Spray courier. (Spray, Or.) 1???-19??, 1915-07-15
A FIGHT IN
THE CLOUDS
BY f. A. MlTcHEl

| - NNNN NNhtt" t'N'
for tourists 10 make short trips visit
Ing Swiss places of laterest, Perhaps
the most interesting of all these trip:
IN 10 TAKE train nc lntcrlakcn foI
Grindelwnlf. thence up the steep sidt
OF u mountain TO ScheidegY.
When ! made this trip thr railway
from SchrhleEg To the top OF the Jung
frau was Just begun. In the eur rs.
cendmr from t:rin,,elwnld was young
American with two guides who was
intending to ascend the Jungfrau from
Schcldegg. He was n quiet. inof.
fensive fellow. but the fact thnt he
carried mn Ice nx Indicated that he was
II climber. \ frcnchman with n wax.
ed miStachr and n goatce proportion.
nlely small seemed disposed to guy him
Webster. the American. kept his TEN.
per. hnt. being quicker at repartee. got
! the hetter OF hin and set the car
laughing M him. This made the
Frenchnan. whose name was Du
fierre. angry. and he insulted Webster.
Since they were sitting opposite each
other Webster reached forth his hand
and slapped the others cheek.
Every one expected fight. hut since
We were climbing at an angle OF some
thing like for,y degrees no one relshed
the prospect OF having one. We could
not blame Webster for resenting an
Insult at the moment rather thnn hav.
Ing 1t pass into something more seri
GUS. Nevertheless. the AFFAIR did pass
into something more serious, The
Frenchman. banding Webster his card.
snid:
This IN no place for an alteration"
or course that meant challenge.
but when or where the end OF the af.
fair wonld be reached no one knew,
and few cared. When we reached
Schei,lrgg !. being fellow countryman
of WrbSter's. he called upon me. ask.
ing Ire tu ~ Ia Du Iferre and make
nm effurt To settle the matter. BEFORE
doing 40 learned from man who had
witnessed the fracas I'm the car that
the Frenchmnn was II celebrated Paris
dreiist had therefore very little
hope Of securing an adjustment. and
that hope was extinguished MS soon as
| met the Frenchman's representative.
He informed me that such an Insult
m he had received unavenged would
r,lin his reputation ut home. He could
not afford even to accept nm apology.
Webster turned out 10 be n sheep
-aiscr In the heart Of the Rocky noun.
ains and used TO high attitudes. He
directed me to accept Du Pierre's chaI-
enge. by the code Webster was en-.
tiled to the choice OF weapons and the
erms of the fight He directed me to
make the following provisions: One OF
he principals was to so To point on
he rrid u mile down toward Lautar-
the other remaining at Schei.
eGg Each was to be armed with a re-
oliver. two chambers loaded. Atsan
pp0inted hour they were To advance
nd begin firing whenever they chose
D do so. The road leaving Scheidegs
! not mt first steep. and It made little
ifference which OF the two won the I
cheidesg end
Dn Pierre. who supposed he would {
gbt under terms to which he had been
w;s indignant nj such an
but since | assured him
nat Webster would only fight him on
ie terms offered he was obliged either
, gu back to Paris having had his face
apped without having wiped out the
ISN'T or accept the situation.
The matter was kept perfectly quiet I
hose who had witnessed the fracas
the ear were tourists and scattered
all directions. Consequently when
NJ went ont the next morning as the
IN WIS casting Its first beiims on the I
peaks there WAS no one I
psent except the principals. their sec. a
ids and II surgeon who was stopping
one Of the hotels Du Pierre won
e toss and chose to move out from
:heidegg. Two shots were given each
an. and Webster and | went down {
e incline for n mile. waiting there
r the time for the dueliSts to start. =,
started him on the minnie. and he
Ivanced slowly up the road The
20 men could see each other for near is
the whole diStance When they d
ere quarter eY mile apart the .,
'enchnian. haiting, took deliberate
N and fired The ball fell OH the
nd some distance from the American. V
now saw the meaning of Welster's -
cities. Having lived IN 81 nlountan
q country. he realized how much
arer objects appeared through the
: than they were. Du Pierre had
ploSrd he had his enemy within
nge when he WAS not. | could see
II he WIS surprised that his shot had
I taken effect. biIt doubt II he
ew the re:isOn. &C
Webster now had two shots TO his .,
amy's one. but showed no sign of !,
ing They continued to advance for -
rIlat,s II hundred feet when Webster VI
ldenly raised his weapon. Du Pierre Is
once raised his and fired. Web s,
r. lowered his pistol. 4 spent ball ~
iIck him in the leg. but did no se :
,s damage. y
rhis ended the fight. for the French III
IN lInd used both his shots. while the iii
1erichn had used neither of his. and RI
. latter had no intention Of shooting r
nnarmed enemy. indeed. he had ~
nned the affair to result exactly as -
I,nd roc,,Itod uapdiuO hfa yan nou Al