“I should say they would,” he observed. “The next evening do the same, cutting the cheese a trifle larger. They will come again and eat it.” “What next?” said he. “The third night, leave the doors and windows open; go to bed as usual, and put nothing at all in the cabin.” “What then?” he asked again, in a state of anxiety. “Why, of course, when they come and find nothing to eat, and being in still greater numbers than the two previous nights, they will be all caught.” “How,” said he, “will they be all caught?” “Why, of course, finding nothing to eat, they will be all taken in.” “That be d----d! I have made a nice fool of myself, standing here half naked to listen to such rubbish as that.” Having said this, he ran into his cabin, and for a long while I heard him sneezing and muttering to himself. The word “fool” was all that I could catch; and soon after all was silent till daybreak. On waking, I at first regretted having carried the joke so far, when all at once I heard the good captain burst out laughing and sneezing. The first visit I had in the morning, while shaving in my cabin, was from the captain. As it was then only six o’clock, I made sure he was coming to challenge me, and began to think of choosing my favourite weapons, which I had so successfully employed on a similar occasion in London, after a serious discussion with a red republican on the subject of monarchy. One afternoon, at a French restaurant in the Haymarket, a rather animated discussion, _apropos_ of the new republic of the year ‘48, took place between myself and a person whom I afterwards ascertained to be the duellist Cournet, an officer in the French navy, who has already been mentioned in the earlier pages of this work. My entire disapproval of the conduct of the friends of liberty, as shown by their wanton destruction of everything, both useful and ornamental, even to the court breeches and white inexpressibles of the National Guard (which were exposed to dry at every window of the Palace of the Tuileries, thus giving to that noble building somewhat the appearance of Rag Fair), was so strongly expressed, that Cournet, “taking umbrage thereat,” after calling me a monarchist and an enemy to liberty, insisted upon my meeting him the next morning, to give him the satisfaction due from one gentleman to another. I replied to his challenge by desiring that the matter should be settled at once. He answered, in a haughty tone, “Comme vous voudrez, monsieur. C’est à vous le choix des armes. Nous tirerons ce que vous voudrez!” “Eh, bien,” said I, “puisque c’est à moi le choix des armes, sortons à l’instant même, monsieur, et nous allons nous tirer les cheveux.” “As you please, sir. The choice of weapons is yours.” “In that case, I suppose we must pull triggers for it.” “Sir,” replied he, “we will pull any mortal thing you please.” “Good,” said I; “then we will at once proceed to pull each other’s hair.”