Through Russian Snows (21 page)

All this had been very reassuring to Captain Lister, and if it had not
been for Marshall's reputation he would have gone to the place of
meeting feeling confident that all would go well, but the fact that it
was Frank's first duel, while Marshall had been in some eight or ten
affairs, prevented his feeling otherwise than nervous as to the result.
They were first upon the ground; the major and doctor arriving two
minutes later.

"You may as well tell the major, Captain Lister, that he need not be
alarmed. He is looking terribly anxious, and so is the doctor."

Captain Lister nodded, and went up to them as they dismounted from the
gig. "I fancy that it is going to be all right, doctor," he said, "Wyatt
tells me so himself, and what he says is confirmed by Woodall, the
gunsmith. It seems the lad is an extraordinarily good shot. I told you
last night that he had been practising a good deal, but I did not like
to raise your hopes too high until I had seen Woodall. I will bet you a
guinea that Wyatt comes out of it all right."

"I could not bet on it, Lister, though I would pay the guinea with
greater pleasure than I ever felt at winning one; but I hear that
Marshall is a very quick shot."

"So is Wyatt, major, and as the young 'un has been practising regularly,
I fancy he will be as quick or quicker than the other."

"Well, I hope to heaven that it may turn out so. Nothing would please me
more than that Wyatt should put a ball into the fellow's head. Men like
him are a curse to the army."

"I don't think he will put a ball in his head, major, but I shall not be
surprised if he carries off one of his fingers. He has conscientious
scruples about killing the man, and he is going to aim at his hand."

The Major shook his head. "I am afraid that settles it, Lister. It may
do for a good shot to try experiments of that sort with a bad one, but
not against a man like Marshall. It would be far better for him to aim
at the body. That is a good big mark, and if he is as good a shot as you
say, and is quick enough to pull his trigger first, it would make
matters safe, but as to aiming at his hand it would be sheer madness.
You tell him what I think of it. Ah! here comes the others."

As soon as Captain Marshall and his second alighted, the latter came
forward and spoke to Captain Lister. They talked for a minute together
and then proceeded to choose the ground. This was quickly done, as there
were no trees, and it being a cloudy morning neither party would have
any advantage from the light. The two cases of pistols were then
examined. They were of the same calibre and about the same weight, and
Marshall's second at once agreed to Captain Lister's proposal that each
should fire with his own pistol, so that neither should be placed at the
disadvantage of using a weapon that he was unaccustomed to. Captain
Lister proposed that they should toss which of the two seconds should
fire the signal, but Rankin said, "I would rather not do it, Captain
Lister. I need hardly tell you that I would give anything not to be here
in my present capacity, and I would very much rather that a third party
should fire it—either your major or the surgeon."

Lister went across to the major, who at once consented to give the
signal. The pistols were then loaded, the ground measured, and the
principals placed in position. The major took two pistols—one loaded
with ball, the other with powder only, and then placed himself some ten
paces on one side of the line of fire.

"Now," he said, "gentlemen, I shall say 'Are you ready?' and on
receiving no answer shall fire; but mind I am determined that if either
of you makes a move to turn, or raises his arm by as much as an inch
from his side before he hears the shot I will shoot him down at once. Do
you both understand that?"

Both answered "Yes."

He waited a moment, and then said "Are you ready?" Then a second later
he fired. Both the antagonists turned swiftly on their heels, their arms
going up as they did so. Then the two shots rang out. They seemed almost
simultaneous; but Captain Lister, whose eyes were fixed on Marshall, saw
that his hand jerked in the act of firing, and that his ball must have
flown high. At the same moment his pistol fell to the ground, and he
staggered back a pace. Then, with an exclamation of fury, he caught his
right hand in his left, and stood rocking himself in pain. His second
and the surgeon ran up to him.

"Are you hit, Marshall?" the former said.

"Of course I am hit," he said savagely. "You don't suppose I should have
dropped the pistol if I hadn't been. I believe that young villain has
carried off one of my fingers."

"I must protest against this language, Marshall," Lieutenant Rankin said
indignantly. "I am bound to bear testimony that your opponent has acted
extremely well, and that his conduct has been that of an honourable
gentleman."

At this moment Captain Marshall turned deadly pale and would have fallen
had not Rankin and the doctor caught him, and lowered him gradually to
the ground.

"He will do no more shooting," the surgeon said grimly, "the ball has
carried off his trigger finger. Cut his coat-sleeve off, Rankin. Don't
you see he is bleeding a great deal? Lister, please bring me those
bandages at once."

Captain Lister,—who had, as soon as he saw Marshall's pistol fall, run
up to Frank and grasped his hand warmly, saying, "Thank heaven, my dear
lad, that it has turned out as you said it would. I congratulate you
with all my heart,"—at once ran to fetch the bandages, and they all
gathered round the wounded man, Frank turning very white as he saw him
lying insensible.

"What is it, doctor? I aimed at his hand. I hope it has not done any
serious damage, except there." The latter was too busy to answer. "Bring
the tourniquet," he said to Rankin, and as he ran off he looked up at
the major.

"The ball evidently struck the first finger on the knuckle, and went in
between the first and middle finger and then ran up the wrist and along
the arm, and has gone out, as you see above the elbow, cutting an
artery as it went, and smashing the bone just above the elbow. The first
thing is to stop the bleeding."

"CAPTAIN MARSHALL'S PISTOL FELL TO THE GROUND, AND HE
STAGGERED BACK A PACE."

He took the tourniquet from Rankin, and applied it two or three inches
above the elbow, and continued to screw until the rush of blood ceased.
Then he bandaged the arm and hand and fastened it across Marshall's
chest. "That is all I can do now," he said. "I think there is no doubt I
shall have to amputate above the elbow; but we will take him back first.
I wish we had a stretcher."

"We have a stretcher," the major said. "I told off four men with one
half an hour before we started. I thought we should want it to bring
Wyatt back." He put a whistle to his lips and blew loudly. A minute
later four troopers ran out from behind a cottage a hundred yards away.
They had, no doubt, been furtively observing the combat, for there was
an expression of gladness and triumph on their faces as they arrived.

"Lay Captain Marshall on the stretcher," the surgeon said. "Lift him
carefully and carry him to his quarters. I will drive on at once and get
things ready. I suppose, Mr. Rankin, you will go with him. You had
better cover him up with a rug. Have either of you any brandy? I forgot
to bring any with me."

"I have a flask," the major replied. "I will get it for you at once."

"We may as well be off, Wyatt," Captain Lister said to Frank; "it is of
no use your waiting here any longer. We can do no good."

"I am sorry he is hurt so," Frank said, as they drove off.

"Then you will be the only man that is," Captain Lister replied. "You
have rid the army of a pest; that is to say, you have rendered him
harmless. Possibly he may not retire. There are plenty of men in the
service who have lost an arm; however, I should think he will go. The
disgrace will be worse to him than the wound."

"Still, I am heartily sorry that I hurt him so much," Frank repeated. "I
meant to take off one or two of his fingers, and spoil his shooting for
the rest of his life; but I never thought of the ball going up his arm
as it did."

"Well, if you had not hit him where you did, you would be lying on that
stretcher now. It was a close thing between the two shots, not more than
a fifth of a second, I should say, and if you had only hit him in the
body, I have no doubt that he would have fired before he fell; and if
ever a man meant to kill another, he did. I could see it in his eye, as
he stood there waiting for the signal. Well, Wyatt, you can stop in the
army until you get to be a general, but one thing is morally certain,
that after this affair no one will venture to insult you, and your first
duel is likely to be your last."

"I sincerely trust so," Frank said gravely. "I think I can say that
assuredly I shall never be the first to insult anyone else, and that if
ever I fight again, it will, as in this case, not be in my own quarrel."

As they drove along the straight road towards the barracks, they saw a
number of men clustered outside the gate.

"They are on the look-out," Captain Lister said. "They will have heard
from the mess waiters the news of the quarrel last night, and I don't
suppose there was a soul in barracks that did not know what our errand
was when we drove out this morning. I expect if you had been killed they
would have had to move either the Lancers' depôt or ours away from
Canterbury, for the men of the two regiments would have been sure to
have fought whenever they met each other."

As soon as they were near enough to the gates for their figures to be
made out, there was a sudden movement among the men. Several took off
their caps and waved them, while others threw them into the air.

"This is not exactly discipline, Wyatt," Captain Lister said, with a
smile; "but it shows conclusively enough that you are a favourite with
the men."

There were roars of cheering as they went in through the gates, in spite
of Captain Lister holding up his hand and shaking his head. As they
drove across the barrack square to Frank's quarters the subalterns came
rushing out. "Glad indeed to see you back again, Wyatt," the first who
run up exclaimed; "so it was arranged without fighting after all?"

"Not at all, Macalister," Captain Lister replied, as he reined in the
horse at Frank's door. "Wyatt did exactly what he told me he was going
to do—carried off Marshall's trigger-finger. But the bullet did what he
had not intended it should—ran up the arm and smashed it above the
elbow, and the doctor says that he thinks the arm will have to come
off."

A shout of satisfaction rose from the group, and Wilmington grasped
Frank's hand as he leapt down.

"Thank God that you are safe, Wyatt," he exclaimed. "I should never have
forgiven myself if anything had happened to you. Of course, what you
said last night cheered me a good deal, but I could hardly help thinking
afterwards that you had made the best of it for that purpose."

"No, I did not, Wilmington. I felt absolutely confident that I should
hit him on the hand. Now, I want some breakfast; I ordered it to be
ready before I started."

"Well, you are a cool hand, Wyatt," Lister said. "If we ever get into a
hand-to-hand affair with the French, I hope you will take me under your
protection."

"We will see about it," Frank laughed. "Well, come up now. I ordered the
breakfast for two, and I see Smith is bringing the dishes across from
the kitchen."

"Oh, I say, Wyatt, you must let the rest of us up too. We can't wait to
hear all about it until you have done."

"Come up, by all means. There is really nothing to tell you."

However, as the breakfast was being eaten, Captain Lister answered all
questions.

"So he did not take it well," one of the subalterns said. "That is just
what you would expect from a fellow like that."

"I don't think we should be too hard on him in that respect. It is very
trying to any man's temper when he makes absolutely sure of doing a
thing and is beaten by a novice. It was surprise, no doubt, as well as
pain—and I fancy the pain was pretty sharp—that caused him to lose his
temper. I expect that if he had been fighting with an old hand whom he
thought dangerous, he would have borne the wound in a very different
way. Now, look here, lads, there is one thing that you must bear in
mind. Don't treat this affair as if it were a sort of triumph for the
corps. I have no doubt that all the fellows in the Lancers will be every
bit as much pleased as we are, at the way things have turned out; but we
must not assume that. I should say you had much better not make any
allusion to the affair, unless others speak to you about it. Of course,
it will make a great deal of talk; there is no getting over that. But
don't let it be a subject to be discussed in the mess-room. Duels
between officers of different regiments have, before now, led to a lot
of bad feeling, and I have known one such duel lead to half a dozen
others. The Lancers are in no way to blame for Marshall's conduct; but,
if they found any disposition among us to crow over it, it might give
rise to ill-feeling, which would be bad enough if it were merely two
regiments in garrison together, but would be a terrible nuisance in a
depôt where there is a common mess. Therefore, when the matter is talked
over, as it is sure to be, it is best to let the talking be done by
others, and to keep your own mouths closed. Wyatt is the last fellow in
the world to wish to pose as a conquering hero."