the air. The captain cried, 'Harp.'
The HEAD was uppermost, and M'Donough immediately made choice of the
southern point at which to place his friend--a position which it will
be easily seen had the advantage of turning his back upon the light--no
trifling superiority of location. The captain turned with a kind of
laugh, and said:

'By ----, sir, you are as cunning as a dead pig; but you forgot one
thing. My friend is a left-handed gunner, though never a bit the worse
for that; so you see there is no odds as far as the choice of light
goes.'

He then proceeded to measure nine paces in a direction running north and
south, and the principals took their ground.

'I must be troublesome to you once again, Mr. M'Donough. One toss more,
and everything is complete. We must settle who is to have the FIRST
SLAP.'

A piece of money was again thrown into the air; again the captain lost
the toss and M'Donough proceeded to load the pistols. I happened to
stand near Fitzgerald, and I overheard the captain, with a chuckle, say
something to him in which the word 'cravat' was repeated. It instantly
occurred to me that the captain's attention was directed to a
bright-coloured muffler which O'Connor wore round his neck, and which
would afford his antagonist a distinct and favourable mark. I instantly
urged him to remove it, and at length, with difficulty, succeeded.
He seemed perfectly careless as to any precaution. Everything was now
ready; the pistol was placed in O'Connor's hand, and he only awaited the
word from the captain.

M'Creagh then said:

'Mr. M'Donough, is your principal ready?'

M'Donough replied in the affirmative; and, after a slight pause, the
captain, as had been arranged, uttered the words:

'Ready--fire.'

O'Connor fired, but so wide of the mark that some one in the crowd
exclaimed:

'Fired in the air.'

'Who says he fired in the air?' thundered Fitzgerald. 'By ---- he lies,
whoever he is.' There was a silence. 'But even if he was fool enough to
fire in the air, it is not in HIS power to put an end to the quarrel by
THAT. D---- my soul, if I am come here to be played with like a child,
and by the Almighty ---- you shall hear more of this, each and everyone
of you, before I'm satisfied.'

A kind of low murmur, or rather groan, was now raised, and a slight
motion was observable in the crowd, as if to intercept Fitzgerald's
passage to his horse. M'Creagh, drawing the horse close to the spot
where Fitzgera