By the by, his position was deucedly near in a line with the
grey stone behind which I lay perdu; nevertheless, the risk I ran did not
prevent me noticing that he was very pale, and had much the air of a brave
man come to die in a bad cause. He looked upwards for a second for two,
and then answered, slowly and distinctly, "Captain Pinkem, I now repeat
what I said before; this rencontre is none of my seeking. You accuse me
of having spoken slightingly of you seven years ago, when I was a mere
boy. You have the evidence of a gallant officer that I did so; therefore
I may not gainsay it; but of uttering the words imputed to me, I declare,
upon my honour, I have no recollection." He paused.
"That won't do, my fine fellow," said Pinkem.
"You are unreasonable," rejoined Clinch, in the same measured tone, "to
expect farther amende for uttering words which I have no conviction of
having spoken; yet to any other officer in the service I would not
hesitate to make a more direct apology, but you know your credit as a
pistol--shot renders this impossible."
"Sorry for it, Mr Clinch, sorry for it."
Here the pistols were handed to the principals by their respective
seconds. In their attitudes, the proficient and the novice were
strikingly contrasted; (by this time I had crept round so as to have a
view of both parties, or rather, if the truth must be told, to be out of
the line of fire.) Pinkem stood with his side accurately turned towards
his antagonist, so as to present the smallest possible surface; his head
was, as it struck me, painfully slewed round, with his eye looking
steadily at Clinch, over his right shoulder, whilst his arm was brought
down close to his thigh, with the cock of the pistol turned outwards, so
that his weapon must have covered his opponent by the simple raising of
his arm below the elbow.
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