The Cruise of the Branwen

PREPARATIONS than it had ever enjoyed before, and in the first open epee tournament held in this country (May 5, 1900) was second to W. Sulzbacher. Next year he won the Strangers' Prize in the Championnat International d'Epee in Paris and in the Tournoi International at Brussels, which were the first English successes of their kind. After that his record has been consistently good, and he had twice been eaptain of an English team before we sailed for Athens. Lord Desborough's athletic prowess is too well known, and has been too often described, for me to need to say more here than that his swords– manship is as good as anything else he ever touched, and that he can always be depended on to score hits in the best company. He was captain of the English team in the great tournament at the Crystal Palace, and he won the champion– ship of the epee at the Royal Military Tourna– ment. But it is safe to say that he never had so much bad luck (I am almost tempted to say he was never so badly treated by the judges) as in our final fight at Athens, which we should undoubtedly have won if his hits had been correctly scored. Even as it was, the result was declared a dead– heat after every bout had been given against him. His reputation, however, has never suffered from such temporary reverses in sport, and his presence in the British team had an effect that cannot be estimated merely by numerical results. It also conferred an honour on our expedition which had been quite unexpected when I had first thought of organising our journey, for, his Majesty's 21