Rupert's broadsword drill lasted but a very short time;
upon the drill sergeant asking him if he knew anything of that
weapon, he said that he could play at singlestick, but had never
practised with the broadsword. His instructor, however, found that
a very few lessons were sufficient to enable him to perform the
required cuts and guard with sufficient proficiency, and very
speedily claimed the crown which Rupert promised him on his
dismissal from the class.
Week after week passed in inactivity, and the troops chafed
mightily thereat, the more so that stirring events were proceeding
elsewhere. The siege of Kaiserwerth, by a body of 15,000 German
troops, had begun on the 18th of April, and the attack and defence
were alike obstinate and bloody. The Earl of Athlone with his
covering forces lay at Cleves, and a sharp cavalry fight between
1000 of the allied cavalry and 700 French horse took place on the
27th of April. The French were defeated, with the loss of 400 men;
but as the victors lost 300, it is clear that both sides fought
with extreme determination and bravery, such a loss--700 men out of
1700 combatants--being extraordinarily large. The spirit shown by
both sides in this the first fight of the war, was a portent of the
obstinate manner in which all the battles of this great war were
contested. For two months Kaiserwerth nobly defended itself.
Seventy-eight guns and mortars thundered against it night and day.
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