hold
of the reins, swung himself up behind as the horse started and they
drove out through the barracks gates, followed by the eyes of all
Frank's comrades who, as soon as they heard the sound of the wheels, ran
to their windows or doors to take, as they believed, their last look at
him. They had, indeed, obtained slight consolation from the words with
which Captain Lister had sent them off to their quarters--"Keep up your
spirits, lads. There is many a slip between the cup and the lip, and I
have strong hopes that the affair is not going to turn out as bad as you
fancy."

CHAPTER IX

A DUEL

Captain Lister was very much more nervous than his principal as they
drove on to the ground. In spite of Frank's confidence he could not
bring himself to believe that the young fellow could be a match for a
practised duellist, although he had, after he had left Frank's room the
evening before, gone into the town and knocked up the gunmaker, who had
sometime before gone to bed. When, however, Captain Lister confided to
him the nature of his errand, he fully confirmed what Frank had said.

"Of course, I have not seen him stand up before a man with a pistol in
his hand," he said, "but as far as shooting goes I would back him
against any man in England; and I don't think, Captain Lister, that you
need be afraid of him in the matter of nerve. Pistol shooting depends
upon two things--nerve and eye; and he could never be the shot he is if
he had not an extraordinary amount of both qualities. I will wager that
he will be as cool as a cucumber. How are they to stand?"

"Back to back, and to turn at the signal of a pistol shot."

"Then he is all right, Captain. You need not worry about him. He is as
quick as lightning, and he will get first shot, never fear, and more
than that, I wouldn't mind betting that he carries off one of the
fellow's fingers."

"Why, how do you know that?" Captain Lister asked in surprise. "He can't
have been here since I left him."

"No, sir, he has not been here; but he told me that if he ever got into
a duel he would aim at his opponent's hand, and he has been practising
specially for that. He had a target made on purpose, but that did not
please him, and we rigged out an arm holding a pistol and fixed it to
the target just in the position it would be if the painted figure were
firing at him. We had to have a rough sort of hand made of iron, for it
would have cost a fortune if had been made of an