MORE COMMON INCIDENTS. 



moment, and I obeyed it. Riding full and determined at the open- 

 ing gap, and giving the Heer one short holloa, when he was close 

 under my nose, I drove my horse through the fence, scattering like 

 chaff before the wind in advance of me, the hat, whip, and rueful 

 corporate material of the Belgic projectile. Pulling up as soon as I 

 calculated he could have got himself decently together again, I retro- 

 graded, and exclaimed affectionately, " You are hurt Mynheer, per- 

 haps ;" although, really, a profusion of bramble scratches, a very 

 considerable hemorrhage from the nasal glands, and an eye herme- 

 tically sealed by the simultaneous conjunction of two precocious black 

 puddings, the one above and the other beneath, were the only 

 pathognomic evidences, strictly speaking, of the feat he had per- 

 formed. My interest in the phenomenon having ceased, I rode on to 

 join my companions. 



Long before dinner I received the cartel of the Heer in due form. 

 I replied, by fixing Bristol and pistols as the place and arms ; time I 

 left to himself; and courteously added, that if he gave a preference to 

 the small sword, I should yield him the privilege. Briefly recapitu- 

 lating the correspondence to " mine host," I took leave on one of his 

 horses, after having dispatched a letter to a friend at Bath, requesting 

 him to assist me in the meditated amusement. 



The immediate arena for contest, was just beneath the marly for- 

 tification of the Romans, on Clifton Downs, close to the windmill. 

 Von Raven's friend was an acute little Frenchman, and evidently a 

 militaire of some pretension. He bowed in a superb style to my 

 friend took the pistol-case from his hands, and examined the sample. 

 " Ah ! par exemple, voila des pistolets delicieux. Voyons done I'epee, 

 mon cher, Eh ! mafoi sij'ose vous conseiller tenez un petit instant: 

 je men vais vous faire voir" He then unrolled from his cloak, two 

 plain small swords, classically adapted to their work ; and, presenting 

 one to my friend, apologized for the liberty he took, apprizing him 

 that his principal had availed himself of the permission to choose his 

 weapon ; a concession on our part for the honnetete of which he 

 hardly knew how to make suitable acknowledgments. 



A few passes soon made it clear to me, that my antagonist was no 

 novice in the art. His eye was quick, his arm strong, and his science 

 as perfect as a Dutch school could administer. His very first move- 

 ment, after crossing my blade, was a powerful and well-directed 

 effort to disarm me. I saw clearly from this, that he held my science, 

 as an Englishman, very light. In our progress, he was induced to 

 change this opinion, and be a little more on his guard ; for it hap- 

 pened that I had ' graduated' in a French Ecole d'Armes and be- 

 fore he could recover a clumsy Belgic lunge, intended as a ' finale/ 

 I rapidly consigned his weapon to the turf: and there he stood, grim 

 as a new-crimped Dogger-Bank cod. 



He turned about to resume his upper apparel, uttering sundry ex- 

 pletives against his debonnaire friend, whom he upbraided for having 

 persuaded him to prefer the small sword. The Frenchman disdain- 

 fully denied the charge. ' Tu en as menti miserable I' screeched the 

 Heer. I instantly walked up, and, thrusting a pistol into my oppo- 

 nent's hand, requested him to confine his quarrel to myself, and make 

 a full meal, if he were still unsatisfied. But the fiery little militaire 



