The Ups and Downs of Life

Then, dear S-, I saw that you had left your watch, and I'm so sorry. Tell me its value, and I'll send you a cheque, you know I've lots of money.

He took one of my husband's rifles and ran down to the jetty. I saw you got off safe, God bless my dear boy! But now! send me a line, and say you are not going to fight. Ah! he will kill you, my own! he is a dead shot.

Write at once to her who loves you more than life.

Your devoted,

CLARA

'Boy,' I cried.

'Sahib!' said Ballaram, advancing.

'The buggy, quick!' (The buggy is a hooded gig, something like a cabriolet.)

'Yes, sir.'

The buggy came to the door. I leapt in and drove rapidly to Captain R-'s quarters; he was a noted duellist, and a capital second; better still, he was a man of honour. I told him the entire story.

'Your advice, R-,' said I, 'what is it?'

'Keep quiet, old fellar, and sacrifice the watch.'

'Can't be done,' said I, 'it was my father's, I would not lose it for a cool hundred.'

'Deuced awkward,' said R-. 'I'd buy it myself at the sale but you must see that whoever undertook to buy it for you would be supposed the owner, and have to stand up at twelve paces before that devil of a shot, M-.'

'I quite see that; but, suppose I go and claim it myself?'

'Of what possible good is even a gold Barwise to a dead man,' said R-.

'Stop a minute, my dear friend,' said I, 'don't arrive at hasty conclusions. Tell me, you are a man of experience; according to the present code of honour, has the challenged man the choice of weapons?'

'Undoubtedly; but everybody fights with pistols nowadays.'

'Pardon me, I don't.'

'No?'

'No! I fight with the rapier.'

'You? why you are a boy, what do you know of the foil?'

'Everything! carte, tierce, volte and demi-volte. I am a pupil of Angelo!'

'You are!'

'Yes, by Jove! and I mean to have my watch!'

'All right,' said R-, coolly, 'come along, we'll go and claim it, but mind, whatever he says, whatever he does, let him give the challenge. He shan't hurt you; he is a big fellow, I know, but I'll protect you; is this your buggy?'

'Yes.'

We jumped in and drove straight to Captain M-'s. A whole lot of fellows were there smoking.

I knew most of them.

'Devilish lucky for you they are here,' whispered R-, aside.

'How are you, M-,' said I.

'How are you?' said he, shortly.

'You have found a watch, I believe?' I asked.

'Yes,' said he.

'Will you let me look at it?'

'Certainly.'

'Ah! thank you, that is mine,' and I flung the chain over my neck, and put the watch in my pocket.

M- gave me a look of concentrated fury. 'Do you know, S-,' said he, 'if these gentlemen were not here I would strangle you!'

'Really!'

'I would, by God!'

'Then you would have been hung for murder.'

'I don't care!'

'Come, come!' said R-, 'this won't do old fellar, if you have any grievance against young S-

you've got your remedy, but I won't allow him to be insulted.'

'You be damned!' cried M-.

'All right, old fellar,' said R-, 'we'll settle our little affair afterwards, but, meantime, what have you got to accuse little S- of?'

'He's a blackguard and a scoundrel,' roared M-.

'You are a scoundrel yourself, M-,' said I, 'and have seduced Mrs T-. You are a coward and a beast, who has bullied her and me, you great blundering brute.'

'Very well, my little fellow, you shall pay for this bravado.'

'All right,' said I, 'my friend R- will receive any message you may wish to send,' and hooking on to R-, he and I strode out of the bungalow and drove off.

'You did that capitally; now you're all right; he never had a rapier in his hand in his life. He is a horrid bully, and I hope you pink him.'

'I'll try my best to do so.'

'Good! Now it's nearly seven, I'll come and dine with you.'

'With great pleasure,' said I, and we drove to the mess house and played a game at billiards, while waiting for dinner. At dinner I called twice for champagne, and made R- as welcome as I could.

My brother officers looked curiously at us; nobody ever asked R- to dinner unless a duel was on the tapis.

Dinner was over and we were sitting on the verandah smoking when J- of the — th approached.

'I want a word with you, R-,' said he.

R- rose up; they walked in the compound together. R- came back looking very merry.

'Well?' said I.

'All right, old fellar; with swords, tomorrow at six, at the old pagoda near the tank; but have you any weapons?'

'I have a pair of the finest rapiers you ever saw; they were made by Riviere, of Paris, and my great grandfather bought them there in 1742.'

'Did he fight?' asked R-, with much interest.

'Oh, yes, he killed Lord R- with one of those swords in the Bois de Boulogne the next year.'

'Really!'

'Yes.'

'You come of a good lot then?' said R-.

'Pretty well; but wait.'

Punctually at six we were on the ground next morning. R- held the swords in their antique shagreen case under his arm. We had not been two minutes on the ground when M- and J-

appeared.

M- looked very pale, but he sought to throw off his evident trepidation by an apparent bravado. 'It seems,' said he, laughing with great contempt, 'that if I escape the spit of young S-, I am to try my Joe Manton's with you R-.' (Manton was the great maker of hair-trigger duelling pistols in those days.)

'With all my heart,' said R-, 'you're a good shot, and I'm not a bad one, I hope I may get the chance, old fellar.'

'Gentlemen! gentlemen!' said J-, 'this is not en regle at all. I cannot allow this. You have the swords, R-, permit me to inspect them?'

He opened the case, measured them carefully, weighed them in his hand, and then said, 'It seems to me this is the best weapon, don't you think so, M-?'

'I know nothing about rapiers,' said M-, with disdain, 'I thought they were exploded with the last century, give me whichever my opponent rejects.'