The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-07-11
PRACTICAL LOGIC.

Fighting a Duel tO Prove that q Duel
Heed KOt be Fought.
A writer in the London Truth relates
this: was once ordered to proceed to
Stockholm, and at this town l found
favor with my superiors for the curious
reason that I challenged an Austrian
Charge d'Afaires. Never was there a
more absurd affair. There was an Eng
lishman who had been challenged by
SWede, whom he declined to fight. A
very few days later tia Englishman went
with my minister to box in the theater.
The next day, at club, the Austrian
Charge d'AfaiFes said before me and
others that Englishmen had odd ideas of
honor, and more particularly English
ministers. / replied that EngGshmen
were not so silly as to fight duels, and
that the English minister was not dis
honorable man for appearing in theater
with his countrymen. As it was gen.
orally felt that 1 ought to challenge this
Austrian, "put myself in the hands"
of the French and Prussian ministers.
A few hours later my seconds came to
me. / expected that they were going to
tell me that the Austrian had apOlogized.
Not at all. With cheerful smile they
observed, " 1t is arranged for tomorrow
morning-pistOls." at seven o'clock q.
m. they reappeared. Their countenances
were dOwncast. have lost the molds
for the bullets for my duelling pistol, /"
observed the Prussian, "and We had to
borrow q pair of pistols for whose
accuracy of aim can not Youch." This
inwardly Tejoieed me, but of course I
pretended to share in the regret of my
secondL We sat down to an early break
fc ar XrTT Y oil
the Frenchman, "Would that / could
take your place." ] wished it as sin
eerely as he did, but tried to assume
an air of rather liking my position, and
L grinned a ghastly grin. Then we
started for the park. The opposition
had not arrived; but there was a sur
geOn who had been kindly requested TO
attend by my symPathizing friends
An accident may happen" observed
the Prussian do you Wish to confide
to me any dispositions that you may
desire to be carried out after ?"-and he
sighed in horribly suggestive manner
No, l said; had nothing particular to
confide and as ! looked at the surgeon
thought what an idiot was to make
myself the target for an Austrian to
make aim at, in order to establish the
principle that Englishmen have q per-
feet right to decline to fight duels.
There was a want of logic about the
entire proceeding that went to my heart
To be killed is bad enough, but to be
killed paradOxically is still worse. Soon
the Austrian and his second appeared.
never felt m IRE dismal in my life. The
Austrian stood apart. I stood apart.
The surgeon already eyed me as a "sub-
ject." The seconds consulted then the
rark1v afa
He had very short le g, and they seemed
to me Fshorter than ever After this
came the loading of the pistols. Some
times, thought, seconds do not put in
the bullets. This comforted me, but
only fer q moment, for the bullets we're
I rammed down with q cheerful energy
| By this time we had been placed facing
each other. A pistol was given to each
of US am to give the signal, said
| the PIussian. shall eonnt one, two,
three, and then at the word fire you will
both fire. Gentlemen, are you ready ?"
We both nodded. Gone, two. three
irel" and beth our pistols went off
No harm had been done. I felt con-
siderable relieved, when to my horror,
the Frenchman stepped up to me and
said: think that I ought to demand
second shot for yeu, but mind, if
nothing occurs again, l shall not allow a
| third shot," "Ye-es," I said; so We had
, a second shot, with the same result.
Knowing that my Frenchman was a
man of his word, felt now that might
at no risk 10 myself display my valor, so
l demanded third shot. The seconds
consulted together; for a moment /
feared that they were going to grant my
request, and was greatly relieved when
they informed me that they considered
that two shots were amply sufficient. ]
was delighted, but / pretended to be
most unhappy, and religiously kept up
the farce of Being an sggrieved person.
Now, there is this curious thing about
duels, which I suppose accounts fol
principals taking things so quietly. Be
fore the duel one feels most uncomfor
table, to judge by my experience, but
when one has to fire one is so engaged il
listening for the signal that it does net
occur to one that one may be hit. A
good shot would, take it, be able t.
take a deliberate aim undisturbed b,
any nervous trepidation from his targe
also aiming at him, because the nervou
trepidation, however strong 1t may B,
beforehand, by some curious disposition
of nature disappears when you ar
actually firing, Much the same thin,
occurs In battle. The unpleasant mo
ment Is, according To the experience Q
soldiers, that just before going unde
IRE, or when the fire is not returned. S
soon as soldiers are themselves firing
one idea excludes another, and thei
minds are so occupied with what the,
themselves are doing, that they forge
the danger.