536 D'EGVILLE ; on THE DUELLIST. 



The effect produced by this witty ruse is indescribable. D'Eg- 

 ville's education, like most of those instructed in the colonies, was 

 confined to one or two of the living tongues, and some of the exte- 

 rior accomplishments ; so that the Greek ode passed muster very 

 enough with him for Gaelic ; besides, his senses were rather obscured 

 by wine. Two or three of the company understood the noble lan- 

 guages in which the bard of Namos sung, and could scarcely restrain 

 their laughter at the whim of chaunting his lay to a Gaelic air. Three 

 or four more of the party knew enough of the classics to find that 

 Stewart was singing Greek : these smiled ; but the most interesting 

 countenance to contemplate, was that of a Mr. Donald M'Phearson, a 

 native of the Highlands ; he knew not a word of the dead languages, 

 but he well knew that Greek was not Gaelic ; he displayed a gallery 

 of faces ; at first he looked most profoundly mystified, not knowing 

 what to make of the fine-sounding tones that Stewart was uttering. 

 Then he seemed highly indignant at the insult the Captain was offer- 

 ing to his mother tongue ; but for the prudence of which most of his 

 countrymen are remarkable, got the better , of his patriotic ire, and he 

 smiled in applause of the singular stratagem. 



The Graeco-Gaelic song ended ; a burst of applause followed ; none 

 were louder in their approbation than D'Egville, who, drinking a 

 large claret glass of madeira to the health of Stewart, said that the 

 Scotch was a language almost as soft and musical as the French ; and 

 requested the captain to translate his song. This request the captain 

 good-humouredly complied with, by turning Anacreon's ode literally 

 into English. D'Egeville was so delighted at the gallantry of what 

 he called the Highland poet's praise of beauty, that he shook Captain 

 Stewart by the hand, who looked at the Creole with a very equivocal 

 expression of countenance, which, the latter being " Bacchi plenus," 

 could not observe. 



Nothing particular occurred during the rest of the evening, when 

 the party broke up. As my path home lay towards the sea side, I 

 accompanied Captain Stewart on his way to join his boat, which 

 waited to put him on board his ship a fine West Indiaman, on the 

 eve of sailing to Europe. He had been a master in the navy, enjoyed 

 half-pay, and by permission of Admiralty, I believe, was now in the 

 merchant service. During our walk I had some conversation with 

 him, and congratulated him on his ingenious stratagem of substituting 

 a Greek ode for a Gaelic song, diverting several of us, and at once 

 satisfying and turning to ridicule the silly and impertinent demand 

 of the inebriated French Creole. He told me in reply to a remark I 

 made on his classical attainments, that at the end of ten years' service 

 in the navy his trifling collegiate acquirements were nearly forgotten, 

 but being in 1814 appointed to a signal station on the western coast ot 

 England, and having much leisure and little society, he renewed his 

 acquaintance with his long-neglected friends of Greece and Rome, 

 " one of whom, you see," he observed, " got me out of the ludicrous 

 dispute with Mr. D'Egville; but he is equally quarrelsome when 

 sober ; one of his dangerous description should not be admitted into 

 respectable society." 



" Is he a duellist ?" At this question of mine the captain paused 



