Show STUDENT LIFE swords body pads arm and neck bandages and goggles etc After some time the first two combatants one from each society dress for their contest Removing all their clothing except trousers and shoes they put on a sort of surgical white shirt buckle on a thick pad covering the front of the body from neck to thighs pad the shoulders and right arm Wrap the neck put on the heavy goggles and possibly even tie a leather pad over the main artery coming out of the cranium on the forehead They of and the flexibility weight try besome of the swords in the stack longing to their respective societies and select the one that suits them best Their specially employed Schzvertfacger (swordsmith) examines the sword to see that the edge is keen and the sword all right otherwise They take position “swords” length apart Their seconds stand at their left and their surgeons close by at their right and rear The “Unpartciisch” (Imparg tial one) stands near by both When all is ready they play of! an interesting little formality consisting of a dialogue something like the following: U n partcrisclicr — “Ich f order c bcidc Feclitcnden zur Jrcrsoehnung auf indem ich Sic auf das Unges-ct- z maessige Ihres V crhaltcns (“I call upon both combatants to effect a reconciliation calling your attention to the illegality of your procedure”) Both combatants — ‘Teh z'er- zichtc auf die lTcrsochning” (“I re- half-facin- hin-zvei- se 209 notince a reconciliation”) Unpar-teirscli- er “Meine Herren die ist Rcsultatlos vcrlaufen — ich bittc die Sccundantcn das Vcr-soehnu- ng Commando zu nebcrnchmen” (“Gentlemen a reconciliation has not been accomplished — I ask the seconds to take over the command) Xo reconciliation being effected (and nobody expected such) the seconds “take over the command” One second calls out ‘'Auf die Mcnsur ” (“Take position on the field of honor”) The other second calls out “Bindet die Klingen” (Touch blades”) They cross the blades then stand with right arm outstretched towards the antagonist and with sword straight up Each second drops the point of his sword to touch the floor in front of his man All eyes in the audience are centered on the combatants to watch in eager silence the first moves The first second calls “Alles fertig" (“All is ready”) and the other responds “Los” (“Let go”) follows a lively Whereupon clashing and jingling of metal as the blows are rapidly directed at the antagonist’s head and as rapidly warded off After a few seconds of this some one (a second or the Unparteiisch ) because of real or fancied evidence of a hit being made calls “Halt” whereupon each second throws up his sword over his man’s head to catch any farther blows that the antagonist may improperly deliver after -- |