"Michael Moorcock - City of the Beast" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moorcock Michael)

"I do not wish for payment. The skill you ac-

quire from me will be reward enough! HereтАФI will
show you zee simple parry first . . ."

And so he taught us. Not only did we learn how
to fence with the modern conventional weapons-
foils, epees and sabresтАФbut also with the antique
and foreign weapons of all shapes, weights, sizes
and balances. He taught us the whole of his mar-
vellous art.

Whenever we could, Johnny and I attended M.
Clarchet's special Sword Room. He seemed grate-
ful to us, in his way, for the opportunity to pass on
his skill, just as we were to him for giving us the
chance to learn. By the time we were around fif-
teen we were both pretty good, and I think I prob-
ably had the edge on Johnny, though I say it
myself.

Johnny's parents moved to Chicago about that
time so I became M. Clarchet's only pupil. When I
wasn't studying physics at high school and later at
university, I was to be found at M. Clarchet's,
learning all I could. And at last the day came when
he cried with joy. I had beaten him in a long and
complicated duel!

"You are zee best, Mike! Better zan any I have
known!"

It was the highest praise I have ever received. At
university I went in for fencing, of course, and was
picked for the American team in the Olympics. But
it was a crucial time in my studies and I had to
drop out at the last moment.

That was how I learned to fence, anyway. I
thought of it in my more depressed moments as
rather a purposeless sportтАФarchaic and only in-
directly useful, in that it gave me excellently sharp
reactions, strengthened my muscles and so on. It
was useful in the Army, too, for the physical disci-
pline essential in Army training was already built
in to me.

I was lucky. I did well in my studies and sur-
vived my military service, part of which was spent