We went about the end of the long craigs, and came into the Hunter's
Bog. Here, on a piece of fair turf, my adversary drew. There was nobody
there to see us but some birds; and no resource for me but to follow his
example, and stand on guard with the best face I could display. It seems
it was not good enough for Mr. Duncansby, who spied some flaw in my
manoeuvres, paused, looked upon me sharply, and came off and on, and
menaced me with his blade in the air. As I had seen no such proceedings
from Alan, and was besides a good deal affected with the proximity of
death, I grew quite bewildered, stood helpless, and could have longed to
run away.

"Fat, deil, ails her?" cries the lieutenant.

And suddenly engaging, he twitched the sword out of my grasp and sent it
flying far among the rushes.

Twice was this manoeuvre repeated; and the third time when I brought
back my humiliated weapon, I found he had returned his own to the
scabbard, and stood awaiting me with a face of some anger, and his hands
clasped under his skirt.

"Pe tamned if I touch you!" he cried, and asked me bitterly what right I
had to stand up before "shentlemans" when I did not know the back of a
sword from the front of it.

I answered that was the fault of my upbringing; and would he do me the
justice to say I had given him all the satisfaction it was unfortunately
in my power to offer, and had stood up like a man?

"And that is the truth," said he. "I am fery prave myself, and pold as a