The fourth duel was a tremendous encounter; but at the end of five or six minutes the surgeon interfered3 once more: another man so severely4 hurt as to render it unsafe to add to his harms. I watched this engagement as I watched the others—with rapt interest and strong excitement, and with a shrink and a shudder5 for every blow that laid open a cheek or a forehead; and a conscious paling of my face when I occasionally saw a wound of a yet more shocking nature inflicted6. My eyes were upon the loser of this duel when he got his last and vanquishing7 wound—it was in his face and it carried away his—but no matter, I must not enter into details. I had but a glance, and then turned quickly, but I would not have been looking at all if I had known what was coming. No, that is probably not true; one thinks he would not look if he knew what was coming, but the interest and the excitement are so powerful that they would doubtless conquer all other feelings; and so, under the fierce exhilaration of the clashing steel, he would yield and look after all. Sometimes spectators of these duels8 faint—and it does seem a very reasonable thing to do, too.
Both parties to this fourth duel were badly hurt so much that the surgeon was at work upon them nearly or quite an hour—a fact which is suggestive. But this waiting interval9 was not wasted in idleness by the assembled students. It was past noon, therefore they ordered their landlord, downstairs, to send up hot beefsteaks, chickens, and such things, and these they ate, sitting comfortable at the several tables, whilst they chatted, disputed and laughed. The door to the surgeon’s room stood open, meantime, but the cutting, sewing, splicing10, and bandaging going on in there in plain view did not seem to disturb anyone’s appetite. I went in and saw the surgeon labor11 awhile, but could not enjoy; it was much less trying to see the wounds given and received than to see them mended; the stir and turmoil12, and the music of the steel, were wanting here—one’s nerves were wrung13 by this grisly spectacle, whilst the duel’s compensating14 pleasurable thrill was lacking.
Finally the doctor finished, and the men who were to fight the closing battle of the day came forth15. A good many dinners were not completed, yet, but no matter, they could be eaten cold, after the battle; therefore everybody crowded forth to see. This was not a love duel, but a “satisfaction” affair. These two students had quarreled, and were here to settle it. They did not belong to any of the corps16, but they were furnished with weapons and armor, and permitted to fight here by the five corps as a courtesy. Evidently these two young men were unfamiliar17 with the dueling18 ceremonies, though they were not unfamiliar with the sword. When they were placed in position they thought it was time to begin—and then did begin, too, and with a most impetuous energy, without waiting for anybody to give the word. This vastly amused the spectators, and even broke down their studied and courtly gravity and surprised them into laughter. Of course the seconds struck up the swords and started the duel over again. At the word, the deluge19 of blows began, but before long the surgeon once more interfered—for the only reason which ever permits him to interfere—and the day’s war was over. It was now two in the afternoon, and I had been present since half past nine in the morning. The field of battle was indeed a red one by this time; but some sawdust soon righted that. There had been one duel before I arrived. In it one of the men received many injuries, while the other one escaped without a scratch.
I had seen the heads and faces of ten youths gashed20 in every direction by the keen two-edged blades, and yet had not seen a victim wince21, nor heard a moan, or detected any fleeting22 expression which confessed the sharp pain the hurts were inflicting23. This was good fortitude24, indeed. Such endurance is to be expected in savages25 and prize-fighters, for they are born and educated to it; but to find it in such perfection in these gently bred and kindly26 natured young fellows is matter for surprise. It was not merely under the excitement of the sword-play that this fortitude was shown; it was shown in the surgeon’s room where an uninspiring quiet reigned27, and where there was no audience. The doctor’s manipulations brought out neither grimaces28 nor moans. And in the fights it was observable that these lads hacked30 and slashed31 with the same tremendous spirit, after they were covered with streaming wounds, which they had shown in the beginning.
The world in general looks upon the college duels as very farcical affairs: true, but considering that the college duel is fought by boys; that the swords are real swords; and that the head and face are exposed, it seems to me that it is a farce32 which had quite a grave side to it. People laugh at it mainly because they think the student is so covered up with armor that he cannot be hurt. But it is not so; his eyes and ears are protected, but the rest of his face and head are bare. He can not only be badly wounded, but his life is in danger; and he would sometimes lose it but for the interference of the surgeon. It is not intended that his life shall be endangered. Fatal accidents are possible, however. For instance, the student’s sword may break, and the end of it fly up behind his antagonist’s ear and cut an artery33 which could not be reached if the sword remained whole. This has happened, sometimes, and death has resulted on the spot. Formerly34 the student’s armpits were not protected—and at that time the swords were pointed35, whereas they are blunt, now; so an artery in the armpit was sometimes cut, and death followed. Then in the days of sharp-pointed swords, a spectator was an occasional victim—the end of a broken sword flew five or ten feet and buried itself in his neck or his heart, and death ensued instantly. The student duels in Germany occasion two or three deaths every year, now, but this arises only from the carelessness of the wounded men; they eat or drink imprudently, or commit excesses in the way of overexertion; inflammation sets in and gets such a headway that it cannot be arrested. Indeed, there is blood and pain and danger enough about the college duel to entitle it to a considerable degree of respect.
All the customs, all the laws, all the details, pertaining36 to the student duel are quaint37 and naive38. The grave, precise, and courtly ceremony with which the thing is conducted, invests it with a sort of antique charm.
This dignity and these knightly39 graces suggest the tournament, not the prize-fight. The laws are as curious as they are strict. For instance, the duelist may step forward from the line he is placed upon, if he chooses, but never back of it. If he steps back of it, or even leans back, it is considered that he did it to avoid a blow or contrive40 an advantage; so he is dismissed from his corps in disgrace. It would seem natural to step from under a descending41 sword unconsciously, and against one’s will and intent—yet this unconsciousness is not allowed. Again: if under the sudden anguish42 of a wound the receiver of it makes a grimace29, he falls some degrees in the estimation of his fellows; his corps are ashamed of him: they call him “hare foot,” which is the German equivalent for chicken-hearted.
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1
duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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2
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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3
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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4
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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5
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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6
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
vanquishing
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| v.征服( vanquish的现在分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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8
duels
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| n.两男子的决斗( duel的名词复数 )；竞争，斗争 | |
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9
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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10
splicing
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| n.编接（绳）；插接；捻接；叠接v.绞接( splice的现在分词 )；捻接（两段绳子）；胶接；粘接（胶片、磁带等） | |
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11
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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12
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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13
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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14
compensating
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| 补偿，补助，修正 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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17
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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18
dueling
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| n. 决斗, 抗争(=duelling) 动词duel的现在分词形式 | |
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19
deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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20
gashed
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| v.划伤，割破( gash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
wince
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| n.畏缩，退避，（因痛苦，苦恼等)面部肌肉抽动；v.畏缩，退缩，退避 | |
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22
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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23
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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24
fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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25
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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26
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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27
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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28
grimaces
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| n.（表蔑视、厌恶等）面部扭曲，鬼脸( grimace的名词复数 )v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的第三人称单数 ) | |
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29
grimace
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| v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭 | |
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30
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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31
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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32
farce
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| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
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33
artery
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| n.干线，要道；动脉 | |
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34
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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35
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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36
pertaining
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| 与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to) | |
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37
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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38
naive
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| adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的 | |
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39
knightly
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| adj. 骑士般的 adv. 骑士般地 | |
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40
contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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41
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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42
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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