s, set his horse into a gallop,
persuaded that he should render his safety doubly sure, both by the
movement, as well as by the speed of the animal. He directed his course
in a straight line toward the point where, in his opinion, De Wardes
would be stationed; and he expected to meet De Wardes about half way;
but in this he was mistaken. He continued his course, presuming that his
adversary was impatiently awaiting his approach. When, however, he had
gone about two-thirds of the distance, he saw the place suddenly
illuminated, and a ball flew by, cutting the plume of his hat in two.
Nearly at the same moment, and as if the flash of the first shot had
served to indicate the direction of the other, a second report was
heard, and a second ball passed through the head of De Guiche's horse,
a little below the ear. The animal fell. These two reports proceeding
from the very opposite direction to that in which he expected to find De
Wardes, surprised him a great deal; but as he was a man of amazing
self-possession, he prepared himself for his horse falling, but not so
completely, however, that the toe of his boot escaped being caught under
the animal as it fell. Very fortunately, the horse in its dying agonies
moved so as to enable him to release the leg which was less entangled
than the other. De Guiche rose, felt himself all over, and found that he
was not wounded. At the very moment he had felt the horse tottering
under him, he placed his pistols in the holsters, afraid that the force
of the fall might explode one at least, if not both of them, by which he
would have been disarmed, and left utterly without defense. Once on his
feet, he took the pistols out of the holsters, and advanced toward the
spot where, by the light of the flash, he had seen De Wardes appear. De
Guiche had at the first shot, accounted for the maneuver, than which
nothing could have been simpler. Instead of advancing to meet Guiche, or
remaining in his place to await his approach, De Wardes had, for about
fifteen paces, followed the circle of the shadow which hid him from his
adversary's observation, and at the very moment when the latter
presented his flank in his career, he had fired from the place where he
stood, carefully taking his aim, and assisted instead of being
inconvenienced by the horse's gallop. It has been seen that,
notwithstanding the darkness, the first ball had passed hardly more than
an inch above De Guiche's head. De Wardes had so conf