ine should be drawn on the ground from the wall, and at right
angles to it.

The beginner should be stationed on this line in the position of
"Attention," at about nine or ten feet from the wall, so that when he
comes into the first position of the exercise his right foot may be on
the line, and may point directly towards the wall.

Instructions as to drawing swords, etc., will be given later on with the
Extension Motions and rules for loose play (_vide_ p. 44). At this stage
it may possibly be less confusing to merely give the following
positions, leaving to the concluding portions of the chapter a few
amplifications which may materially assist the swordsman when he has
begun to take a genuine interest in the subject.

_Attention._--Having taken the cutlass in the right hand, stand facing
the target, body and head erect, and the heels close together and
meeting at an angle of sixty degrees on the line drawn from the wall.

With the sword hand in front of, and on a level with, the elbow, which
should be close to the body, and with the blade pointing perpendicularly
upwards with the edge to the front, you will be in the position of
"Carry swords." Now relax the grasp of the last three fingers, and,
without altering the position of the hand, let the back of the blade
fall on the shoulder half-way between the neck and the point of the
shoulder. This forms the position of "Slope swords," with which the
exercise begins.

_First Position._--Bring the right heel before the left; feet at right
angles, right foot pointing towards target; shoulders square to left,
and weight of body chiefly resting on left leg.

_Second Position._--Bend both knees, keeping them well apart, without
raising the heels or altering the erect position of the body. Step out
with the right foot along the line for about eighteen or twenty inches
straight in direction of the target, still retaining most of the weight
of the body on the left leg.

_Third Position._--Step out still further along the line--about a yard
or so (according to the height of the individual)--keeping the shin-bone
as nearly as possible perpendicular to the instep. The left leg should
be straight and the left heel should not leave the ground. The heels
should be both on the line, and the shoulders should be square to the
left; _i.e._ the right shoulder should be well extended and the left
held back. The weight is now, of course, principally on the right leg.

At the word "At