Ole Devil at San Jacinto (Old Devil Hardin Western Book 4) (8 page)

‘
Well
—yes—that is correct,’ Pierre-Quint conceded somewhat
dubiously, after having traded looks with Jaloux and noticing that
the little Oriental had nodded concurrence. In his capacity as
Alphonse Jules Dumoulin’s senior second, he continued, ‘But an
affair of honor is an obligation which cannot be
overlooked.’

‘
Naturally. And nobody
wishes it to be,’ the entertainer admitted majestically. ‘However
while circumstances, the nature of which we are all cognizant with,
do not permit us to adhere rigidly to the “Clonmel
Code”,
^xvi
it is imperative that we employ its
Twentieth Commandment, to wit, “Seconds are bound to attempt a
reconciliation before any meeting takes place”.’ For all his
insistence, he refrained from completing the ruling with the words,
‘or after a sufficient firing or hits as specified’, but concluded,
‘Don’t you agree, gentlemen?’

‘
We agree,’, Pierre-Quint
said reluctantly, once again glancing at his companion. They were
both so impressed by Hallistead’s assured demeanor and knowledge
that neither wished to admit that he was not equally conversant
with the various ‘Commandments’ of the Clonmel Code. ‘However, in
our case this would be a waste of time. We
know our principal
is adamant and will refuse any offer of reconciliation until his
honor has been satisfied.’

‘
Very
well
,’
the entertainer acceded, although a strict adherence to the Clonmel
Code would have required that an attempt was at least made. ‘Our
principal has stated that his choice of weapons is pistols. Is this
satisfactory?’

‘
It is,’ Pierre-Quint affirmed, laying
his hand on the butt of the firearm in his belt. ‘We anticipated
the need and have brought a pair with us. They can be used, unless
your principal has any objections.’

‘
He has none,’ Hallistead
declared, duplicating Ole Devil’s summation that the weapons in
question were a matched brace of dueling pistols. ‘And now to the
venue. There is an area a short distance beyond the livery barn
which will offer us the necessary seclusion and privacy. I would
suggest that we wend our way thence and let the affair be settled
without delay.
’

‘
We’re agreeable,’
Pierre-Quint declared, ignoring the fact that by convention an
independent Director of the Duel and a surgeon should be present.
Instead, he threw a look of triumph at Jaloux and, glancing around
him at the street, went on, ‘The sooner it’s settled, the less
chance of intervention.
’

Although there were a number of people in
the vicinity, some of whom glanced at the group in passing, nobody
offered to stop and address them. The majority of the men guessed
what was taking place, but accepted that it was none of their
concern. Duels were sufficiently common in the United States and
Texas for them to appreciate the danger of displaying too much
interest, much less actually trying to interfere in the
proceedings.

Separating without further
conversation, the seconds joined their principals. Once again the
two older
Creoles’
eagerness to commence was noticeable. Instead of telling
Dumoulin what had been arranged, in order to ascertain his
feelings, they took him by the arms and set off towards the alley
at the end of the Grand Hotel. Following them, Hallistead explained
the arrangements to Ole Devil and gave further information which
added to the suppositions he had already formulated.

On arriving, the party found
that the spot selected by the entertainer was perfect for their
purpose. While less than a quarter of a mile from the livery barn,
the hollow into which
they descended was sufficiently large and deep for
the duel to take place without it being observed by anybody beyond
the rim. Considering the various irregularities they were
permitting in the affair, they all felt this to be of some
importance.

As it was desirable to avoid proceedings
taking place while in the heat of temper, one rule which all of the
various conventions laid down was that there should, if possible,
be a period of waiting between the challenge and the event.
However, they also took into account that circumstances might
render this impractical. So the duel following shortly after the
challenge was permissible under the prevailing conditions.

The lack of independent supervision was
another matter. Every convention insisted that certain officials,
unconnected with either party, must be present to ensure fair play.
Another point was that, to prevent either participant tampering
with the weapons or otherwise obtaining an unfair advantage, the
pistols should belong to the officials and be brought to the
dueling ground in a locked and sealed box.

‘
Will twenty-five paces be
acceptable?
’ Pierre-Quint asked, as he and Jaloux joined Ole Devil’s
seconds, leaving Dumoulin standing disconsolately.

‘
It will,’ Hallistead confirmed,
knowing that his principal was an excellent pistol shot.

‘
The pistols are charged
smooth and single,’ Pierre-Quint stated, offering both weapons butt
first to the entertainer.
‘We will allow your principal to make the
first selection.’

‘
We accept, with
thanks,
’ Hallistead answered formally, as
such an assurance on the part of
another gentleman was held to be sufficient proof that the weapons
were identical in every respect, including the way they had been
loaded. ‘
Do
you wish my principal to remove his shirt?’

‘
It won’t be necessary,’ Pierre-Quint
replied, although there was a sound reason why he should have said
‘yes’. ‘Shall I have mine take off his jacket?’

‘
There’s no need,’
Hallistead said, knowing that to do so would offer Ole Devil no
advantage. ‘Now, sir, what are your intentions with regard to our
principals’ firing positions?
’

The question was in order. While
the challenged party had the choice of weapons and venue, the
challenger was entitled to select the distance between the firing
of pistols.
However, Pierre-Quint did not consult Dumoulin and made
only a cursory study of their surroundings.

‘
It is of no consequence,’
the
Creole
remarked in an offhand manner, ‘The light is equally good
over the whole area and there isn’t enough wind to affect the night
of the bullets.’

‘
As you will,’ the
entertainer acceded and turned to Dumoulin’s other second. ‘If you
will pace off the required distance across the
center, sir, Mr.
Okasi can mark the firing positions.’

Going to the side of the hollow,
Jaloux watched the little Oriental scuffing an ‘X’ in the soil with
the heel of his right boot. Then the young
Creole
stepped out twenty-five long paces and,
where he stopped, Tommy marked the spot in the same
manner.

‘
We should have a Director
of the Duel, sir,
’ Hallistead pointed out, while the marking was
taking place. ‘However, under the circumstances, it is permissible
for one of us to officiate.’

‘
Will you do the honors, sir?’
Pierre-Quint inquired, accepting that the entertainer’s summation
was correct and seeing that he could use it to serve his own
purpose.

‘
I
will,’ Hallistead
agreed, and turned his attention to the principals. ‘Will you come
and select your weapons, gentlemen? I am required to point out that
it is
not
permissible to test the trigger pull by cocking and
lowering the hammer.’

Advancing, Dumoulin allowed Ole Devil to
precede him and make the first choice. Having done so, the Texian
watched the youngster take the remaining pistol. Noticing the
slight hesitancy Dumoulin displayed while doing so, he decided that
it was not because his own selection had spoiled an arrangement to
gain an advantage through a discrepancy in the weapon’s loads.

‘
You will now take your
places on the marks,’ Hallistead continued, after the pair had
armed themselves. ‘When you are in position, I will say,
“Attention!
Feu!—Un!—Deux!—Trois!
at this speed. If either is not ready at the word,
“attention”, he may say so without prejudice. But, otherwise, after
the word,
“feu!”
is given, he raises his pistol and must fire
before
the count
reaches
“trois”.
Is that all understood and acceptable to both of
you?’

‘
Perfectly,’ Ole Devil drawled
instantly, and his whole attitude was redolent of complete
confidence.

‘
Y—Yes!’
Dumoulin assented, after a brief pause, the word emerging like the
pop of a tightly fitting cork being drawn from the neck of a
bottle.

‘
Then, gentlemen,’ Hallistead said, in
tones of awesome finality. ‘Take your places, please.’

The pistol in Dumoulin’s right hand seem to
weigh remarkably heavy as, knowing that the die was cast, he walked
slowly to where Jaloux was waiting. With each step, he felt his
anxiety increasing. He realized that his pride and his companions’
insistence had led him into a terribly perilous predicament. While
he had been taught how to shoot, he was all too aware that he was
anything but an expert marksman. Not, he told himself miserably,
that he was any more skilful with a sword. Yet he could see no
possible way of evading the duel now that the preparations had gone
so far. To even make an attempt would brand him forever as a
coward.

Taking his place upon the mark,
without meeting his second’s eyes, Dumoulin stared across the
hollow. Just over twenty-five yards away, the Texian was already in
position. Still radiating self assurance, as if certain of how the
affair would turn out, he was handing his personal weapons to
the
little
Oriental. Determined to try and appear just as confident, the
youngster passed his own pistol to Jaloux and refastened his
jacket.

Again Dumoulin studied his adversary. If he
had known more about such affairs, he would have realized that
Pierre-Quint had put him at a disadvantage when discussing how the
principals should dress. The Texian’s buckskin shirt was far less
distinguishable against the background of the hollow’s bare sides
than his own black coat and white shirt would be.

‘
Make ready, gentlemen,’
Hallistead called, from where he
—in his capacity as Director of the
Duel—and Pierre-Quint were standing. They had positioned themselves
midway between the adversaries and about six yards out of the line
of fire. ‘Cock your pistols.’

Drawing a deep breath, Dumoulin
reached for and drew back his weapon’s hammer. A more experienced
man would have known that the soft click made by the mechanism
operating signified a very light trigger pull. To the youngster,
the sound only meant that he was even closer to the
terrifying climax.
He silently promised himself that, providing he survived, he would
never again be foolish enough to allow himself to be persuaded to
become involved in another duel; especially one which every ounce
of his being warned should never have, and need never have,
happened.

Having made his resolution, the
youngster forced himself to follow the procedure he had been taught
was mandatory in such a situation. Turning sideways to the line of
fire, he wondered if doing so really did present his adversary a
more difficult target. His knowledge of anatomy, scanty as it was
at that time, warned that there were considerations which
outweighed the possible advantage. He made sure that he kept his
right elbow pressed against his right hip, held the pistol’s butt
to his thigh and pointed its barrel downwards.
^xvii

Noticing how his opponent was standing,
Dumoulin’s misgiving over his own posture increased. He also
doubted that the Texian’s hand was feeling as unsteady as his own.
While Captain Hardin did not have a reputation as a duelist, he had
already been involved in considerable fighting and was held in high
esteem for his courage.

Although Ole Devil had never aspired to gain
a name as a duelist, he had accepted that circumstances might
compel him to engage in an ‘affair of honor’. So he had concluded
that the traditional sideways stance was not the most effective.
The slight advantage in the reduction of the target area was
overridden, in his opinion, by the fact that a wound received would
prove more dangerous. A bullet which could perforate both lungs
when sideways could only strike one if the recipient stood squarely
to the shooter. Several other internal organs were also safer in
the latter posture. By leaning forward slightly, which was
permissible, the ribs were contracted and afforded protection to
the heart and lungs. Finally, one could take aim better when
standing facing the object to be hit, than one could when craning
the head around to look over the right shoulder, which hampered the
raised arm and strained the eyes.

Bearing those points in mind, the Texian
stood with his feet astride the line; but kept his pistol as was
proscribed.