The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-06-14


search on this account but he was overcome
and submitted. A few minutes suliosd for
the examination Of every one present, all Il
cams 10 thn enAign. lghn Was lfii purposely
~ the last
"Now, young man, said tho Colonel, turn
ing aud advancing toward him, ''now, siri-it
Is your turn . his flee looked perfectly saw
age with se0gn and hate, "The watch, sir,
iziihanLa xard. az a Inament,s delay
Hut aterri6e ehange had passed upon the
long'snGering, patient boy, lie sprang from
bis scat With scream 20 Wild, 90 fierce and
70 full ofAgony, iliAs every heart stood still
moment with surprise. In that moment, he
had planted himself against tho wall, drew
bis sword, and taken tho attitude Of delence.
"Come you TO search me, sir, a. you would
suspected theft On your lie warn you
not 10 offer me that indignity My dead body
you may search, but not my living one Ap.
proaoh me now, ifyou dare, ! defy the whole
Of you a. one man ("
Instantly the Colonel crossed swords with
him In furious combat
"IIold peace arrest them % cried the
General, and springing forward to arrest the
aiIray. ~ the first step the watch rolled on
the floor. lie had missed his fob, aud now
the watch fell from il place ofconcealmcnt IN
the violence Of his movements. Tho company
was electrified. Tho conduct Of the ensign
was inexplicable IIo had bravod destruc-
ton, riskcd his reputation. and perlled his
life on point Of honor too nieo for his supo.
riors TO feel and be had insuted and de6ed
them all IN ono breath, nrrtl there he siaal
victorious and justified before thcm
II was too much TO bear, FOR they were too
much excited to underestimate Their deter
ninhlioD was taken, and the company dis
pcrsed with resolutions set and purposes In
| flexible, The Gencnl 'ciycd the opporiimi-
~ to apologize to the ensign for the unhappy
mistake which led 10 the quarrclAnd request
ed him 70 cali upon him TINT cvcniugut late
hour.
Our hero was scarcely in his own room iill
the Colonel's challenge vasprcscntod 20 him.
Without moments delay, he answered the
second who brought il ;a--"l will not accept
MS Challenge 10 in1riai combat. AM opposed
TO the duel on principle, and | will not be
driven from my sense OF duty. You all know
: what haya already endured rather than re-
vengc delend myself by taking lif. /
tlilnk you have done your worst, hut if not
/ ! am prepared for H. am my own mastcr
and will not allow any man to dictate my opin-
| ions as matter of right, or compel me to
conduct which my heart and head condemn.
/ "Sir,' replied the second, "you have wen
fit 10 include me among the men who despise
You, and YOU TF'Jt IN riI-t r,--ii4i-,s. III
me tell you, that cowariicc and conccit, COW
cred with preaching and cnnting,w will not pro-
tcci you. You have grossly inmltcd every
! gentleman in The garrison, to whom you were
odious enough before and you mus, lrave
/ the army, BE assured orthnt"
L When he met the General that night, and
informed him OF the challenge, and his rcfus-
( al, that officer looked nt him sadly and earn
estly, if not douhtfully.
"NIy dear Young friend, said he, ~ am a
J fraid il won't do These men will not be sat
is6ed with an argument, and IL is plain that
You are not the man to make an apology
while convinced that you are right, nor do |
believe that they would accept anything short
of your resignation. You have somehow got
the ili-wiH Of thu whole corps, and tonight
you ailrontcd them mortally, lam sure YOU
cannot know how sharply your conduct and
your language touched them, and your tri-
umph only aggravated the offence. And now,
your refusal to accept the Coloncls challenge
is, under the most favorable construction, an
attack upon the code 10y which military men
I guard thumsctvrs toward each other I-sea
no escape; Fight YOU must, or your ehallen-
ger will heap upon you such personal indig-
mites as will make your life intolcable, or
drive you into violence, which will amount to
the same thing as accepting his challenge.
saw that in your eye to-day which convinccs
me you are as brave ms Julius Cesar Yes, /
saw something thero drawer than more phys
ical courage, and ] felt its superiority but,
you cannot convert the world and reform the
army soon enough to answer your own ends,
and you must submit to its rules, or be driven
from il in disgrace. honor your principles,
/ Tor understand them, bat you cannot main
tain them"
Our hero's reflections that night must be
left TO imagination. The difficulties which
surrounded BIN, tho compulsions that were
upon him, can be known only to those who
have been tempted and tried to the utmost,
with the world and their own necessities a.
gainst them
in the morning he accepted the challenge.
Having the right to choose the weapons he
named the small sword When the Colonel
heard'this, with touch of feeling, which all
his bitterness could not quite extingush, he
said docs the moth know that he is hutter-
ing into the flame 2" The second answered,
"I told him that you we're rcputed the best
swords,naa in the army, and begged him to
choose the pistols, which would give him some
chance of equality in the fight but he declin-
ed In fact don't know what to make Of
this young feIIow-lihe tho sword that has
been chosen to 6ght with. he "A so Timber, and