第27章 Volume 1(27)

As our little party advanced we were met and saluted by several acquaintances,whom curiosity,if no deeper feeling,had brought to the place.Fitzgerald and the Captain had arrived,and having dismounted,were standing upon the sod.The former,as we approached,bowed slightly and sullenly--while the latter,evidently in high good humour,made his most courteous obeisance.No time was to be lost;and the two seconds immediately withdrew to a slight distance,for the purpose of completing the last minute arrangements.It was a brief but horrible interval--each returned to his principal to communicate the result,which was soon caught up and repeated from mouth to mouth throughout the crowd.I felt a strange and insurmountable reluctance to hear the sickening particulars detailed;and as I stood irresolute at some distance from the principal parties,a top-booted squireen,with a hunting whip in his hand,bustling up to a companion of his,exclaimed:

"Not fire together!--did you ever hear the like?If Fitzgerald gets the first shot all is over.M'Donough sold the pass,by--,and that is the long and the short of it.'

The parties now moved down a little to a small level space,suited to the purpose;and the captain,addressing M'Donough,said:

'Mr.M'Donough,you'll now have the goodness to toss for choice of ground;as the light comes from the east the line must of course run north and south.Will you be so obliging as to toss up a crown-piece,while I call?'

A coin was instantly chucked into the air.The captain cried,'Harp.'The HEAD was uppermost,and M'Donough immediately made choice of the southern point at which to place his friend--a position which it will be easily seen had the advantage of turning his back upon the light--no trifling superiority of location.The captain turned with a kind of laugh,and said:

'By --,sir,you are as cunning as a dead pig;but you forgot one thing.My friend is a left-handed gunner,though never a bit the worse for that;so you see there is no odds as far as the choice of light goes.'

He then proceeded to measure nine paces in a direction running north and south,and the principals took their ground.

'I must be troublesome to you once again,Mr.M'Donough.One toss more,and everything is complete.We must settle who is to have the FIRST SLAP.'

A piece of money was again thrown into the air;again the captain lost the toss and M'Donough proceeded to load the pistols.I happened to stand near Fitzgerald,and I overheard the captain,with a chuckle,say something to him in which the word 'cravat'was repeated.It instantly occurred to me that the captain's attention was directed to a bright-coloured muffler which O'Connor wore round his neck,and which would afford his antagonist a distinct and favourable mark.Iinstantly urged him to remove it,and at length,with difficulty,succeeded.He seemed perfectly careless as to any precaution.Everything was now ready;the pistol was placed in O'Connor's hand,and he only awaited the word from the captain.

M'Creagh then said:

'Mr.M'Donough,is your principal ready?'

M'Donough replied in the affirmative;and,after a slight pause,the captain,as had been arranged,uttered the words:

'Ready--fire.'

O'Connor fired,but so wide of the mark that some one in the crowd exclaimed:

'Fired in the air.'

'Who says he fired in the air?'thundered Fitzgerald.'By --he lies,whoever he is.'There was a silence.'But even if he was fool enough to fire in the air,it is not in HIS power to put an end to the quarrel by THAT.D--my soul,if Iam come here to be played with like a child,and by the Almighty --you shall hear more of this,each and everyone of you,before I'm satisfied.'

A kind of low murmur,or rather groan,was now raised,and a slight motion was observable in the crowd,as if to intercept Fitzgerald's passage to his horse.

M'Creagh,drawing the horse close to the spot where Fitzgerald stood,threatened,with the most awful imprecations,'to blow the brains out of the first man who should dare to press on them.'

O'Connor now interfered,requesting the crowd to forbear,and some degree of order was restored.He then said,'that in firing as he did,he had no intention whatever of waiving his right of firing upon Fitzgerald,and of depriving that gentleman of his right of prosecuting the affair to the utmost--that if any person present imagined that he intended to fire in the air,he begged to set him right;since,so far from seeking to exort an unwilling reconciliation,he was determined that no power on earth should induce him to concede one inch of ground to Mr.Fitzgerald.'

This announcement was received with a shout by the crowd,who now resumed their places at either side of the plot of ground which had been measured.The principals took their places once more,and M'Creagh proceeded,with the nicest and most anxious care,to load the pistols;and this task being accomplished,Fitzgerald whispered something in the Captain's ear,who instantly drew his friend's horse so as to place him within a step of his rider,and then tightened the girths.This accomplished,Fitzgerald proceeded deliberately to remove his coat,which he threw across his horse in front of the saddle;and then,with the assistance of M'Creagh,he rolled the shirt sleeve up to the shoulder,so as to leave the whole of his muscular arm perfectly naked.Acry of 'Coward,coward!butcher,butcher!'arose from the crowd.Fitzgerald paused.

'Do you object,Mr.M'Donough?and upon what grounds,if you please?'said he.

'Certainly he does not,'replied O'Connor;and,turning to M'Donough,he added,'pray let there be no unnecessary delay.'

'There is no objection,then,'said Fitzgerald.

'_I_object,'said the younger of the O'Gradys,'if nobody else will.'

'And who the devil are you,that DARES to object?'shouted Fitzgerald;'and what d--d presumption prompts you to DARE to wag your tongue here?'