"Toss five francs in the air," I said to my seconds; "and draw up a written declaration of the refusal of these gentlemen to refer the matter to lot." De Longpré flung up a 5-franc piece, but Soulié and Fontan stood silent. "All right," I said; "I accept M. Gaillardet's weapons, but I demand a declaration of the facts of the case." They tore a piece of paper from a note-book, and on the crown of a hat Maillan wrote a report of the facts I have just given. This pertinacity on my part cut short the conference. Pistols were accepted by me, and there only remained the settling of the terms. I wished we might be allowed to advance upon one another, and only to fire at our own will. "M. Gaillardet," I said, "has laid down the terms about the arms; it seems to me that, in exchange for the concession which I have made him in adopting them, I, in my turn, have the right of deciding the way we shall use them." "My dear friend," said Soulié to me, "the combatants have no rights; it belongs to the seconds to choose all rights." "Very well! I request, if not as a demand, at least by way of suggestion, that my wish be submitted to M. Gaillardet." The seconds went aside, and I found myself again alone with Bixio. "_Sacredieu_! my dear fellow," I said to him, "that lad over there irritates me so much that I am dying to get even with him." "Ah, try! you will have cleared up a very curious point in science." Five minutes later, Maillan and de Longpré returned to me. "Well," they said, "all is arranged." "Good!" "You are to be placed fifty yards from one another ..." "Why fifty yards?" "Oh come, wait a bit. And you have the right to walk fifteen yards towards one another." "Ah!" "You are not satisfied?" "It is not all that I wanted, but one must be satisfied with what one can get. Come, mark off the distances, my lads!" "You see, Soulié and Fontan are doing it." "Will you have the side where you now are?" "As I am here, I may as well stay." The gentlemen set to work to measure the distances, and I went on chatting with Bixio. Meantime, the shooting--boy loaded the pistols. The fifteen yards which we might walk over were marked by two sticks put across the pathway. They took M. Gaillardet his pistol and brought me mine. I took it in my right hand and held out my left for Bixio to feel my pulse. M. Gaillardet was ready at his post. I signed to him to wait till Bixio had made his observation. "Tell him then not to take any notice of me, but to fire just the same," said Bixio. Bixio's character runs entirely on those two lines. My pulse beat sixty-eight to the minute. "Now go along with you!" Bixio said to me, "and do not hurry yourself."