One
was the Scholar. The other was a burly giant, whose missing left little
finger caused him to be nicknamed the Cripple. About what they had
originally fallen out was not clear to any one, to themselves least of
all. As the case stood when the second lamp was lit, Scholar had called
Cripple a something-or-other liar, and Cripple, who was not inventive,
had retorted by stigmatising Scholar as another. Further recriminations
followed, and their pistols were drawn; but as the audience had a strong
objection to indiscriminate shooting, by which it was not likely to
benefit, the belligerents were seized. No one was unsportsmanlike enough
to wish to stop the fight, and Jockey Bill, giving voice to the general
wish of the meeting, proposed that the gents be fixed up agin' a couple
o' posts outside, where they might let daylight into each other without
lead-poisoning casual spectators.
The motion was acted on, and after rectifying a slight omission on
the Cripple's part--he had forgotten to put caps on the nipples of his
revolver--the pair of them were seated upon upturned barrels some ten
yards apart, each with a lamp at his feet, and told to begin when they
saw fit to do so.
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