A DUEL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5840, 1 February 1887, Page 1

A DUEL.

(From " Sarracinesca," by Marion Crawford, in "Blackwood.") (Concluded.) Giovanni said nothing, but his sword dropped from his hand and ho turned upon j his father, white with rage. The blood streamed down his sleeve, and his surgeon came running towards him. The old man had understood at a glance the foul play that had been practised, and going forward laid his hand upon the atm > of Del Fence's second. " Why did you stop them, sir ? And •where was your sword ?" he said in great anger. Del Ferice was leaning upon his £ri end j a greenish pallor had overspread his face, bub there was a smile under his colourless moustache. " My principal was touched," said Casalverde, pointing to a tiny scratch upon Del Fence's neck, from which a single drop of blood was slowly oozing. "Then why did you not prevent your principal from thrusting after you cried the halt?" asked Sarracinesca, severely. •" You have Bingularly misunderstood your duties, sir, and when these gentlemen are aatiafied, you will be answerable to me." Casalverde was silent. " I protest myself wholly satisfied," Baid Ugo, with a disagreeable smile as he glanced to where the surgeon was binding ■up Giovanni's arm. " Sir," said old Sarracinesca, fiercely ad■dreaaing the second, "I am not here to bandy words with your principal. He may erpreiß himself satisfied through you, if he pleases. My principal, through me, expresses his entire dissatisfaction." "Your prinoipal, Prince," answered Casalverde, coldly, "is unable to proceed, seeing that his right arm is injured." " My Bon, Bir\ fences as readily with his left hand as with his right," returned old Sarracinesca. Del Ferice's face fell, and his smile vanished instantly. " In that case we are ready,'* returned Casalverde, unable, however, to conceal his annoyance. He was a friend of Del !Ferice's>, and would gladly have seen 'Giovanni run through the body by the foul thrust. There was a moment's consultation on the other aide. " I will give myself the pleasure of killin? that gentleman to-morrow morning," -remarked Spioca, as he mournfully watched ■the surgeon's operations. "U nlesß I kill him my self to-day," returned the Prince savagely, in his white beard. " Are you ready, Giovanni ? " It never occurred to him to ask his son if he was i»o badly hurt to proceed. Giovanni never spoke, but the hot blood had mounted to his temples, and he was •dangerously angry. He took the foil they gave him, and felt the point quietly. It wa3 sharp as a needle. He nodded to his father's question, and they resumed their places, the old Prince this time standing on the left, as his son had changed hands. Del Ferice came forward rather timidly. •His courage had sustained him so far, but the conacioußnesß of having done a. foul deed, and the sight of the angry man before him, were beginning to make him nervous. He felt uncomfortable, too, at the idea of fencing against a left-handed antagonist. Giovanni made one or two lunges, and then, with a strange movement unlike anything any one present was acquainted •with, Beeined to wind his blade round Del 'Fence's, and, with a violent jerk of the wrist, sent the weapon flying across the open space. It struck a window of the ■house, and crashed through the panes. "More broken glass!" said Giovanni scornfully, as he lowered hia point and stepped back two paces. "Take another sword, sir," he said, " I will not kill you defenceless." " Good heavens, Giovanni!" exclaimed hia father in the greatest excitement j "where on earth did yon learn that trick?" "On my travels, father," returned Giovanni, with a smile ; " where you tell me I learned so much that was bad. He looks frightened/ he added in a low voice, a3 he glanced at Del Fence's livid 'face. " He has cause," returned the Prince, ■" if he ever had in his life I" Casalverde and his witness advanced from the other Bide with a fresh pair of foils ; for the ono that had gone through the window could not be recovered at once, and was probably badly bent by the twist it had received. The gentlemen offered Giovanni his ohoice. " If there is no objection I will keep the .one I have," said he to his father. The foils were measured, and were found to be alike. The two gentlemen retired, and Del Ferice choße a weapon. "That is right," said Spicca, as he slowly went back to hia place. "You should never part with an old friend." "We are ready ! " was called from the opposite side. "In guard, then ! " cried the Prince. The angry flush had not subsided from forehead, as he again went forward. Del Ferice came up like a man who has suddenly made up his mind to meet death, with a look of extraordinary determination on his pale face. Before they had made half-a-dozen passes Ugo slipped, or pretended to slip, and fell upon his right knee ; but as he came to the ground, he made a sharp thrust upwards under Giovanni's extended left arm. The old Prince uttered a fearful oath, that rang and echoed along the walls of the villa. Del Ferice had executed the celebrated feint known long ago as the ■ w Colpo del Tancredi," ".Tancred's lunge," -from the supposed name of its inventor. It is now no longer permitted in duelling. But the deadly thrußt loses half its danger against a left-handed man. 'The foil grazed the flesh on Giovanni's left side, and the blood again stained %is white shirt. In the moment when Del Ferice slipped, Giovanni had made a straight and deadly lunge at his body, and tho sword, instead of passing through 'Ugo' a lungs, ran swift and sure through his throat, with such force that the iron guard struck the falling man's jaw with tremendous impetus, before the oath the old Prince had uttered was fairly out of hia mouth. Seconds and witnesses and surgeons sprang forward hastily. Del Ferice lay upon his side ; be bad fallen so heavily . and suddenly as to wrench the sword from •Giovanni's grip. The old Prince gave one look, and dragged hia son away. " He is as dead as a stone," he muttered, with a savage gleam in his eyes. Giovanni hastily began to dress, without paying any attention to the fresh wound •he had received in the last encounter. In the general excitement his surgeon had joined the group about the fallen man. Before Giovanni had got hiß overcoat on, he came back with Spicca, who looked crestfallen and disappointed. "He is not dead at all," said the surgeon. " You did the thing with a master's hand — you ran his throat through without touching tho jugular artery or the •opine." " Does he want to go on ?" asked Giovanni, bo savagely that the three men 'Stared at him.

" Do not be so bloodthirsty, Gioranni," said the old Prince reproaohf ally. " I should be justified in going 1 back and killing him as he lies there/ said the younger Sarracinesca, fiercely. "He nearly murdered me twice this morning." "That iB true," said the Prin?e, " the dastardly brute !" " By-the-bye," said Spicca, lighting a cigarette, " I am afraid I have deprived you of the pleasure of dealing with the man who called himself Del Fence's second. I just took the opportunity of having a moment's private conversation with him— we disagreed a little." " Oh, very well," growled the Prince ; "as you please. I daresay I shall have enough to do in taking care of Giovanni to-morrow. That is a villainous bad scratch on his arm." I " Bah ! it is nothing to mention, save for the foul way it' was given," said Giovanni between his teeth. Once more old Sarracinesca and Spicca oroased the ground. There was a word of formality exchanged, to the effect that both combatants were satisfied, and then Giovanni and his party moved off, Spicca carrying hia green bag of foils under his arm, and puffing clouds of smoke into the damp morning air. They had been nearly an hour on the ground, and were chilled with cold, and exhausted for want of sleep. They entered their carriage and drove rapidly homewards. " Come in and breakfast with us," said the old Prince to Spicca, as they reached tho Palazzo Sarracinesca. I " Thank you, no," answered the melancholy man. "I have much to do, as I shall go to Paris to-morrow morning by j the ten o'clock train. Can Ido anything for you there? I shall be absent some months." " I thought you were going to fight tomorrow," objected the Prince. " Exactly. It will be convenient for me to leave the country immediately afterwards." The old oaan shuddered. With all his fierce blood and headstrong passion, he could not comprehend the fearful calm of this strange man, whose skill was such that he regarded his adversary's death as a matter of course whenever he so pleased. As for Gio7anni, he was still so angry that he cared little for the ißsue of the second duel. "I am sincerely grateful for your kind offices," he said, as Spicca took leave of him. " You shall be amply revenged of the two attempts to murder you," said Spicca, quietly ; and so, having shaken hands with all, he again entered the carriage. It was the last they saw of him for a long time. He faithfully fulfilled his programme. He met Casalverde on the following morning at seven o'olock, and at precisely a quarter past, he left him dead on the field. He breakfasted with his seconds at half-past eight, and left Borne with them for Paris at ten o'clock. He had selected two French officers who were about to return to their home, in order not to inconvenience any of his friends by obliging them to leave the country; which showed that, even in moments of great excitement, Count Spicca was thoughtful of others.