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Show A Ijuiui, Html, To give an UtB of what a bravo man tnn ela if j,0 Unows fencing thoroughly ami but keeia cool and collected Indanger, wo will relate an historic! duel. Ho extraordinary It this combat tint It would bu held romance, had It not been wltnu-eed by ii whole nrmy. Thu hero Is Jean liouls, of whom wo havo already spoken as ono of the great mastered the beginning of this century, and the duelhapperuj i Madrid In 1813. Hu wasthomsiter-at-urmaof lho Thirty. Bicondltigiinentar P'lench InlantrjJ ... m '""Slhient, composed entlrolv of Ilallans, foimed pari of thu tame brigade, ltegluuntal esprit da corps and rlealrlf. of nationality rmt'n I eon-I eon-I ant qusirels, "h'n . d. were often whrpedoutnr bullets stebtngoJ. Alter n rtinall battte had occurred In ihestreets of Madtld. In which over MO ?.D0h and Itaflan soidiei, bad taken part, the oDlcers of lho two regt-ruents, regt-ruents, In n council of war aaatmtilrt, decided lo give .uc l ,'"" of order a grett blow, and to ra-ntaUM, ,.. cliillne. they declared that the masters. at'trms of the two reglmei.t. ,ilouIJ take up tho quarrel and fight t out, lranglno a whole aimy In bsttle. array on ouo of the arge plains that surround Madrid. In the enter of a largo ring la left open for the contest-anti. contest-anti. This spot It raised above the plain, so that not one of tho spictalors ol this irnglo sceno giyte.drraeed officer., soldiers In line, .Spaniard., excited as never n Lull light exellej Ihent will miss ooe phsse of tho oolites!. ooli-tes!. It Is before ten thousand men that tho honor of an nrtuy Is sbout to I o avenged lu tbe blood of thirty brai o Tho drum Is heard. The men,noked to tho waist, ttepln the ring. Tho first Is tall nnd strong; hi. black eye. roll disdainfully upon tho gailug crowd; bo la Olaoomo Ferrari, the relebrsted Italian. The second, tall, slao hand, some, and with muc!ei llko steel, stands modestly awaiting the word of commsud: his name Is Jean 1ools. Thu seconds take their place on either side of the principals, A death-like silence ensues. On guard! ' , , The two masters cross aworJa. ula-como ula-como Ferrari lungs repeatedly at Jean l.ouls, but In vain; his every thrust Is met by a parry. Ho mtkea up hla mind to bide his chauco, and care.ses nnd leases his opp.uent. blade. Jean 1ouls, elm and watchful, lends himself him-self to the play, when, quicker than lightning, tbo Italian Jum s aside with n loud yell and makes a terrible lunge nt .Jean Louie, a Florentine trick, often successful. Itet, with extraordinary extraordin-ary rspldltr, Jean liouls hat parried, and rl.po.ls nulckly In lho shoulder, "It is nothing," cilee Clacomo, 'a mere tciatcb," aud they again fall ou guard. Almost dlreolly hols lilt In the breast. This time lho swor I of Jean Louis, who It now attacking, peno-tratea peno-tratea deeply. Glacomo'.face become, livid, lilt sword drops from his hand, and hu falls heavily on the turf. He la diad. Jean I-oul Is already In oiltlon. He wit, his reeking Hale, then, with the point of his sword lu the ground, bo calmly awaits the next man. The best fencer of tbe First Itegl. mout has Just been cariled away a corpse; but tho day Is not yet over. Fourteen adversaries are there, Impatient Im-patient to measure swords with the conqueror, burning to avenge the master ihey bad deemed Invincible. Jean Iouls hat hardly had two minutes' rest. Heltresdy. A new adversary stands belore him. A sinister click ot swords It heard, a lunge, a parry, a rlspoit, and than n cry, a tlgh, and all Is over. A second body Is before Jean Ixiuls. A third adversary advances. They want Jcau IjouIs to rout. "1 am not tired," he answers, with s tn.Ile. The signal is given. The Italian It at tall as the one who lies there a corpse covered by a military cloak. He lies closely watched Jean liouls' pity, and thinks he has gursscd the secrot of Ills vli totles. Hu mulllpllts his feints and tricks, then, all at once, bounding like n tiger on Ills prey, he gives hit opponent op-ponent a terrible, thrust In tho loner line. Hut Jean I-ouls' sword has parried, par-ried, and Is now deep wltnln bis op-ionenl's op-ionenl's breAst- Whstnced lo relateauy more? Ten new adversaries followed htm, nnd lho ten fell before Jean loul. amlJ thu excited yells and roars of an army. At the request of the Thlrly.aecond JUglment't colonel, who thought the lieson sufllclcnt, Jean Louis, after much pressing, consented to stop the combat; and he shook hands with the two survivor., applauded by ten thousand thou-sand men. From that day fights ceased between French and Italian soldiers. This wonderful and glgautlo combat might in held a fatlo were not all tbe facts above staled still found la tbo archives of the Ministry of War, |
