An Unfought Duel

It is a trite observation that the sentinent of fear ís, in a greater or leaser deiree, common to all created beings, to he bravest as to the most tiiuid of manind, and that itg influeuce often extends not less to our sleeping than to our wakng momentg. It is related of the famous Turenne that, on the eve of a battle, no effort of reason could prevent a universal tremor from eeizing on him, and that he was once heard tliu.3 to apostrophise liis body : - " ïreinble and shake, thou vile earepse ! Happily for thee, thou kuowest not half the dangers that await thee touioiiuw.51 !Sui ia iliurt;, purhapSj a more fctriking illustration of the fatal ejfecta of thig all-pervading sentiment to be found in modern works, tban is shown in the old Arabian tale, wherfiin that terrible gcourge the Plague is personified, and brought iuto conversition with a dervish. " I have just returneÜ from Cairo," said the former, " where I have slain fifteen thousand individuals." '' Thou utterest an untruth," replied tlio dervish, " for thirty thousand have died there through thy uieans." " I teil three truly, thou holy man, that fifteen thousand were ajone cut off by me," said the plague; " the ofcher fifteen thousand died ot' fear." But, without citing iostanees of a sentiment of which all havo in turn, from the youngest to the oldeat, experieuced the iufluence, the following auecdoto, of recent oceurrence, detailcd by the individual himself, can hardly fail of iuteresting the reader. It is merely necessary to premise that the principal speaker had, ín consequence of somhasty words, uttered in a moment of passion, received s, challenge. As a circumsfcantial account, :rue to the letter, of the phenomena of the imagination reacting on thn body while oppressed by a senso of approaching danger, it bas aeldom been sur'passed: The night was already considerably advanced, and notwithstanding all my efforts, I could not keep awake. My eyelids closed in spite of me, and it was with the groatest difficulty I could remain scatcd at the table, where I was engaged in drawing up my last will and testament. To write one's testament, when one hasonly attained his twentieth year, is something beyond the common ; but the fact is, my cscellent friend, Bob Harding, was anxious to see everything properly arranged, in case an unlucky shot should suddeiily diepatth me to the other world. Begides, it was necossarv to put my few trifling debts in order. Í therefore continued to write, struggling against sleep, while heartily wisbing far enough the charming Amelia, the oriirinal cause of my sitting up so late, and the joyous party of the preceding day, the accidental cause of all my troubles, had not taken pjacp. Some one knocked at the door ; then entered : it was Bob, who presenled a grave physioguomy suitcd to the occasion. " Already here ? " I ezclaimed with surprise. " What o'clock is it, then ?" " It wants a few minutéis of sis," hc replied. "Indeed!" said Í ; " then tiie night :ias passed quickly. Thero, receive my :estamont. which I recommend to your caro " " I trust I shall have no occasion to look into its contents," said Bob. " But tnake baste," he added ; " the hour approaches.' " How singular," I rêmarked, while inaking ready to leave the house; "I should never have imagiucd it was so very lato." ' You must Lave slopt while waiting for mo," Baid Bob. " ïhe stoep of great generáis on tho eve of their first battla is oi good augury." 'l To thiuk that I should have to cxpose my lifo for a woman, who, perhaps, at heart cares nothing for me ! " I exclaimed. " If ono could but arrange the affair," said Bob. " Do you thiuk ma eapable of such poltroonery ? " I asked. " I ain unwilling to withdraw a single expression. - Let us set off." We reaehod the ground. My adversary had proceded us. He was a tall, raw-boned fellow, with a sinister e.vprosfiou of countenanee, and innstacbes more formidable than any exhibitcd by the Poot Guards ou their arrival from the Crimea. A cold íoj-nuil salutation was exchanged on both sides, when the seconds proeeeded to arrange the eusto mary prclimiuaries. My antagonist was callcd ou to measure the distanpe at which we should bo placed. At first I felieitated mysalf on tho choico ; bis legs were so long that one of his steps equalled two of mine. Alas! he took care to open his compassos only in the least possible degree. ' Ig this distauce sufficient?" he inquired, in the most natural tone, and with a coolness truly provokiug. ïhe secouds acquiesced. " .Now, the question is, whoee ariïis we shall employ," he contmued ü) an easy off handed way. " My pistols are better than yours. Will you accept them ? It will termínate the business all the sooner." Such a oareless indifference of manner made rae wild. "I leave that decisión to the seconde," I replied. Bob Hardy agrod to the proposition, and in placing me, he said in an undoïtone, " Courage, my dear friend, courage ! It is merely to alarm you that he is playing the swagger. Jlis gasconade bodes him no good. Yu havo rigbi on your side, and will come off victorious, I ain sure of it." " Now," obsorved my adversary, " we must decide who ia to fiie first. Iierc is a crown-piece - let us toss for it." Chance favored hitn Í was doomcd ;o receive his fire. " Courage ! " once more ropeated Bob, warmly pressing niy hand, and theii withdrew a few paces. ïhe signal was given. On hearing t, I instinctively eyed my adversary.- Je was taking delibérate aiui. Hiscold ind fixed look met my gaze, and seemed ,o penétrate to the innermost recesses of ny heart. His were the eyes of the 'aicon, fasuinating a dove in order to render it a sure prey. All at once I elt a violent shock in my e!bow, and at he same moment heard the datonation of the pistol. My arm dropped poweress, the weapon feil from my hand, and a cold perspiration exuded at evcry )ore. Bob sprang towards uie, and landaged the wound with his neckerchief. " ïhe gentleman is wouuded ? " inquiringly observed my adversary, accompauying tho words with au ironioal smile. " No, it is nothing," said I - " a mer.e scratcb." " 1 shall take your place," said Bob, whilo about to piek up tho pistol." l l shall continue tlje combat myself," I replied, and I endeavoured to enatch up thü weapqn which had dropped at my foet j but the effort was vain - I had no strength to lift.if. " Try ït with the left hand," exclaimed Bob. The second attcmpt was 'as fruitless as the firet. The pistol soemed extraordiï.arily heavy. At the same instant the sardonio expression of my opponeut's eountenance flashed on my memory. I lookud Luwardw hm again, and at the aspect of that diabolieal pliysioguomy, an idea, a suspicion shot, lighlning-liko, through my brain. Doubtless the pistol was loaded to the uiuzzle with lead, in oider to render iutilo the attempt to make use of it ; aud, what was more, he must have tossed with a pieee of money having two lieads, to render eertain the success of his. detestable, treaehery. I threw rayself with a èry of rage on the oase of pistola brought by my second, and, was about to inflict summary_ justice on the wretch by blowing out his brain. " Stop ! " cried Bob, while laying hold of my arm ; " would you be guílty of assassination ? " " Oh ! " I furiously exclaimed, " must I not put an end to this inñimous scoundrel,- this vilest of the human species:"' And I struggled to precipítate myself upon him, that I might hurl him to the ground, and extermínate him. My wound badly closed, the loss of blood, and the efforts of Bob, were too much for me. I continued the strupglo for an instant, then experiencod an icy chili at heart; aud dropped to the ground insensible, " How is this ? " cried Bob, after „bringiug his knuokles repeatedly in forcible contact with tlie table "on which my head reelined. " You asleep, and it is on the point of striking six o'clock ? " " But that wound ! " I exclaimed ; " that pistol shot ! " f' What is it you mean ? " asked Bob. '( My ndversary," I replied ; " my wound in the arm." " Good," Mid Bob ; " you must have fought and been wounded in a dream. Let us set out." At the moment of leaving the house, a servan handod me a letter bearing my address. It was froni my antagonist I read : - il My de au Sin,- It would be cruel to shorten the span of existence of bo very charming a youtli as you. Thereforë, give yourself no farther trouble touching our moeting. 1 am setting oiï for th Continent, aud at the moment of your receiving this letter I chalí be considerably advanced on my way. Amelia accompnnies mo " " Bah ! " interrupted Bob ; " Amelia s not worth lighting for." l'roiu that time I ncyer eneountcred the tal!, bony fellow with tho formidable mustaches. And such is the marmer in which passed off tiie first nnd only d,uel in whieh I ever found mvsolf sn'gaged - in a dream ! i" A correspondent says that Arkansas is practically eubjugated. Prties direct, from all points of the Stnto sny that the contost is given up by the iahabitanta and by the anny.