THE QUEEN'S ADVOCATE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12605, 21 June 1904, Page 3

THE QUEEN'S ADVOCATE.

PUBLISHED Bi: SPECIAL ABBANOEMENT.I'

Br ARTHUR W. MA.ROHMOKT, 1 • , . Author of '.'. When I Wsia Czar," i " By BiJht of Sword," * - ..;'. Etc.. Etc. '■ ' ■ ..;_'■ J CHAPTER XXI. , THE DUEL. . • - ' ' 1 I must have hit the Prince hard, judging ». by the effects. His friends-picked him up, , and, after a minute or so, led him away i into the hotel. Then Nikolitch came across J to me, his look very troubled. > b. "jPd* is a* wfily business, Bergwyn. He's I £^, marked «nd half-dazed with your i J" i m more sorry for if ' than A I can ! Seed r, ' P I re ° retted it intensely 1 "It was his fault—his only.' We all saw that. He came to the place with the } ntenUon of quarrelling. He knew we were ; to dme here Cine of his companions heard I it from * fneiid of mine. H 6 behaved abominably. We all see that, even his i mends. ] * 4 '.Oh, y«;s, tha insult was deliberato. I , couldn't take that. What is to happen?" ' n ;„i 1 said that T would So to your house, and should be here if they had a messa-e to bring. Shall we go's" ° "It means a meeting, of course," I said, as we left. . . ' *' Of course. , Have you been out before?" No; we don't settle our quarrels this way in the States; but I've been in more than one ugly s<irap and come through." " He an old hand at it and is an excellent swordsman. But you will have choice of weapons. You beat him, through being so cool. Be generally gets the choice of weapons, talcing care to give the insult ana so bo the challenged party* That was Ijks move just now. He first'insulted you thinking you would ; challenge him; and when you didn't, he meant to strike yoii so that you'd k obliged. I was glad you prevented that." : ' "I'd give a jjood deal to be out of it," I said, after a pause. My companion glanced at me in some surprise. "I don't see how you can avoid it." _v "I'm not afraid. I don't mean that. But, coming right on top of what you were saying about the. Princess, it will set tongues wagging about her." „ '; You mean, the dog story?" I nodded. ,u\' do "' t mean here's anything in that?" 'There's one woman who knows it all, and; by this; time has the proofs. The Baroness von Tulken." '"To the devil with that woman. She's in everything," he exclaimed. "Of course that's where it comes from, arid of course she told Albrevks. It's an ugly story for him to hear. You'll have to "be careful. He means mischief." * " I'm not thinking about him." "No, but he's been thinking about vou, | Beigwyn. What will you do?" j "What the devil can I do, man? If it would help things for her I'd choose pistols and kill him but it would only make matters worse for her., Everyone "will set.the quarrel down to her, and .that's just what I d have given anything to avoid." " Oh, it wouldn't hurt her. ; It doesn't hurt a woman here for two men to quarrel about her—choosing, of course, a decent pretext— , and for one of 'em to be killed. It's happened often enough." His indifferent tone no less than his . words astonished me. "Are you a good shot?" he added after a pause.-- ", ■ ; ; :'', ;■'■ \\ : , " I can shoot a bit, and use a sword well enough to keep myself out of danger, probably, if it comes to that." . It will come to one or the other, Bergwyn. There's no other way now. Have you any foils here?" he asked as we reached my house; and. when I produced them he proposed that we should try a bout. We took off our coats and set to work at once. Mine was a very indifferent style, very rough and ready, and his particularly polished, acquired' in the latest Italian school. But mine ; served me well enough for defensive purposes. He was the better swordsman, with a dozen more tricks of fence than I possessed, but he could not break through my/guard. ' He touched me more than once, hut net so.as ta havr inflicted any serious wound had the weapons been sharp. ' ' "You haven't much to fear from the Prince," he said in one of the breathing spaces. His is also the Italian style, and he's better than I am but you have a devil of a defence. Can you force the fighting a bit? Try now." We crossed again, and this, time, after a long, defensive play. I changed my tactics suddenly, and touched him. "You got rue in the arm," he cried, directly. ; "And well done, too. You'll wear the. Prince down. That's his one fail-ing—-he can't keep his temper. I have no fear for to-morrow. You have an iron wrist.".' ■-- /:■■-:■— '" ';■ .. f We were thus engaged when Buller brought word that the friends of Prince Albrevics had arrived. Nikolitch put on his coat and went to them. He was in high spirits. .-:' . ' It is the challenge, of course," he said when he returned. "Shall we make it swords or pistols I have arranged to meet to-morrow morning a mile or two out of the city. If you don't want to kill him I should choose s.words." "Let it be swords then," I agreed. ." He's got a devil of a bruise on his face, they tell me," he declared with obvious glee, as-he left me again; "as if a horse had kicked him, one of them says." "We've arranged it all," he reported when he came back again. "They were surprised' at your choosing swords, because of his reputation, but it will be all right. You'll wear him down. I know him. And now I'll be off and find someone to act with me. Get to bed early and have as much sleep as you can. Til be round in time in the morning." 1 sat for some time after he had left me, smoking and thinking. I regretted the whole thing more than I can say; but, when I found my thoughts getting into a very gloomy vein, I put the brake on, and. taking Nikoliteh's advice, went off to bed and slept soundly until Buller called me. Nikolitch came in good time, bringing a friend, a Captain Astic, and we drove off. It was a gloriously fine morning, the air cool, refreshing, and brisk. " Too much sun," was Nikoliteh's practical comment. He looked at everything as if it affected the matter in hand, and spoke of it as though it were the most ordinary course in the world that two sane men should go out to do murder if possible. Of my own sensations I need not say much. I was thoughtful, preoccupied indeed, and gloomy. I don't think I was afraid; although the deliberateness of the preparations and the anticipation of having to meet a man in cold blood and fight him for my life made the affair apj pear almost formidable. I was j far from having a wish to do the Prince any injury, to say nothing of taking his life; "and my chief thought was the impossible wish that the whole matter, quarrel and all, could have been wiped out of the record of things done and be deemed never to liave occurred. I don't think I spoke during the drive out; but I remember taking notice of many trifles. There was a loose button in the upholstering of the carriage; some stains on Captain Antic's uniform" caught, my eye, and I contrasted it with the smart grooming of Nikolitch. My friend was awkward ; in handling the pair of swords we had with • us, and he and the other joked ab»ut it. Trifles of that kind struck me; and when . the drive came to an end and we left the carriage, I can recall my distinct sensation ; of relief, followed by a fidgety impatience i to get the affair over. ' I was irritated because the other side ! kept us waiting a considerable time. My ' seconds lit cigarettes and first picked out the best spot tor the encounter; then, in , low tones, discussed the delay and the probable reasons for it; whether the Prince was , too ill to come, how long we need wait for , him. and so on. They "appeared to me to , speak with a certain amount of disappoint- ' ment, as one might regret 'being robbed of i a promised entertainment. ' The air began to chill them and they ; stamped about and clapped their gloved : hands to keep the blood circulating. But I felt nothing of that. I sat quite still on the trunk of a fallen tree and was conscious mainly of a sort of impressive -awe iwking everything seem unreal, mingled with a growing desire that the fight could be avoided, or rather the necessity for it 1 obliterated—lor I was perfectly aware of I its inevitability. ...,:■«.

'■ ££?- could not bring myself to wish to harm % the man I was to meet. Once or twice : l I ; sought to rouse my anger against him by recalling the insult of the previous evening and the foulness of his words and conduct. But even while I appreciated its wantonness and inexcusable grossness, I could not stir myself to any real passion.. My sense of regret for the whole business overshadowed* everything. . ■ . I believe my companions thought I was Buffering from fear; but it was not conscious fear, if fear at all. I did not anticipate any serious ■> result, to myself from : the duel. Such a thought never occurred ,:.- to .me; it was the lethargy of an overwhelming revolt from the affair as a whole. It began to grow less absorbing when I ' heard Captain Astic tell Nikolitch, in a tone of unmistakable relief and satisfaction, that i the others were coming. Nikolitch came and told me, and I noticed a solicitude and anxiety in his tone and look that were new. ' " v ery well '" 1 said ' with half a sigh, 1 ou have nothing to fear," he whispered, so that Astic might not hear him. . "I fear nothing, Nikolitch,"! aid, with a smile; and his face brightened at the smile. As soon as they came the four seconds busied themselves in settling the preliminaries, and then Nikolitch introduced a fifth man to me. "Doctor Astic, the captain's brother Bergwvn." We shook hands, and the doctor had a steady look into my eves. " It's a chillv morning although so bright—but we get them hero sometimes," he said. " Any morning's good enough for this sort of thing," I answered and he had another stare at me, and then put down his case of instruments on the tree where I i hao. been sitting. ■•••Will you get ready, Mr. Bercwyn?" I asked Captain Astic. * I saw the Prince already had his coat off, .and 1 made ready, the captain meanwhile pointing out the positions we were to take with cheerful but professional coolness. As they placed us, I saw the mark of my blow on the Prince's face, and I noticed also that be was none too steady on his feet. o I called Nikolitch. to me and pointed this out. ~: " " "■■'" It's _ his affair," he- answered with a shrug of the shoulders. ~ "I can't fight a , sick man," I said, sharply. bpeak to the doctor about it." "But it's so irregular," he objected. "I insist," I declared. He spoke to Astic and then to the Prince's seconds, and, after some discussion, in which all four took part, they called the doctor up to them. Then his seconds spoke to the Prince and some angry words passed - and again the four seconds consulted. Then Nikolitch came to me looking angry and crestfallen. ;...."'..'. "I'm sorry, but they think you're afraid Bergwyn,", he said. *'!' don't care a red cent what they think. Does the doctor say the Prince is- fit to fight? He can hardly stand; look at him •lurching there." "Oh. Astic says he's all right, and he knows him." "Then he takes the responsibility. I won't." " He's only in a devil of a rage." ."Very well, then. , I'm ready." A minute later the word was given and we engaged. I had no lethargy left now. The last vestige of it vanished when I felt , his blade pressing; mine and met his scowl of positively, devilish hate. I needed no more than, a glance into his eyes to see that he had come out to kill me, and that my life depended upon my skill and coolness." But he was either too ill or too angry to be ■ really dangerous. He attacked me furiously from the start; but he fought so wildly that I found myself quite able to hold him in check, and I let him exert hiiUKelf to the utmost with the sure knowledge that in such a state he could not keep it up long. ?-..- I think he had reckoned upon,,being able to treat me with the same contempt as a swordsman as he had treated me as a man the night before; and, when he found out his mistake, it pft-ovoked his race until he fought with the frenzy of a madman. Had ho been himself, and not so furiously reckless, I think he would have had an easy enaugh victory, for he had a hundred tricks of fence where I had none. . He seemed to realise semething of this, too* when we had been hard at it for some time, for he began to fight with less ve- j hemence and much more wariness. But he had wasted his strength bv that time, and, to waste it still further, 1 commenced to push matters. a bit from my side. He began to breathe hard. The pressure of bis blade against mine weakened. Twice his foot slioned and he exposed himself dangerously; and then I knew I was going to beat him. I took no advantage of his slips. The man was ill, or drunk, or suffering from the effects of drink; and I could not bring myself even to wound him. 'I just kept to my tactics of wearing him down, defending myself when he attacked me, and Dressing him whenever he sought to ease off to get his breath back. V'.:fAt last it became little more than a burlesque. He was so winded and exhausted, and s» unsteady on his legs, that . he could scarcely continue "the fight, scarcely hold his sword, indeed; and when I realised this I made a big. pressing effort, and, seizing mv moment, whipped his sword out of his hand and left him gasping impotentlv in dismay and breathlessness and lurching like a discomfited, angry fool, until he began to clamour to renew the fight. The seconds interfered at this, however; ! even his own men pretesting. I stood while they settled it, and then turned away to dress.'' : *-'" :•;■•'■:' Nikolitch was loud in praises of me as I put on my coat, but regretted I had not wounded him, as he mights want to have another meeting. j ' (To be continued daily.)