Part 39 (1/2)
The matter was, therefore, considered as arranged, and I went into the captain's room. He was delirious, and constantly crying out about his honour and disgrace; indeed, there is no doubt but that his anxiety to meet his antagonist was one very great cause of the fever having run so high; but at times he changed the subject, and then he spoke of me and my mother. ”Where is my boy--my own boy, Percival?” said he--”my pride--where is he? Arabella, you must not be angry with me--no, Arabella; consider the consequence;” and then he would burst out in such fond expressions towards me, that the tears ran down my cheeks as I planted a kiss upon his forehead; for he was insensible, and I could do so without offence.
Bob Cross, who had for some time been at his bedside, wiped the tears from his eyes, and said, ”Master Keene, how this man must have suffered to have cloaked his feelings towards you in the way which he has done.
However, I am glad to hear all this, and, if necessary, I will tell him of it--ay, if I get seven dozen for it the next minute.”
I remained with Bob Cross at his bedside for the whole day, during which he more than twenty times acknowledged me as his son. As the evening closed in, I prepared in silence for the duty I had to perform. To the surprise of Cross, who was ignorant of what I intended, I stripped off my own clothes and put on those of the captain, and then put his wig over my own hair. I then examined myself in the gla.s.s, and was satisfied.
”Well,” said Cross, looking at me, ”you do look like the captain himself, and might almost go on board and read the articles of war; but, surely, Master Keene,” added he, looking at the captain as he lay senseless in bed, ”this is no time for foolery of this sort.”
”It is no foolery, Bob,” replied I, taking his hand; ”I am going to represent the captain and fight a duel for him, or the service will be disgraced.”
”I didn't know that the captain had a duel to fight,” replied Bob, ”although I heard that there had been words.”
I then explained the whole to him. ”You are right, Master Keene--right in everything. May G.o.d bless you, and send you good luck. I wish I might go with you.”
”No, Bob, that must not be.”
”Then, G.o.d bless you, and may you floor the soldier. Lord, what a state I shall be in till I know what has taken place!”
”It will soon be known, Bob; so good-bye, and I trust we shall meet again.” I then went out of the bed-room.
The surgeon actually started when I made my appearance, and acknowledged that the personation was exact. Taking the arm of the surgeon and the master, we set off, the master carrying the pistols, which had been prepared; and in a quarter of an hour we arrived at the place of meeting. My disguise was so complete that we had not hesitated to walk out sooner than we had intended; and we found ourselves the first on the field of action, which I was glad of.
About dusk, which was the time agreed upon and about five minutes after our arrival, our antagonists made their appearance. There was no time to be lost, as there is little or no twilight in the West Indies; so a polite bow was exchanged, and the ground marked out at eight paces by the master and the second of my opponent. A very short parley then took place between Mr Smith and the other gentleman, who officiated for the adjutant, in which it was decided that we should turn back to back, with our pistols ready, and that on the words, ”Make ready--present--fire”
given in succession, we were to turn round to each other, level, and fire. This made it more difficult to hit; indeed it was almost impossible to take aim, as the words were given so quick after each other; and the great point was, to fire as soon as the word was given.
The first discharge was not lucky for me. I missed my antagonist, and received his bullet in my left shoulder; this did not, however, disable me, and I said nothing about it. The pistols were again loaded and handed to us; and on the signal being given, my adversary's pistol went off a little before the word ”fire” was given, and I felt myself again hit; but I returned the fire with fatal success. The ball went through his body, and he fell. The surgeon, master, and his second, immediately went up, and raised him in a sitting position; but in a few minutes he was senseless.
In the meantime I remained where I was, having dropped my pistol on the ground. That I had an unpleasant pang at the idea of a fellow-creature having fallen by my hand in a duel, I acknowledge; but when I called to mind why I had fought the duel, and that if had saved the honour of the captain (may I not say at once my father's honour? for that was my feeling), I could not, and did not, repent the deed. But I had not time given me to a.n.a.lyse my feelings; a sensation of faintness rapidly crept over me. The fact was that I had been bleeding profusely; and while the surgeon and the others were still hanging over the expiring adjutant, I dropped and fell fainting on the ground. When I recovered I found myself in bed, and attended on by the surgeon, the master, and Bob Cross.
”Keep quiet, Keene,” said the surgeon, ”and all will be well; but keep quiet, that we may have no fever. Here, drink this, and try if you cannot go to sleep.” They raised me up, and I swallowed the mixture; my head was so confused, and I was so weak, that I felt as if I hardly dared breathe, lest my breath should leave my body, and I was glad to find myself again on the pillow. I was soon in a sound seep, from which I did not arouse for many hours, and, as I afterwards was told, had had a very narrow escape, from the exhaustion arising from the excessive haemorrhage.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, I could scarcely recall my senses. I saw Bob Cross sometimes, and I heard moaning and talking. I thought the latter was my own voice, but it was Captain Delmar, whose fever still continued, and who was in an alarming state. It was not till the evening, twenty-four hours after the duel, that I could completely recall my senses; then I did, and motioned to Cross that I wanted drink. He gave me some lemonade--it was nectar; he then went out for the surgeon, who came to the bedside, and felt my pulse.
”You'll do now, my boy,” said he; ”get another good sleep to-night, and to-morrow morning you will have nothing to do but to get well.”
”Where am I hit?” said I.
”You had a ball in your shoulder and another in your hip, but they are both extracted; the one in the hip cut through a large vein, and the haemorrhage was so great before you could be brought here, that at one time I thought you were gone. Your life hung upon a thread for hours; but we may thank G.o.d that all is right now. You have no fever, and your pulse is getting strong again.”
”How's the captain, sir?”
”As bad as bad can be just now; but I have hopes of a change for the better.”
”And Captain W, sir?”
”Poor fellow! he is dead; and has so decidedly proved that his fever was not a sham, the soldiers are a little ashamed of themselves--and so they ought to be; but too often good feelings come too late. Now, Keene, you have talked quite enough for to-night; take your sedative mixture, and go to sleep again; to-morrow, I have no doubt, you will be able to ask as many questions as you like.”
”Only one more, sir:--is the adjutant dead?”