Related article:
In the many '* rounds " I have
had with this opponent, needless
to say at times I have received a
certain amount of " punishment,"
but never a fair knock-out blow.
Tout vient a qui sait attendre, so
perhaps some day I shall get it.
Till then, however, I must have
the courage of my convictions
and stick to what I said in the
first of my articles on the sub-
ject in this Magazine. "A so-
called infallible system is ipso
facto an absurdity, being antago-
nistic to all common sense, which
has been my guide, philosopher
and friend throughout this work
of mine ; but, on the other hand,
I fail to see why it must of
necessity be beyond the powers of
human ingenuity, taking for its
ally this same common sense, to
formulate a plan by which, more
or less successfully, to oppose this
eccentric Law of Chance."
H.
i. Haiiliitgr'.fhul,
I90O.]
19
Wrestling in the Salzburg Mountains.
Though practised in other dis-
tricts, the province of Salzburg is
the head-quarters of that form of
athletics known in Austria as
" rangein/* which word is equiva-
lent to the middle English
" wranglen " and to " wrestling "
at the present day, an exercise
which enjoyed great popularity in
Greece two thousand years ago
and more.
The great arena for this pastime
is the principal valley of Land
Salzburg, the Salzachthal, whose
upper part is called Ober Pinzgau
and Unter Pinzgau. In that
beautiful spot wrestling matches
have been held for the last five
centuries, for in a fourteenth cen-
tury chronicle we find mention
of the Pinzgau wrestlers. The
peasantry in the neighbourhood
of Zell am See, that deservedly
favourite resort of summer visitors,
are particularly fond of it. The
school boys wrestle according to
all the traditional rules; young
men find in wrestling their chief
amusement, and the middle-aged
show the youngsters " how fields
were won." This sport has, so
to say, become part of the exist-
ence of the Pinzgauers, and by
consequence they are splendidly
muscular and brawny fellows.
In Salzburg two distinct forms
of wrestling are known as " ran-
geln." In either the object is to
throw the adversary to the ground ;
hut the methods differ materially.
The older rule was that the one
wrestler should seize the other by
his belt and throw him backwards
over his head, a feat that required
enormous strength and skill, and
which was accompanied by con-
siderable danger, for the van-
quished man might break his arm,
leg or even his neck in his fall.
The present method demands
equal dexterity if less muscle, and
is comparatively free from risks
to limb ; serious accidents do not
very often occur.
The two wrestlers about to try
a fall take off their coats and
waistcoats and roll up their shirt
sleeves, sometimes substituting
thick stockings for their boots.
Their boots being hobnailed are Buy Acillin
unsuitable for wear in the ring,
as an accidental kick might inflict
serious hurt. The signal being
given they rush forward, each
striving to catch hold of the other.
Generally they take hold with
only one hand each at first,
stretching the other out, dragging
from side to side till the one man
gives the other a chance of a
favourable grip. When this occurs
the two draw clo^r together, and
the real wrestling commences.
They seize one another's arms;
but the great aim of each is to
obtain a grip of his adversary's
trunk, or leg, and thus throw him
to the ground. Consequently
they draw their bodies as far back
as possible out of the reach of an
inconvenient hand, while at the
same time putting their heads
against one another. Often the
weaker man is quicker and more
skilful than the stronger, and,
frustrating every effort of his
opponent, comes off victor. When
actually thrown the bout is not
yet lost, for the man is not van-
quished till both his shoulders
touch the ground at the same
time ; therefore it sometimes hap-
pens that a wrestler not only
manages to rise again, but finally
proves the winner.
The rules, with slight modifica-
tion, perhaps, have been in force
for centuries. They are not
written, but transmitted orally.
Every lad tussles in the meadow
L. H''id"t".*>""-'^
WRESTLING IN THE SALZBURG MOUNTAINS.
az
with those of his age, and thanks
to the instruction he has received
from his father, knows as well as
his seniors what grips are fair, and
what tricks are forbidden ; and from
childhood he learns that he must
neither kick, strike nor throttle.
The Pinzgauers firmly believe
in the old adage, ** Practice
makes perfect," for they miss no
opportunity of engaging in their
favourite and healthful sport.
When two young fellows meet in
summer after work is over for the
day it is not long before jackets
and waistcoats are flung aside and
they are wrestling with as much
zeal and activity as if they had
been idle all day instead of work-
ing hard. The residents in each
village form a sort of club, and
during the season generally meet
on the wrestling ground once a
week. Thus each one finds oppor-
tunity of measuring himself against
his fellows in turn, and thus the
strength and skill of each man is
accurately gauged. The best
wrestler is chosen as the cham-
pion to represent his village at
the various wrestling matches
which are held in the neighbour-
hood. The conservative moun-
taineers have for centuries held
these on the same days in each
year on the same spots. The
principal meetings take place on
St. James's Day (July 25th) and
on the third Sunday in August,
On the former day the ranglers,
their -friends and the spectators
meet on the Hundstein, one of
the Salzburg Alps, having an
elevation of nearly 7,000 feet ;
and on the latter the meeting
comes off on the well known
Schmittenhoehe, near Zell am
See, a spot frequently visited by
English tourists for the sake of
the magnificent view it commands
of the surrounding snow-clad
peaks. Other meetings take place