Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/208

195 KNIGHTS" TOURNAMENT. - 195 the vivid description of a tonmament as described by Sir Walter Scott is called up, yet so dim is the im- pression on the brain-slate that it cannot be deciph- ered, so plagiarism must be confessed, asldng pardon for doii]^ so. A tournament is where a number of men trained in the use of the lance, mace and sword make up two parties of nsusLQy equal number; they were clothed cap-a-pie; i. e., from head to foot in armor, and mounted. There were very strict rules governing the sport; they had their heralds who acted in the same capacity as do our umpires of football and base- ball games. Each knight or horseman who took part in the tournament armed himself with a spear with an attachment on one end about four inches round made of wood so that it could not possibly injure, or rather, penetrate the armor of his antagonist. Also they wore swords which had no cutting edge or point, and their dexterity with the battle-axe or mace was displayed by the use of a club of a regulation heft and length. The horse was sometimes encased in armor, or barbed, as it was called, but usually just capari- soned, which means, had a cloak or cover laid on the saddle and body, which was frequently made of heavy material to keep the horse from getting hurt. " These clothes would frequently be very richly ornamented. When all is ready, one troop rides in one direction, the other the reverse, until the regulation distance is reached, when they turn and make for each other at a gallop, and the principal thing to do is to unhorse the other fellow, so the staff or lance is held against the body. They usually had a strong, leather belt