoseethewoundsgivenandreceivedthantoseethemmended;thestirandturmoil,andthemusicofthesteel,werewantinghere——one\'snerveswerewrungbythisgrislyspectacle,whilsttheduel\'scompensatingpleasurablethrillwaslacking。
Finallythedoctorfinished,andthemenwhoweretofighttheclosingbattleofthedaycameforth。Agoodmanydinnerswerenotcompleted,yet,butnomatter,theycouldbeeatencold,afterthebattle;thereforeeverybodycrowdedforthtosee。Thiswasnotaloveduel,buta\"satisfaction\"affair。Thesetwostudentshadquarreled,andwereheretosettleit。Theydidnotbelongtoanyofthecorps,buttheywerefurnishedwithweaponsandarmor,andpermittedtofightherebythefivecorpsasacourtesy。
Evidentlythesetwoyoungmenwereunfamiliarwiththeduelingceremonies,thoughtheywerenotunfamiliarwiththesword。Whentheywereplacedinpositiontheythoughtitwastimetobegin——andthendidbegin,too,andwithamostimpetuousenergy,withoutwaitingforanybodytogivetheword。Thisvastlyamusedthespectators,andevenbrokedowntheirstudiedandcourtlygravityandsurprisedthemintolaughter。Ofcoursethesecondsstruckuptheswordsandstartedthedueloveragain。
Attheword,thedelugeofblowsbegan,butbeforelongthesurgeononcemoreinterfered——fortheonlyreasonwhicheverpermitshimtointerfere——andtheday\'swarwasover。Itwasnowtwointheafternoon,andI
hadbeenpresentsincehalfpastnineinthemorning。
Thefieldofbattlewasindeedaredonebythistime;
butsomesawdustsoonrightedthat。TherehadbeenoneduelbeforeIarrived。Initoneofthemenreceivedmanyinjuries,whiletheotheroneescapedwithoutascratch。
Ihadseentheheadsandfacesoftenyouthsgashedineverydirectionbythekeentwo-edgedblades,andyethadnotseenavictimwince,norheardamoan,ordetectedanyfleetingexpressionwhichconfessedthesharppainthehurtswereinflicting。Thiswasgoodfortitude,indeed。Suchenduranceistobeexpectedinsavagesandprize-fighters,fortheyarebornandeducatedtoit;
buttofinditinsuchperfectioninthesegentlybredandkindlynaturedyoungfellowsismatterforsurprise。