The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1847-10-19
From the Ne,o- York Despatch.
Sketches by the Captain.
A DUEL.

| MEXICO. Ihe acquaintance we made under
circumstances so singular, that their iela-
ton even at this distant day, can hardly
fail to interest the reader.
1t was in Gibraltar. l was passing a
coffee house much frequented by English
and American officers, when hearing my
name called, l turned and saw stan ing in
the door a young man i'll the undIess OF
our service. He approached me saying -
Captain ,ofthe brig Monmouth,
believer"
"The same, sir" replied.
81 am Mr.. --, passed-midshipman
of the United States sloop of war
COW lying at Port Mahon. l am here on
leave, and none of my brother officers are
at hand to render me that service, which
| must request of you as fellow country
man to perform"
81 shall be glad to know how can be
Of service TO FIR. - replied, with
rather a formal bow, for our young Off
GERS in the Mediterranean were too much
in the habit of getting into silly scrapes,
and I suspected for a moment that it was
one Of this character in which was ask
ed to figure.
at is little affair which will detain
You only few minutes, Captain -"
the young officer remarked, with smile.
The fact is, that have one duel to fight.
and perhaps more, within FIVE minutes and
in that coffee house. was going out to
hunt Up countryman to act as my Sec
ond, when you passed"
He hastily explained the origin of the
difficulty, prov ed to me that he was in the
right, and l resolved to see him through
We entered the house, in the public room
ofwhich was introduced to seven or eighi
English naval officers. one of whom held
in his hands pair of fine duellng pistols.
He was the second of theother party, and
we stepped aside to make the necessary
preparatlons-While the preliminaries Of
the fight are being arranged, the reader
may as well be enlightened as 10 its cause.
The English naval officers for several
years after the conclusion of the last war.
omitted no opportunity to insult our off,
GERS and provoke them into guar els.
When they could not get representative
of the flag from the government service,
they would seek one in the merchant ma
rine, and captains of trading vessels were
more than once compelled TO notice in
suits thus gratuitousy offered. AtGibral-
tar and Port Mahon there had been sever
al dueIs, and at the latter place they were
of such frequent occurrence, that i; was
usual 10 say on saluting an acquaintance
in The morning
"N ell, who is the victim Of to-day
was the Englishman killed, or did the A
merican take the bullet ?"
In,the case now referred to, six or sew
en- English Lieutenants had studied for
the week that my friend had been in Gil
braltar, how to get him into quarrel
They settled OH the plan at last, and lost
no time i'll putting it in execution
Lieutenant was sitting IN the
public room of the coffee house, quietly
drinking his wine and reading newspa-
per. One of the English officers, who
was an excellent shot, commenced walk
ing up and down the room, passing and
repassing he American Lieutenant, up
on whose toes he at length nod. Lieu
tenant -- looked up; the English
man bowed and said-"Beg your pardon
sir. an accident" Lieutenant --
bowed and went on with his paper. The
Englishman again passed, again trod en-
the Americans toes, and again apollo
gized-"Beg your pardon, sir, an acct
dent" Lieut.. bowed and resumed
his paper. The Englishman allowed FIVE
minutes to pass, and then for the third
time committed the offence, repeating
with a hooking smile, the apologize
words-'Beg your pardon, sir, an acct
dent
Lieutenant--cal calmly laid aside his
paper, arose, and taking the EngIishman
by the ears, deliberately discharged con-
siderable quantity of tobacco juice, with
a respectable sized quid, full in his face.
saying, with jeering laugh,-I beg your
pardon, sir-dn accident.
This settled the business, or rather
put it in the train of settlement. The
Englishman- challenged the American on
the spot: the latter accepted, claiming
all the rights of the challenged party
choice Of weapons, time and place. This
was of course conceded, and Lieut.
named pistols the weapons-that room
the place, and the time-ihe moment he
could find a countryman to act as his
second. On this errand, he encountered
| me at the door, and returned alter an alb
sence of exactly seven minutes. The En-
oIishman had however. become accus-
toned to Yankee punctualiry in little mat
tiers of this kind, and expressed no sur
prise at the suddenness Of his reappear-
| ance.
1t was arranged that the parties should
sit at the opposite ends of a table about
twenty feet long. which was in the cen
ire of the room. l was to give the signal
Are You readyr Fire-one-two-
three, - the parties to fire between the
count their pistols to remain on the table
until the call-'Are you readyP
| 7 cI,,rod ~ my pYiucInal as | w6s A.