Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/880

SWORD. 766 SWORDFISHING. iii<r too mucli. Equally important is the re- (juircnipnt that it lie as lipjlit as possible, consist- ent with the stienfrth n'i|iiired. and that it be well balanced. The military blades of to-day are all closely similar in design. Thcj' are nearly straight, but sufficiently hea^-y toward the point to enable the soldier to deliver a very elfective cut. The only exception is the sword adopted bj- the French Government in 1899, which is a long sword designed only for thrust- ing. It is 35 inches in length of Idade from hilt to point, and weighs 2 pounds ti ounces with- out the scabbard, which latter is made of steel, with a wood lining. The German cavalry sword is 32ij inches long from hilt to point, and weighs 2 pounds 8^:^ ounces without the scabbard. The scabliard, like that of the French and British, is of steel with wood lining. The British cavalry officer's sword measures 35 inches from hilt to point, and weighs without the scabbard 2 pounds; while the sword of the trooper measures 331,-2 inches, and is 2 pounds 10V4 ounces in weight. The Briti.sh infantry sword (officer's) measures 32^2 inches from hilt to point, and weighs, without scabbard. 2 pounds 3 ounces. In the United States Army the sword proper has been abolished and a single form of sabre is now worn by all officers. These are issued in lengths of 30, 32, and 34 inches. The troopers of the United States cavalry have a sabre which is designed for both cutting and thrusting, and differs from the light artillery sabre, which is intended for cutting only and is more curved. In addition to the article Fen'cikg. already mentioned, the reader is referred to the articles Cavalry ; Tactics, ^Military. SWORD, Order of the. A Swedish military order of merit, with seven classes, founded in 1522 and renewed by Frederick I. in 1748. The decoration is a white cross of eight points, the arms separated by golden crowns. The blue medallion shows a bared sword surrounded by three crowns. The reverse bears a sword with a laurel wreath and the legend Pro Patria, SWORD DANCE. A dance in which the use of a sword plays the characteristic part. Such dances, held in military attire, and serving as ex- ercises of youth, were probably a feature in the life of all ancient peoples. In Greece a dance of this character was known under the name of Pyrrhic, and in Athens such a performance was said to have been instituted by Athena. Tacitus describes the youths of Germany as dancing naked over a bare blade, and fifteen centuries later a particular form of the sword dance was described by Olaus Magnus as belonging to Den- mark, This special dance was widely diffused, and has survived in Germany, England, and Scotland. In it the number of performers was commonly six. with a leader ; the movements were various. consJNting of a march with weapons erect, directing them toward the centre of the ring, grasping the neighbor's blade by the hilt and point, forming the swords into a shield or rose and dancing with them in that form, leaping over ajid under the brands, and the like. SWORDFISH. One of several fishes having an elongated snout, serviceable as a weapon^ specifically, the single representative of the family Xiphiidte, lelated to the mackerels and common in the warmer parts of the Atlantic and occasional in the Pacific Ocean. This fish lias a round, very muscular body (see Plate of Spearkisu and Swordfish), with large fins and a crescentic tail of e.xtraordinary size and power, so that it is able to move with extreme speed and force. As the young grow, the fore pari of the body and the head increase steadily in girth in proportion to the posterior parts, and the upper jaw grows more and more elongated until it finally forms a flattened, sharp-edged 'sword' composed of the consolidated vomer, ethmoid and premaxillary bones, and coated with a finely granulated hide. This weapon is about half as long as the bodj', and becomes so strong that it may be driven far through the planking of a rowboat or even a sailing vessel, as has repeatedly happened, probably by accident. The swordfish reaches its largest size off the coast of New Eng- land, where in midsummer it comes near shore in pursuit of the schools of herring, mackerel, men- haden, and other gregarious fishes upon which it mainly feeds. A swordfish finding such a school pushes into its midst from beneath, and, striking right and left with its sword, kills or disables dozens of victims. The average size in the Atlantic is about seven feet in total length and 250 pounds in weight, but there are authentic records of fish more than twice that size. The flesh is of excellent flavor, and the capture of a swordfish is reckoned fine sport. Their spawn- ing habits are little understood: and where they spend the winter, when they disappear from the American coast, is unknown. Several other large related fishes are called 'swordfish,' among them the 'sailfish' and 'spear- fish' (qq.v. ) of the family Istiophoridse; the large handsome 'papagallo" (yrinntistius pec- foralis) of the Pacific coast of tropical America; and the cutlass-fish (q.v. ). The best general account of the swordfish and swordfishing is by Goode, Fishery Industries, sec. i. (Washington, 1884). SWORDFISHING. The catching of sword- fish is pursued in svunmer both for profit and sport off the coast of New England, and especial- ly in the neighborhood of Nantucket, and is often the occasion of exciting incidents. Small swift vessels are employed, provided with a short bow- sprit, at the outer end of which is set a small platform and a strong iron stancliion surmounted by a circular horizontal band at the height of a man's waist. The fisherman, standing within this contrivance, with a connecting strap buckled behind him, is held safely in spite of the pitch- ing of the vessel, while both his arms are left free. A swordfish having been sighted at the sur- face, where it is feeding upon menhaden or some similar prey, the schooner bears do^vn upon it until the fisherman is able to hurl a barbed spear, or a heavy grain, into its body. To this spear a line is attached, fastened inboard; and if a successful strike is made the crew gradually haul the struggling fish near enough to be knocked on the head and disabled. As the sword- fish is big and strong, and is armed with for- midable weapons in his 'sword' and his powerful tail, much strength, skill, and agility are re- quired to overcome and secure it; and the sport is justly regarded as exhilarating and courage- ous in the extreme. Consult: Goode, Fishing