had been laid off for the lists. Opposite the
grand stand, which occupied a considerable part
of this distance, a dozen uprights had been erected
at measured intervals. Projecting several feet
over the track from each of these uprights was an
iron crossbar, from which an iron hook depended.
Between the uprights stout posts were planted,
of such a height that their tops could be easily
reached by a swinging sword-cut from a mounted
rider passing upon the track. The influence of
Walter Scott was strong upon the old South.
The South before the war was essentially feudal,
and Scott's novels of chivalry appealed forcefully
to the feudal heart. During the month preceding
the Clarence tournament, the local bookseller had
closed out his entire stock of "Ivanhoe," consisting
of five copies, and had taken orders for seven
copies more. The tournament scene in this popular
novel furnished the model after which these
bloodless imitations of the ancient passages-at-
arms were conducted, with such variations as were
required to adapt them to a different age and
civilization.

The best people gradually filled the grand
stand, while the poorer white and colored folks
found seats outside, upon what would now be
known as the "bleachers," or stood alongside the
lists. The knights, masquerading in fanciful
costumes, in which bright-colored garments, gilt