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IVANHOE.

247

might be considered as decisive of victory. Such,

however, was the crowd and confusion, that, during the earlier part of the conflict, their efforts to meet were unavailing, and they were repeatedly separated by the eagerness of their followers, each of whom were anxious to win honour, by measuring their strength against the leader of the opposite party.

But when the field became thin by the numbers on either side, who, having yielded themselves vanquished, had been compelled to the extremity of the lists, or had been otherwise rendered incapable of continuing the strife, the Templar and the Disinherited Knight at length encountered hand to hand, with all the fury that mortal animosity, joined to rivalry of honour, could inspire. Such was the address of each in parrying and striking, that the spectators broke forth into an unanimous and involuntary shout, expressive of their delight and admiration.

But at this moment the party of the Disinherited Knight had the worst; the gigantic arm of Front-de-Bœuf on the one flank, and the pon-

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