Right of Self-Defence 



But I must get away from Tangier. And yet I must tell 

 you of a conversation we had with a worthy clergyman, who 

 arrived the day before our departure, and with whom we 

 partook of our last African tea. It was about carrying 

 arms or not, travelling in Spain. He was strongly against 

 the practice, for fear we might shoot some of the banditti. 

 We said we were much more afraid of the banditti shooting 

 us, and very much preferred being on equal terms with 

 them. 



" But," said he, " you have no right to shoot a fellow- 

 creature, merely to prevent yourself from being robbed ; 

 and if, as you say, you are called upon to go down on your 

 face, and give up your money, you should do so much 

 rather than shed blood." 



" No doubt," I replied, " if they amiably took what you 

 gave them, and your word for it that you had no more 

 valuables, and did not proceed to strip you of your clothes, 

 and take your horse ; and if, after all, when dissatisfied 

 with their gleanings, they had not an unkind habit of 

 rubbing the traveller's nose on a flinty road ; nay, sometimes 

 killing him outright — I agree that your argument would be 

 good. But, as it is, with all these possibilities, added to the 

 inconvenience of losing one's money, costume, and horse, 

 my impression is, that the most reasonable thing, when an 

 evident and acknowledged bandit rushes out of the bushes 

 and seizes your rein, is not to say, 'Sir, I have money which 

 I am ready to surrender, and pistols, with which I will fight 

 if you intend to use me uncivilly ; ' for then he would have 

 time to throw his cloak over your head, and whip his 

 knife into your bowels." 



"Then, sir, what is the most reasonable thing to do ? " 



" Why, to shoot him down at once, and do the same to 

 the next man " (suiting the action to the word, and taking 



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