The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 314: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

: ‘ Ts i. e i x ; 2 a ee re re ee + THE STEAM. PACKET. 241 and considerately proposed to lend him her best cotton gown for the occasion ; but declining the very courteous offer, he preferred wrapping himself up in a blanket, as if he were going to take a bath ;—and in this manner did the champion make his appearance upon the field of battle. ‘What, in the name of heaven, is the meaning of all this?” de- manded Captain Pentonville of Major Pepperton, as the hostile party arrived on the spot. . , “Coolness, my dear sir—coolness,” answered the major. ‘My friend is so desperately courageous,” he added in a whisper, “that if he did not kill him at the first shot, he would fall upon him and tear him to pieces; he is therefore forced, you see, to devise some means to keep himself cool; and this is the way he accomplishes his alm.”’ ‘‘ And avery good contrivance too,” observed the captain, with an ironical smile. “It is, however, a matter of wonder that he did not arrive with a couple of hundred little boys at his heels.” “‘ Too early, my dear sir—too early,” replied the major; ‘‘ and, let the matter turn out how it will, my friend will remain upon the sands until night. We shall have a pic-nic, sir—a pic-nic, you know.” _ Captain Pentonville certainly knew what a pic-nic meant, but he could not understand how one was to be satisfactorily conducted with- out cold veal pies, fowls, ham, tongue, and champagne; and the law- _yer’s party had brought nothing with them besides a case containing pistols, (belonging to the major), and one containing surgical instru- ments, which was in the possession of the medical man. However, the preliminaries were speedily arranged, the ground was measured— the pistols loaded—and the principals niaeads in their proper situations. Mr. Latitat dropped his blanket, and his appearance was now light and airy to a degree—he being fully dressed in respect to the upper portion of his body, but with nothing save his blucher-boots and worsted socks upon his lower extremities. A duel has so often been described that we shall avoid all unneces- sary detail. The principals, upon a given signal, fired together, and Mr. Latitat dropped heavily upon the ground. The tailor felt himself all over to ascertain if he were wounded; and. finding that he could move all his limbs as easily as ever, and that all his senses were still left, he made up his mind that he was not only alive, but also unhurt. He accordingly hastened to ascertain the extent of injury inflicted upon his antagonist, and learnt from the medical man that Mr. Latitat had received the ball in his right thigh. ‘‘That comes of not wearing breeches,” said Mr. Buckram coolly. R Gomicbooks (E(0)