ou both; and then I will show you
whether I am afraid to give satisfaction."

"One at a time," said the boatswain.

"No, sir, not one at a time, but both at the same time, I will fight
both or none. If you are my superior officer, you must descend,"
replied Jack, with an ironical sneer, "to meet me, or I will not
descend to meet that fellow, whom I believe to have been little better
than a pickpocket." ...

Mr. Biggs, having declared he would fight, of course had to look out
for a second, and he fixed upon Mr. Tallboys, the gunner, and requested
him to be his friend. Mr. Tallboys, who had been latterly very much
annoyed by Jack's victories over him in the science of navigation, and
therefore felt ill-will toward him, consented; but he was very much
puzzled how to arrange that three were to fight at the same time, for
he had no idea of there being two duels; so he went to his cabin and
commenced reading. Jack, on the other hand, daring not say a word to
Jolliffe on the subject; indeed, there was no one in the ship to whom
he could confide but Gascoigne; he therefore went to him, and, although
Gascoigne thought it was excessively infra dig of Jack to meet even the
boatswain; as the challenge had been given, there was no retracting,
and he therefore consented, like all midshipmen, anticipating fun, and
quite thoughtless of the consequences....

Mr. Tallboys addressed Mr. Gascoigne, taking him apart while the
boatswain amused himself with a glass of grog, and our hero sat
outside, teasing a monkey.

"Mr. Gascoigne," said the gunner, "I have been very much puzzled how
this duel should be fought, but I have at last found out. You see
there are three parties to fight; had there been two or four there
would have been no difficulty, as the right line or square might guide
us in that instance; but we must arrange it upon the triangle in this."

Gascoigne stared; he could not imagine what was coming.

"Are you aware, Mr. Gascoigne, of the properties of an equilateral
triangle?"

"Yes," replied the midshipman; "it has three equal sides. But what the
devil has that to do with the duel?"

"Everything, Mr. Gascoigne," replied the gunner; "it has resolved the
great difficulty; indeed, the duel between three can only be fought
upon that principle. You observe," said the gunner, taking a piece of
chalk out of his pocket and making a triangle on the table, "in this
figure we have three points, each equidistant from each o