10. CHAPTER X.
WILL Snickley had come to these woods, a short
time before Tom Snilloc. Snickley had absconded on
account of a duel in which he had been second, and in
which the principal was killed. For though not valiant
himself, Will Snickley, could be the cause of valour in
other men. Not altogether destitute of ingenuity, and
where he had to do with a simpleton, sufficiently successful,
this Snickley attacks an unsuspecting man in
the Gazette; whom he advises to cowskin the Journalist.
It is done; and the Journalist challenges. The
unsuspecting man declines, because the Journalist had
shewn himself a blackguard. But that the unsuspecting
man might have no excuse, a red hot Irishman is
prompted to offer himself, as no man could dispute,
but that he was a gentleman; Snickley in the mean time
offering himself to be his second. The unsuspecting man
could not well tell what to do, and was under the necessity
of accepting; and being in love with a young lady,
took her brother, a young man, for his second. It was
proposed that an apology should be made which Snickley
drew up, and couched in such terms, that it became
impossible for the unsuspecting man challenged to adopt.
Snickley took care to have the Irishman's pistol loaded
skilfully, and having the first fire, shot the unsuspecting
man dead.
So much for seconds; who, from what little I have
seen of the matter, if not the instigators of the duel, are
seldom without blame in not taking due pains to compose
the difference. A man of sense, and humanity,
in the capacity of second, will insist upon an investigation
of the cause of quarrel; and if the actor who has
called upon him, is in fault, he will dictate his apology
accordingly. The seconds on both sides being thus disposed;
and I assume it that on both sides they are
men of sense and humanity, a contest of this nature, will
never terminate fatally, and seldom without a reconciliation.
I own it to be, in most instances, the weakness, or
wickedness of seconds, that occasions it to happen otherwise.
From my own experience, I could give a hint to
a young man just going into the world, that in all probability
would save him from being challenged, or being
insulted, and reduced to the necessity of challenging
himself. This does not consist altogether in having good
pistols, or practising with pistols, and having the reputation
of a good shot; for this is what is known to every one,
as a preservative against the injuries, and insults of Ruffians.
But the secret I would communicate, is, the
concealment
of your dislike to duelling, or the being principled
against it; for on letting that out,
every villain
will be endeavouring to make what he will call a character,
at your expence. He will insult, or challenge, believing
that this may be done without risk to his carcase.
A surgeon of the British navy, happening, after
the revolutionary war, to settle in the same town with me,
and being intelligent, I cultivated his society, and conversation
for some time. But hearing him declare himself
a duellist, and the little hesitation, he would have to
give, or accept a challenge, I thought proper to draw off,
and to avoid as much as possible, occasions of being in
his company. This he appeared to feel very sensibly;
and addressing me, wished to know my reason. I stated
candidly my apprehensions of giving him offence
inadvertently,
some moment when I might be off my guard;
and that as I must count upon a challenge in that case, I
thought it prudent to forego the pleasure of his society,
for my own safety.
I will tell you, said he; I am a small man, and not
of great bodily strength; and did I not hold out the
idea of fire arms, I could not protect myself. But I will
let you into the secret; I am the arrantest coward on the
face of this earth, so that you need be under no apprehension
from my duelling. It is all to keep those that
are stronger, from knocking me down, that I affect courage.
Snickley did not stay a long time in these woods. He
returned to the old settlement; and the matter blew over.
Party supported him; family connections gave him
countenance, the ladies danced with him; Judges supped;
he was elected to office; became director of
banks; and is in a fair way to be — — just what
he pleases.
I will acknowledge that I have no idea, that Snickley,
when he projected this duel with the unsuspecting man,
had any idea of the ultimate catastrophe; or that death
would ensue. There are so many chances in favour of
a wound, that a wound only was contemplated; and the
pistol was loaded upon the same principle that a gaff
is put upon a cock, by young men of silly minds, who
take delight in such barbarous amusement. But I
would not have the compunctions of Snickley, for all the
sensation of present pleasure, that he derived at the time
from the contrivance of the tragedy.
Teague, though a fool, had more of a certain sort of
sense, than the unsuspecting man. For being told by
one of these that take delight in exciting duels, that he
had been slandered by a racoon, calling him an opossum,
and was advised to challenge the racoon, as there could
be no avoiding the calling him to account: Master racoon,
said he, may tink me an opossum; and de opossum
may tink me a racoon, and call me so; but de racoon, and
de opossum may settle it between demselves two: you may
tell Mr. Racoon, dat I would just as soon be called an
opossum as a racoon. Dey may tink one anoder gentlemen;
but dere is not a hair's difference between dem,
except it is as to de colour, or de bulk of it. A blackguard
will always have de last word; dey may call me
opossum, or racoon. If dey could say any worse of me,
dey would do it. And it is a good joke dat each tinks
de oder, noting more dan a vile baste. Dey may talk
deir slander, and publish deir papers; but it is all de
same ting to Teague.
