Part 54 (1/2)

”Very well,” said Harry; ”and now, Mr. Ashby, here is the pistol.”

Saying this, he handed the weapon to Ashby, who took it with a slight bow, but in silence.

Harry now measured off twelve paces once more, and reached the spot which he had before marked out, upon which he turned and, standing erect, faced Ashby.

”Mr. Ashby,” said he, ”are you ready? If so, take aim, and I will give the word.”

Ashby raised the pistol and took aim. The weapon covered Harry, and he knew it. He knew also that Ashby was a ”dead shot.” But not a nerve quivered. He stood up there as straight as a ramrod, and then, in a calm, clear voice, with his usual self-possession, said:

”One; two; three. _Fire_!”

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”Whoroo, Lads! This Bates The Worruld, So It Does.”]

For a moment Ashby stood with his pistol thus covering Harry.

Then his arm fell.

”I cannot,” said he--”I cannot fire, in cold blood, on an unarmed man.”

Now, had Ashby stood thus, with a pistol, in the full heat of his first fury, he would have tired, without stopping to think; but the effect of their enforced courtesy to one another, and more particularly of the somewhat tedious preliminaries, had been to calm and even chill his hot anger, and to subdue all his fierce excitement. As he stood there, with his pistol levelled, and saw Harry's cool, calm face, it seemed like butchery. He could not fire.

And so his hand dropped down with this exclamation.

”But my turn is to come.”

”Oh, that's nothing,” said Ashby. ”You may have your turn now, if you choose.”

”Oh no,” said Harry, ”I can't take my turn until after you have fired; and the worst of it is, I don't see how we can settle this difficulty, if we don't do it now.”

”Other chances will, no doubt, occur,” said Ashby.

”Pardon me,” said Harry, ”that is hardly probable, and, besides, that will not help the matter. In fact, it will only make it worse. For you see, if some time should elapse before such a meeting, the recollection of this affair would be so faint that I could not go into it with any spirit; whereas now I am all c.o.c.ked and primed. So fire away, my dear fellow, for I really don't want to have an affair of this sort hanging over me the rest of my life. We must have it out, and now's the time.”

”Will you not fire first, Mr. Rivers?” said Ashby, earnestly.

”Oh no, that would make all our preparations childish,” was the reply. ”We have appealed to Fortune, and her decision has been given.”

Ashby drew a long breath.

”Mr. Rivers,” said he, ”I cannot shoot an unarmed man in cold blood.”

”But what can we do?” said Harry.

”Why, we may be able to borrow a couple of rifles, or even one rifle, from our friends here.”

Upon this a voice rang out, full and clear, in the room:

”Begorra, an' that same they'll do. Whoroo, lads! this bates the worruld, so it does. It's mesilf that's stud by the dure for the last tin minutes, an' I've seen a soight that I won't forget till me dyin'