Republican Herald

Miscellaneous.

THE DUEL AND THE FLAGEOLET

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.

I was residing in 1818 at St. Pierre in the Island of Martinique. At no great distance from my residence, dwelt a young gentleman from Languedoc, who had arrived a short time previous. I soon became acquainted with him. A fine, gay young fellow, somewhat saucy, his character and manners were the best in the world His countenance was agreeable, frank and open; on the whole he was a child of the south of France, a native of the Toulousan zone. He was not destitute of education: but a qualification (no doubt far less valuable) first attracted the notice of his neighbors, I mean his performance on the flageolet. He was a first rate player on this instrument. Colinet could not have excelled him. So each morning and night he gave himself up with a delighted heart to the execution of all the waltzes, country dances and varied airs of his inexhaustible repository. In the same house, and immediately under him lodged a young creole, M. de L.***, rather vain of his person and his fortune, abrupt and imperious in his manners, hasty in his temper, and a determined duellist, as in truth all the creoles are, or at least were at the time I am speaking of.

One day M. de L****, carelessly extended upon his bed and wrapt in his dressing gown was engaged in reading. At the same time his neighbor above was mingling with the sighing of the fresh and early sea breeze the penetrating sounds of his unwearied flageolet. Disturbed in his reading, the creole called his negro man. "Cacao, go and request the gentleman that lodges above, to cease playing on his flageolet, or at least, not to play so loud, he disturbs me."

"Yes, sir."

Nothing in the colonies pleases a slave so much as an opportunity of executing towards a white man, a mission such as was entrusted to Cacao. The negro went up, but exceeded the orders which M. de L**** had given him.

"My master, sir, desires you to stop playing upon your flageolet for it tires and disturbs him."

"Ah!" cried the Musician, at first rather astonished, but soon recovering his self possession. "Who is your master?"

"M. de L****"

"And who is M. de L****?"

"He is my master."

"What is he now doing?"

"He is reading."

"Well! my boy, as every one should be free in his own house, let M. De L**** read as long as he pleases I shall go on with my playing." Saying which, he pushed out the black by the shoulders, shut the door, and began playing still louder than before.

Cacao behaved down stairs as he had previously done above, altering to suit himself the reply that had been made to him. On his entrance, his master said to him,

"What have you been doing up stairs? the gentleman it appears to me plays more constantly and louder than before."

"What can I do master?"

"But what did he say? this cursed musician."

"He replied to me that it was his pleasure to do so, and that your request was absurd."

Hardly had he finished the sentence, ere the creole threw aside his book and rose flushed with rage.

"Go up," cried he, "go up again, Cacao, and tell this insolent fellow that if he does not stop immediately I will come up and throw him out of the window"

For once, Cacao correctly discharged his errand.

The amateur, without discontinuing the allegretto that he was practising, played with still more force, and gave, by way of keeping time, a kick in the rear of the black messenger-'The answer was an eloquent one, and was fully understood.

Furious with rage, M. De L**** ascended in his turn. He did not execute, we may well suppose, his brutal menace, but gave way to his wrath in the most abusive terms to which the musician replied with the utmost coolness.

He at last challenged the Languedocian to fight; he readily accepted the invitation. The sword was the weapon agreed on.

"At what time" said the Frenchman, still holding the flageolet in his two hands.

"Immediately sir."

"Immediately! you are jesting. In truth I cannot to day, my business leaves me but a single hour to spare, and I must spend it in practising an air with variations entirely new. I shall be busy the remainder of the day; this evening I shall be obliged to again study the air in question, and to put my affairs in some order, a piece of prudence you cannot but approve, and which it might perhaps be as well for you to attend to. Tomorrow morning, at six o'clock you will find me ready."

Pleased or not, the creole was forced to moderate his impatience-he went down to his room, after having been politely accompanied to the stair case, his future adversary continued playing upon his flageolet for an hour longer. After which he went out to attend to his business. In the evening he kept on playing for a great while, during which his neighbor of the lower floor waited in vain for him to stop, at the same time venting threats and imprecations against him.

Rising the next morning long before the time agreed upon, our flageolet player again caused his instrument to resound over the house, until the very moment that the two seconds, whom he had previously engaged, came to accompany him to the meeting.-- He departed with them to attend at the spot agreed upon, which was I recollect at the end of the meadow near the Botanic Garden.

Driven from home by the pitiless music, the creole was already there with his seconds, and some inquisitive people who had come to see the fight. The clock was about to strike the hour of six when at a distance was heard the sounds of a flageolet. There could be no mistake-it was his punctual adversary, who was coming with his two friends marching like himself to a double quick step, which he played for them. He ended exactly as he reached the field. Then he politely bowed to the company.

After the usual forms and arrangements, the two combatants stripped themselves, to their shirts. "Put yourself on your guard,' said the creole, driven to the utmost degree of vexation and spite.

"I am ready for you,' replied the Languedocian, "but allow me, I entreat you, to play beforehand a single movement of my air with variations, alas, alas! 'tis perhaps for the last time-and you will not deny me this pleasure."

The singularity of the request, and the sincerity with which it was made, excited a smile among the by-standers, and our man seating himself upon the green moss at a short distance in front of M. de L****, applied his faithful instrument to his mouth.

When he had finished. he placed it carefully upon his clothes, put himself upon his guard and at the first pass wounded his adversary under the right arm. The blood flowed-by mutual consent the combat ceased. The wound of the creole was not dangerous-after having been assured of this fact. the conqueror resumed his flageolet, put on his dress, bowed to the company and left with his seconds to the tune of the same double quick step which he had played when he came.

The morning after M. de L*** changed his lodgings.