The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-31

another gentleman sat opposite him. Now
he renewed the conversation, slightly in
Ginning himself towards his vis-a-vis, so as
to be unheard by the rest.
you are quite right, monsieur" said
he quietly. mo sensible man can DENY
that Napoleon was uncomfortable despot,
a brutal"
lie got no further. Lepage, who con-
sidered himself already insulted, sprang
up from the table with an oath, and hurl-
ed tumbler of sweetened water, from
which dErmonville had been drinking in
the captain of the Falcons face, severely
cutting him on the forehead In the
twinkling of an eye an indescribable hub
bub arose, bottles flew about the room
and out at the windows, daggers flashed
in the lamplisht Above the uproar, how
ever, sounded Kings stentorian voice,
who, uttering threats of vengeance on the
Frenchmen, bore the captain off on his
arm from the room.
ID Ermonville and the governor succeed
ed at length in calming the tumult; the
French deoamped after having arranged,
as the Renard had to so to sea on the fol-
lowing day, to meet at a secluded spot not
far from the harbor, and there have a tinal
settlement. The incident had thoroughly
sobered us, and we awaited the outcome
of it all with impotence. The captain.
King, and the governor had shut them
ly we heard loud voices in angry dispute,
the door flew open, and Lieut.. King rushed
out into the hall, pale with passion, fol-
lowed by the captain, with a bandage
round his head, but otherwise unaltered.
Listen to me, gentlemen cried King,
wildly; our commander refuses to chaS-
tise the impudent F'renchy, and forblds us
to do it either! His conscience does not
permit him to fight a duel, he AYERS. Him
mel und Hoelle, Devil take the admit
rally for trusting the honor of the British
flag to a foreign cowardn'
Lieut.. King" said Capt. Hurst calmly,
what 1 may think about the duel is my
business. Now, / command you to repair
on board immediately
Il refuse to go on board until this in
suit, which concerns us all, is wiped out
in blood!' replied the lieutenant, foamirig
Il will remain here should L have to leave
the service for it,
Capt. Hurst glanced down the row of us
as we stood; perhaps he could read in our
looks that several were capable of insu-
bordination, and were ready tondefy his
authority, for he contented himself ad-
dressing Lieut.. King, with the words:
I'm the present state of affairs l must
adopt other means to enforce obedience
Whereupon he left the room.
Now's the time, my hearties" exelaim-
ed King, triumphantly. Now we'll set
plucky captain can hinder us. But per-
haps it'll be better If l go alone?"
No one however, would hear of that;
therefore, they all thronged outside to-
gether.
The moon shone brightly in a cloudless
sky, and by the aid of her beams we soon
caught glimpse of the sparkling epau-
lettes and sword handles of the French
men, who were awaiting our arrival.
Cant. d ETm0nViIla Sparcelv rntfoad tba
absence of our captain, before he tried to
mediate and bring about a reconciliation.
Capt. Hurst is the only one who has
right to demand satisfaction" said he, in
reply to the threats of King. "As l per-
ceive, however, he is sensible enough to
prefer a peaceful adjustment to a sense
less duel''
81 repeat to you. monsieur" shouted
King that Capt. Hurst is not in a posi-
ton to be here himself, and therefore, the
duty falls upon me to chastise the lubber
who nsulted him..
Both had spoken in his mother-tongue,
understanding each other equally well.
"Ahai" laughed the French commander.
somewhat CONTEMPORARY, ION that
ground Capt. Hurst is also bringing yon
bayonets to your assistance
Surprised, we turned round, and saw
detachment of the governors soldiers
coming at trot towards us, led by Capt
Hurst. Lieut.. King saw that there was
no time to be lost.
You have the effrontery to assert that
/ lie?' shouted he. There take that as
an answer to your compliment
He thereupon struck d 'Ermonvlle in the
face with the fiat hand They both in
stantly tore their swords out of their
sheaths, and in a trice the blades were
flashing in the moonlight The onlookers
from the Falcon, as well as from the Re-
..sI rs,4 Ia,
soldiers back from the duellsts as long as
possible. The French captain was by far
the most practiced swordsman, but Just
as he had given his antagonist a flesh
wound his foot slipped lie was unable
to parry Kings thrust, and fell to the
ground bored through the shoulder at the
very moment that Capt. Hurst came upon
the scene.
The wounded captain was raised up, and
then, according to his expressed wish,
was left to the care of his officers We
from the Falcon were rowed. on board
Capt. Hurst did not utter syllable on the
way. And on the following day there
was no mention OF any punishment it
was, nevertheless, a weli-known fact that
the affair would be reported to the admi-
raj, and that Lieut.. King. and perhaps one
or two others, would have to answer for
themselves before a court-martial.
Eight days after the duel we ascertalned
to our great joy that d'Ermonville was
once more on his legs, and four-and-
twenty hours after that we set sail.
We ran for Cape Coast Castle. and from
there across the Gulf of Guinea, making
for a certain point on the coast, which lay
IL degrees south latitude, a little north
from San Philippe de Benguela. We
cruised about here fourteen days without
coming In sight of a suspicious-loo
craft. We had heard a rumor In Sierra
Leone that somewhere about this part OF
the coast there had been a big slave-hunt,
and that an infamous Portuguese slave
trader, Jose Pasco, had raised a barra-
coon near the mouth of the river, which
was stocked full with poor victims await
ing their shipment. We were. therefore,
to cruise about before the rivers mouth,
and keep a sharp lookout. Meanwhile
the strained relations between Capt Hurst
and his chief officer remained UNCHANGED;
since the evening of the duel they had
only spoken when Il was unavoidable In
the performance of their several duties:
the old hatred still ranked IN Kings
bosom. The commander did not seem
disinclined 90 let bygones be bygones as
he was Of a forgving disposition. and did
H.se.t ft..a.