ur
shirt-sleeves, the word was given, and, drawing our hangers, we advanced
towards each other with furious passes, as if nothing but the death of
one of us could satisfy the rancour of our enmity, and yet at that very
moment I believe neither of us recollected the origin of our quarrel.
Dick first gave me a cut on the shoulder, which so excited my fury that
I was not long in returning the compliment by bestowing a slash across
his arm, which made him wince not a little, but before I could follow it
up he had recovered his guard. In a moment I was at him again, and as
we were neither of us great masters of the noble art of self-defence, we
kept hewing and slashing away at each other in a most unscientific
manner for several minutes, till we were both of us covered with gashes
from head to foot, and the blood was flowing copiously down into our
very shoes. At last, from very weariness and loss of blood, we dropped
the points of our swords as if by mutual consent. Our seconds now
stepped forward.

"Hurry, my good fellow," said my second, "one thing I see clearly. This
matter cannot be settled satisfactorily with cold steel--it's too much
like the custom of piccarooners. We must wait till we can get hold of
pistols, and arrange the affair in a gentlemanly way. That's my
opinion, and I daresay you and Mr Dick will agree with me." In honest
truth, both my antagonist and I were in such a condition that we were
perfectly ready to agree to any arrangement which would prevent the
necessity of continuing the painful operation we had both been
inflicting on each other. All four of us therefore sat down on the
sands, and Dick, pulling out some lint and bandages from his pockets,
our seconds, under his directions, bound up our wounds. When this at
length was done we found it, however, impossible to get on our coats
again. We were therefore obliged to carry them over our shoulders as we
walked to the boats. When the Negro boatmen saw our pale faces and
halting gait, as with difficulty we stepped into the boat, they grinned
from ear to ear, full well guessing what had occurred, and doubtlessly
thinking, as will, I suspect, my readers, that we were very great fools
for our pains. Ay, truly we were far worse than fools, for in obedience
to the customs of sinful men we had been disobeying the laws of God, and
committing a very great crime as well as a very great folly, but we did
not think so then, nor did I till very many ye