'Listen to me, and compose yourself. You say you are going out, true; but that is no reason why you should be shot; only one man out of fourteen that go out receives the coup de cœur; therefore, you have considerable odds in your favour.' I reasoned with him until his mind became much more composed; but he was naturally a nervous subject, and I felt very happy to see the affair adjusted in the morning without an exchange of shots."

The same writer found that upon the average of nearly two hundred duels, only one out of fourteen had been killed, and one out of six wounded. Thus, according to this estimate, the chances of a man's being killed are fourteen to one, and of his being hit, about six to one. There are many parts of the body through which a ball may penetrate without the wound proving mortal. In Stapleton's affair with Moore, for example, the ball passed within half an inch of the heart, yet he recovered. Recovery, however, in such cases depends much on the sufferer's habit of body and strength of constitution. Some have received shots through the lungs and spleen, and yet recovered. One, an officer in the Hanoverian service, was twice shot through the head, and although minus many of his teeth and part of his jaw, he survived and enjoyed good health.

If the space of a man's body, when opposed to his adversary, be supposed to be divided into nine parts, in only three of them can a wound prove mortal; therefore, if a man is hit, the chances are three to one

against his being killed, and five to one against his being hit; that is, however, provided his antagonist has not been trained and practised according to the improved method explained in these pages. It will be observed that the estimate differs materially from the results deduced in this respect by Gilchrist, as before given; but if it be true that in all battles it has required the expenditure of a man's weight in lead or iron to kill or hit him, we have reason to believe that, excepting the case of crack shots, the chances. of being hit or killed in a duel are comparatively trifling. Hence, the farce of duelling.

On the other hand, it is not always the crack shot that does the execution. I have known a case in which a practised duellist happened to miss his antagonist, a mere youth; who, however, shot him in the head, killing him on the spot; and yet the fellow had killed some twenty men in duels. His hand had been against all men, and his name was, ominously, Cain.

To sum up,-a good position is all-important in duelling, or, indeed, in all firing, and cannot be too strongly insisted on. The side only should be turned towards one's antagonist; unless the combatants are city council or aldermen, and then perhaps the old method of fighting should be recommended, namely, turning the seat of honour to the adversary, and discharging the pistol over the shoulder. A shot in the digestive organs must be particularly annoying to a bon vivant. Standing thus, these organs would be se

curely protected, as only a weapon after the fashion of the Armstrong or Whitworth ordnance could penetrate an alderman's stomach from behind.

Charles James Fox was remarkable for his portly figure and rotundity, and when in his duel with Mr. Adam, his second said, "Fox, you must stand sideways," he replied, "Why, man, I am as thick one way as the other." In such a case, of course, there is no help for it.

CHAPTER V.

THE CARTEL OR CHALLENGE.-SELECTION OF A SECOND. PRECAUTIONS TAKEN ON THE GROUND. -THE NIGHT BEFORE A DUEL.-THE AWFUL MOMENT. THE CLOSING SCENE.

IN the narratives of duels which are to follow in the course of this work specimens of the cartel or challenge will be given in connection with their results, and I will therefore content myself here with a few remarks on the general subject.

The challenge, which is an invitation from one individual to another to settle a dispute by combat, has assumed various forms according to the temper and frame of mind of the sender. Some were pithy and laconic; others rather long and windy; some were exquisitely polite, and others just the reverse.

A challenge was once given in rhyme, concluding with the two following forcible lines:

"Wounds of the flesh a surgeon's skill may heal,
But wounded honour is only cured with steel."

It was from a certain poetical brandy-loving MajorGeneral of Marines, who considered himself wronged by a brother officer during his absence from England. The Major had a wife, and his friend, people said, had been too partial to her.

The following terrible challenge was sent to a barrister by a high-spirited young fellow, who considered himself grievously insulted during a cross-examination to which the barrister had treated him at a trial:

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Sir,-You are renowned for great activity with your tongue, and justly, as circumstances that have occurred to-day render evident. I am celebrated for my activity with another weapon, equally annoying and destructive; and if you would oblige me by appointing a time and place, it would afford me the greatest gratification to give you a specimen of my proficiency.

"United Service Club."

"Your most obedient.

In earlier times it was the practice to send only a verbal challenge by some confidential friend, but latterly this method was quite discontinued. The Italians are very laconic in their mode of wording these epistles; the following is a specimen :

"Sir,-If your courage is equal to your impudence, you will meet me to-night in the wood."

:

The warlike original is as follows:"Signore,-S'il suo coraggio è grande come la sua impudenza, m'incontra questa sera nel bosco."