Richard Francis Burton

“ The natural man cuts as if he were using a stick or a club, and the preliminary movement lays open the whole of his body; indeed, exposure, I have said, is the main danger of every attack with the sabre, however closely and skilfully conducted. A cut through the muscles of the fore-arm, either inside or outside, causes the sword instantly to be relaxed and dropped; the man in fact is hamstrung in the upper works.
Carte de Manchette. -- When the opponent from Tierce makes a Coupé or any attack in Carte, stop further movement by a Carte de Manchette, a horizontal Cut in Carte. ”

“ Finally, it is always unexpected by the opponent who has not practised it, and although it rarely begins an assault, except against the inexperienced, nor should it be done alone as a rule, it may either follow or conclude every attack, feint or "time." ”

“ The nearer the swordsman's own body his blade circles the better, because the cut will be more in the vertical line: if it be much out of the perpendicular the opponent can "take a time" in Carte. The Moulinet serves also to embarrass the adversary and to add strength to the cut. This simple and most valuable movement must not be confounded with the old-fashioned Seconde cut at the leg: the latter is objected to, as I have said, by swordsmen; the parry is too easy, and the riposte far too dangerous. Feint Seconde. ”

“ The French content themselves with single oppositions of Tierce and Carte. But why multiply instances of ignorance? -- they would fill many a useless page.
Finally I meditated upon the comparative humanity of "Manchette," of disabling the opponent by an arm cut, rather than laying open his flank or his head. During single rencontres in the field, especially at the end of Indian battles, it is so often necessary to put hors de combat some unfortunate, whose pluck or sense of honour induces him to prolong the hopeless attack. ”

“ II. and IV. Are dangerous, because, like No. I., when opposed to an agile hand, they may lay the wrist open to a Time Cut. The two first and all four against a slow unready swordsman may be varied by combinations with coupés, or passing the blade sharply over the adversary's point. For instance, if the adversary come too wildly to the Tierce parade of your double Carte and Tierce (No. III.) a coupé will reach his arm in Carte. ”

“ It is enough to give first principles: the minutiae could not even be noticed without stretching description to a wearisome length.
There is no objection, I have said, to teaching squads of recruits all the simpler preparatory matter: the Three Positions; the Moulinet; the Engaging Guard, and the Guards or Parries. ”

“ The thumb-plate should be made weighty and the guard light, otherwise the blade will be over-balanced, that is heavier on one side than on the other. It need hardly be said that the grip before going into battle should be whipped round with thin whipcord, or better still, with web-cloth. ”