ELKLAND. 



VI. 



DUELS. 



ERNEST SETON THOMPSON. 



We were sitting in a Parisian Garden, in 

 1891 some student friends and I, when the 

 ■conversation turned on Landseer*s "stags," 

 and more especially on those pictures 

 representing stag fights. One of our num- 

 ber, an Englishman, with a turn for univer- 

 sal ridicule, was most unsparing in his 

 humorous criticisms of these pictures. He 

 characterized the incidents in them as 

 picturesque but baseless fictions. 



" I went," said he, " to Lord X's park, in 

 the proper season, on purpose to see a stag- 

 fight. I saw several; but they were simply 



" ' Look out; you are hurting me.' 



" ' Oh, excuse me,' and they would sepa- 

 rate again. 



"After 10 minutes' rest, one would say: 

 ' Are you ready? ' 



" ' No, not quite.' 



" Ten minutes later, both were ready. 

 They advanced gently and locked horns; 

 but one said: 



" ' A little lower on the left, please. 

 Hold on there, that's not comfortable. 

 Now, that's right; are you ready? ' 



" ' Yes — no, hold on, till I get my left 



OUR SHANTY AT YANCEY'S. 



ludicrous fiascos — as absurd as a French 

 duel. After some 2 or 3 days' preliminary, 

 bellowing, challenges and exchanges of po- 

 lite notes, 2 stags would amicably agree to 

 fight. Any does that might be about took 

 not the slightest notice of the affair, know- 

 ing, I suppose, it was merely a matter of 

 form. 



" After making some magnificent dem- 

 onstrations, at a safe distance apart, the 2 

 stags walked gently near each other, po- 

 litely lowering their horns as they ap- 

 proached, and I heard the following con- 

 versation: 



" ' Are you ready? ' 



"'Yes. Are you?' 



" ' Yes.' 



" ' Then come on.' 

 ' Come on yourself, I've come half 

 way.' 



" Then they gently closed, locked horns 

 with much elaborate precision and. at an- 

 other signal, commenced to push. After 

 politely pushing for a few seconds, one 

 would say: 



hind foot placed. There now — gently. 

 Now push.' 



"'Hold on! my foot slipped, and your 

 left brow antler is scratching my ear.' 



" ' Let's change grips.' 



" ' There, now, that's much better. Push 

 now.' 



" ' Oh, I say, you are too rough! I won't 

 play any more; I'm going to join the 

 ladies.' 



" That," said our cynic, " is a typical 

 stag fight — all there is of it — and Land- 

 seer's tragic battles were fought only in 

 his mind." 



No doubt my satirical friend saw pretty 

 much what he described; but I do not 

 doubt that Landseer did too. Collateral 

 evidence for both may be derived from 

 Elkland testimony. 



•I raised the subject at one of the camp 

 fire meetings, in the park. The ring of a 

 dozen quiet smokers who sat in front of 

 our cabin, at Yancey's, was composed 

 chiefly of hunters. 



Yancey himself had an interesting contri- 



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