Hudy VII

Chapter VII - The Fencing School

Thus did accident develop powers of the possession of which even the Clift himself was greatly ignorant; but which he never afterwards permitted to become dormant. Naturally proud of the important discovery, he was by no means reluctant to exhibit his influence over cows and bulls as well as dogs and horses; the last two tribes being long known as passive slaves to his will. There is no use in moralizing on the tenacious clinging of early habits - 'tis a trite subject, equally familiar with the boor and the sage - we merely notice it, to verify the fact that, the first ten years of our hero's life having been totally devoted to freedom and spent in a state of almost absolute nudity, it is not strange that in after life he never could dream of encountering a heavy splore restrained by any species of clothing, save a handkerchief in imitation of the apron of fig-leaves worn by our great ancestors after their unhappy fall; and if in any pressing hurry, even that was dispensed with: for the wisdom of such a course we need neither tax our reasoning powers nor go search the world for examples - the gymnosophists already mentioned, as well as the American Indians, clearly establish its value.

But now, in his twenty-second year, the marks of manhood were upon him: his bone and sinew fully developed - his countenance bold and manly - his eye brilliant, piercing, and finely set beneath a commanding brow - his forehead broad, high, and intellectual - his step light, firm, and graceful - he stood as fine a figure as eye could rest on. Considerably beyond the middle size, muscular, athletic, and never encumbered by flesh, round not square of body, he was formed for enduring fatigue, for agility as well as strength; and, in short, was possessed of every natural qualification that might give him advantage in personal struggle.

Add to all this, exercise had braced and strengthened his frame to a degree exceeding belief: he was able to lift from the ground six hundredweight - place three-and-a-half hundred on his shoulder - and throw a five-pounds metal weight farther than any of his companions could project an ordinary quoit; but his skill and adroitness in fencing, more than any other exercise, was the subject of admiration and wonderment to all beholders, and these he owed solely to his father, who loved and practised this noble art till age had cooled his enthusiasm and unbraced his once brawny and elastic muscles. Jack Roe in his youth and manhood had been so expert in this branch of the science of self-defence that he could stand as a target for any of his companions to throw stones at, and invariably turn aside the missiles with the point of his cudgel.

To the same degree of perfection did our hero laudably aspire; and the father's great ambition was to render his son his own superior in this as well as the equally trying, though perhaps less exciting, delights of "The Turf"; therefore was it that every leisure evening (and God knows the unpatronized Irish peasant finds many such!) was invariably devoted to "the science and practice of the blackthorn". And Jack Roe stripped to the shirt, our hero to the skin, displayed two such exquisitly symmetrical figures, such consummate skill, such steadiness of eye, such elegance of attitude, such grateful rapidity of motion, as never did Grecian gymnic or Roman gladiator in the palmiest days of their glory.

"The wisdom of our ancestors" is a theme which has served both blockheads and bigots, who twist and pervert it to their own stupid or unholy purposes, clearly (we repeat the idea) making it a stalking-horse to cover their own mistaken or interested designs, thereby wickedly marring the progress of national improvement. Our forefathers, no doubt, were wise in their generation, and are entitled to our reverent regard; but many of their institutions are respectable more for their antiquity than utility; like ancient castles held impregnable of yore because they repelled the assaults of bowyers and pikemen - but therefore not fitting models for defence against a train of battering artillery at the present day. This truism the dolt and knave as readily deny as the liberal and enlightened are free to admit: but happy would it be for all parties were the true wisdom, the unbending heroism, of our forefathers lauded and respected as it ought to be.

The education prescribed for the youth of the present age instead of tending to cherish vigour, either of body or of mind, basely points to the downward course, and aims at nothing beyond ignoble ease or slothful effeminacy. Alas! for the degeneracy of the times. The pen has usurped the province of the blackthorn, and the wily emotionless dispenser of law nowadays settles those delicate points of honor formerly left to the adjudication of the sage and veteran chieftain. In the good old times, no gentleman deemed his son's education complete until he was able, with grace and ease, to run an antagonist through the body, or effectively bother his brains with a salute from the last inch of a trusty shillila. So thought Jack Roe McGuigan; and many a time had our hero reason to bless the foresight and practical good sense of his venerated parent.

An instance may here be given - But good reader, were you ever at a fencing school? - Have you had the honor of studying under the last representatives of the ancient peripatetic philosophers, the most welcome and best rewarded of those itinerant professors who so disinterestedly favored the rural districts with instruction? If not, you must be ignorant of the powers of Mr McLaughlin, the prince of fencing masters, who just at the period we speak of had established a school in that very locality which may justly be called the cradle, or if you please the nurse, of our hero's fame.

Well, our professor was a genius - a man of the world in a small way; so he was resolved to make an impression. He succeeded. His own exploits, coupled with the cunningly circulated story of the rapid improvemnt of his pupils, were noised far and wide and, rather unsolicited, came to the ears of the McGuigan family. Jack Roe felt nervous: he dreaded that the glory might pass from his house. The young Clift's sensitive curiosity was up; but the mother! - that heroic woman saw the affair in a clearer point of view, and scouted the idea of anything like an invasion of their well-worn honors - their long-vested rights.

"Bad luck to you for an amadhon," said the old lady, warmly addressing her son, "what makes ye bother your head about the dirty shooler? Go this blissed night and see what he can do; and if ye get a fair chance, wallop the spalpeen to his heart's content."

"Nivir say't again, mother darlin'! Whew! by the powers, if he wants pluck, I'll make him scud from Ballinascreen as fast as a dog would trot!"

Accordingly, on that very evening Hudy, with singular modesty, entered a farmer's barn, the unpretending scene of action for the night. His best attention was naturally given to the proceedings; and he was shortly convinced that neither from pupils nor master was there anything to fear: it was therefore with some satisfaction he accepted a polite invitation to participate in the exercise, the professor at the same time presenting him with a wicker basket to protect the sword-hand and a stout hazel wand, the instrument of attack and defence. He took his position, threw himself into attitude, made some passes, and amused himself a while at the expense of those who had hardihood sufficient to accommodate him. McLaughlin witnessed the failure of his pupils with pain; and, piqued with professional pique, the most spleenful of all feelings, he advanced with dry courtesy and said,

"Perhaps young man you would have no objection to thry your skill wid myself?"

"By my sowl you have jist said it masther! - divil have all, indeed. Bad scran to the betther sport I would ax."

And to the astonishment, if not the dismay, of the challenger, he shook himself out of his toggery with as perfect magic effect as ever attended the transformation of a Mathews or a Gallagher; while his antagonist with equivalent alacrity and due attention to professional dignity merely divested himself of his outer garments.

"Whew! bad luck to it man, throw away that basket and windlesthraw, and take somethin' in your han' that a man may depend on," at the same time twirling round his finger a beautiful root-grown blackthorn which, in a moment of wild triumph, he had honored with the name of "Black Bess", in gratitude for having borne him victoriously through a keen splore, kicked up at a sputther between two farmer's garrons, each harnessed in a slide-car. His opponent saw the necessity of taking the hint; and arming himself with a trusty piece of oak rendered octagonal by the hands of the joiner, he flung himself with graceful agility into one of his most striking positions. The Clift, generous beyond suspicion, was delighted with his opponent's noble appearance, and exclaimed with unqualified approval,

"Capityal, by the powers! divil a betther! By my sowl, masther acushla, you sthrip a clane tight fellow! - bad luck to the purtier figure of a man in seven parishes!"

By Roderic's soul, high tidings those:
I love to hear of noble foes.

Yes, with that proud satisfaction (so well portrayed in this spirited couplet) which every gallant man must experience on meeting a worthy antagonist, our hero gaily took his ground; and then both parties, observing the due etiquette of the science, good-naturedly advanced, freely shook hands, and retired to their former stands. Surveying each other for a few moments with intense interest, and weighing maturely the best plan of attack and defence, they stood

With foot and eye and point opposed,

as fine specimens of gladiatorial perfection as ever formed the study of ancient or modern sculptor. At length the professor, seeing that his young opponent waited his invitation with modest and becoming deference, threw his Saint George and exclaimed -

"Come on ma bouchal, and don't hide anything you can do!"

"Nivir say't again! - faix it's myself's at your sarvice - bad luck to the second biddin' ivir I stood; so whew! your sowl, take care of your carcage, for here goes!"

And twirl went Black Bess round his finger with the rapidity of a hawk's wing - the well-greased glossy surface giving forth concentric circles of light, like the lambent fires said to play around the heads of the ancient magicians. But a spring - a feint - a passado, &c., and all the master's skill in defence was necessarily summoned into play. Disconcerted by the irregular and energetic attack, that personage, in a tone of offended dignity, said,

"You must remember, ma bouchal, that you're in a fencin'-school, not layin' about ye in a skrimmage. If ye choose to fence fair ye must obsarve the laws of the science, acknowledge iviry cut, an' stan' properly upon your distance."

The Clift laughed most villainously in his face:

"Augh murdher! fence fair - stand at a distance - 'whistle Moll Roe'! But ye don't like close quarthers I parsave - well in thrath I'll obsarve your biddin'."

And without lifting his eye off that of his opponent, a backward spring placed three additional yards between them.

"Does that plaise ye masther acushla? How do ye like that distance eh?"

But he did not like it at all: it only served to bother him the more. He stared in stupid astonishment: such strength of muscle seemed to him miraculous; and he shuddered at the idea of what a forward bound might accomplish. Although accounted the very first in his profession, and in Ballinascreen parlance "game to the backbone", yet it is not surprising that with such an out-of-the-way customer on hand, and his professional fame at stake, he should feel an awkward sensation tingle through his nerves; but manning himself he rather haughtily than wisely said:

"Come on my gay fellow, we're only beginning yet."

Hudy felt that he had unwarily made an admission; and, pressing upon his opponent's weakness, resolved to lay it bare.

"Beginning! bad luck to all else indeed, and that ye'll larn to your heart's content before we have done - if ye cut any kind of bottom at all, do ye mind."

This page was last updated 10 Nov 2018