The North-Carolinian. [volume] (Fayetteville [N.C.]) 1839-1861, 1854-07-29
4 Duel in the River.

n correspondent of the Cincinnati Times,
writing from Helena, Arkansas describes
Quarrel which arose there and the manner of
It's settlement, to wit:
One of the coolest nights last winter. two
prominent citizens of this place, who for years
had oech intimate friends met at the bar-rOom
OF one OF the taverns, and soon became merry
over iittlc OF the sparkling juice. From good
numor they got INTO argument, from argument
they got into hard words, and from hard words
to abusive language. Indeed, it soon became
evident that, under the code of Southern chiy-
airy, Il meeting between the two was encvit-
able, to satisfy the honor Of ono or both In
the midst of the excitem mt however one and
perhaps the first offender, happened to cool
down. and, rejecting on the folly of shooting at.
or being shot by an Old friend thought of an
eNpedicnt to prevent shedding of blood.
Il say, $" said he to Ills excited friend
1--WE have quarrelled, the lie has passed, and
now we must meet and have it out"
Nothing else will satisfy me-" rcDlicd the
other with an oath
"Well, now, l consider it foolish for old
friends as We have bcen," continued the first
speaker, 'to fight in any way: and as we both
have families who would suffer much as eth
er Of us could by meeting l have something
to propose, which, while it will test our courage,
will not be quite as dangerous as facug pistols
and bullets "
.What is t?" asked the other, his anger sud-
denly cooling to u remarkable degree
why, that we both strip off, jump into the
Mississippi swim out twenty yards, and return,
and the first who reaches the shore, to be
declared i'll the right"
Done" replied the other who
pert swimmer.
Instantly both parties stripped, and though
the cold wind howled from the north, and the
surface of the water crusted with ice, they
started almost on run for the river, followed
by some bvstantlers who had witnessed the quar-
REL and who were to be judges. In they both
plunged, and boldly stcmmcd the father of wa
ters, despite the freezing temperature Of the
fluid Out they swan, until the judges decid-
ed they twenty yards form the shore and
bade them return. One easily reached terra
trma, but the other gave out, and to the
horror OF those on shore, screamed for help.
| Tie was rescued with much difficulty, and as he
! was hauled, shvcrng and almost drowned,
from the river, he exclaimed between his chat
! terng teeth:
| .'IW be hanged If S. qoasmI 2igh
must hare been drunk arhcm I disputed arHh him r'
\ little internal and external application of
| to "t''v"o lc11evra the parties rom The unsea-
sonabIe swim, when they shook hands and
! sumcd their former intimacy. like this new
| mode Of duelling, and recommend it to those
| chivaric individuals who contend that wounded
honor can only be healed, courage tested,
by squirting at the muzzle of cooked pistol.
Central Africa.
Dr tOgei, the astronomer and naturalist
| writing to the Athc;cum from Lake Tsad, gives
a terrible description of Central Africa. The
forests consist for the most part merely of two
sorts OF accacias not single tree or shrub is
devoid Of prickes.-Thcre is no fruit or vcgeta-
bes except water melons and bread melons, and
tomatoes and onions, and almost the sole viands
consist of meat and poultry, which are very
plentiful \ fowl may be bought for two need
les sheep for cightcen-pencc, aud large OK
for six shllings. The soil is capable Of all kinds
Of cultivation, if there were but people there
aborions enough to till it. Indigo, cotton and
melons grow wild; rice and wheat, the former
particularly could be raised III any quantity.
The Inhabitants, instead offollowpg agriculture,
find it more convenient to make maraudiBg cX-
cursions into the neighborng countries and to
carry off a number Of slaves, mostly children
from nine to twelve years of age whom they
exchange with the Tibbu and Arab merchants,
for the triAing nccessaries which they possess,
beyond the few things afforded them by the >
soil. These consist principally of calico, salt
and little sugar. IN this kind oftraf'c slave
boy of ten years is rcckoncd at about l5s and
girl of the same age is worth about 81 sterling
The lake itself is not such fne clear water.
but morass extending further than the eye
can reach, and on its banks arc mosquitoes
numerous enough to sting man and horse to
death. Chamcions, ants, termites venOmouS
scrpcnts, scorpions, and tOads from four to five
inches i'll diameter, ale very numerous, but
beetles and butterflies extremely scarce.-Ihere
| are great numbers of elephants and hppopotami
by the lake, and large Wild crows gazzelle, and
| antelopcs also very numerous. The black
ladies plait their hair, employing in the process
an extravagant supply Of butter into innumera-
bic little trcsses, united in the middle of the
head by a comb, which gives them very much
the appearance of having u dragoons he'll
met. Sometimes they wear also little locks
around the head, Of the form and size, and,
thanks to the fat, of the consistence also of
borcchips. They dye the front teeth red, the
corner canine teeth black, that when they
open the mouth they remind one of a chess
board. They paint themselves over with Indigo,
including even the arm and face, which gives
their complexion ali excessively Iudicrous
blue tint.
'PrxcH" on BoNNETs.-The last number of
Punch contains pictorial guess at the distance
at which ladies' bonnets will be worn from their
heads at the next remove The tendency has
been further aud still further rearward, and the
next change, Punch thinks, will carry them off
the head entirely; so he represents the next
fashion by two ladies in full dress and bare
headed sailing along the streets, with foot
man walking some ten feet behind carrying tile
LONnetS q 1ca1ier
FINE PRINTING PAPER.-We have been shown
handsome specimen Of printing paper, manu-
fac tured bv the South Carolina Paper Company
of one-lalf raw cotton, the other country rags.