THE NOBLE ART OF SELF DEFENCE IN CHINA.

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Chinese bmisers are not particular as to same got-up-beforehand character. In one

what we should call unfair play ;— (see Illustration VII.) he with the spear
4—drsws his left foot ' and attempts to
back appears to be concentrating his whole atten
B's face with his“
scratch ht hand: tion upon carefully putting it into the guard
B—draws up his left foot and only, strikesout
with his left, and lets him have the right of the cther’s right hand sword, where it is
over the waistband. immediately jammed by a turn of the wrist,

The next three Illustrations are occupied leaving the unhappy wielder exposed to his

with the old English game of quarter-stafi'. enemy’s left hand weapon. In practice,

In number III
A is trying with all his might however, nobody but a born fool would do

to prize up the end of Fe stafl‘ (each appar such a thing. The same observation applies

ently of the lovely blow on the

oblivious
to the last Illustration with which I will
left side of the head to which he is expodng
trouble the reader, number VIII. This
is called The Snipe and the Oyster. There
himself, without any possibility of pan-ying_
is positively no connection with “Alice in
it) when B suddenly inserts his staff under
Wonderland," or “ Alice through the Looking
A's left ancle and tumbles him over, 4':
glass," although juvenile admirers of those
own efi'orts contributing to his ignominious
works might think so. Once upon a time,
fall. This is looked upon as great fun.
it appears, a snipe poked his bill between the
The next device is entitled The stopper
shells of an open oyster, intending to feed upon
over a” (see Illustration IV). The gentle
him. But the oyster closed his valves upon
man on the right is trying to be ofi‘ensive
with both foot and stafl', but his intentions
the snipe’s bill and then neither party saw
his way out of the mess. They were relieved
are frustrated.
from further anxiety by a fisherman curry
Number V., however, is well worth atten
tion as an example of that successful use of ing them both home for supper. Hence the
Chinese proverb, when the snipe fights the
the foot which seems so exasperatingly
oyster, the fisherman has the best of it.‘ The
unfair to us ;—
man with the spear is carefully putting it
A—ltands well up, gets his hands together and
strikes a down blow (7th out) at the same between the two shields of the other, who
time drawing back his right foot : closes their rims upon it and holds fast,
B—gathers himself well ether on his right
matters thus coming to a deadlock, and the
foot, gets up both on s of his stud (7th
guard), panics the blow with all his strength, audience looking on, whilst the combatants
and at the same time pops in his left foot.
tug and pull with well simulated rage, in
Please observe him popping in his left foot. such breathless suspense as may sometimes
An example of the same kind will be found be witnessed at transpcntine theatres, when
in Illustration VL, though here it is difficult two ruflians, having carefully locked the
to see, if the combat Were “ on the square " hilts of their daggers together, proceed to
(which I
believe to be the correct equivalent, drag each other all round the stage to very
in sporting circles, for bond flat) and not fiddling and the lights turned down.
aya'tato

merely got up for show-it is diiiicult to see The worst of this profitless and dismal
what is to prevent the man with the two foolsry is that it is taught tov what the
swords from striking a sound back hander Chinese are pleased to call their army instead
with his right which would cause his an of anything really wholesome or useful.
tagonist to take his meals standing and sleep The people look on with amazement and
on his face for a considerable period. admiration at the antics of the idle and dirty
Of the remaining six pages of this un vassels who lounge about what by courtesy
satisfactory little work, four are devoted to and a huge stretch of imagination are called
exercises with double swords, and two to
those with shields. They all partake of the ‘ Divide e2 impera

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