第2章

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，partlybecauseitdidnotlastthelawfulfifteenminutes(ofactualfighting)，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。