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The only other publication which at that period he had made, was a book that astonished all of his friends, both in title and execution. It was called "The Desperadoes of the West," and purported to give minute details of the lives of some of the most noted duelists and bloodstained villains in the Western States. But the book belied its title.
Though the Salariki, apparently for some reason of binding and hoary custom, were totally opposed to hunting their age-old enemy with anything other than their duelists' weapons of net and claw knife. "Go along with them," Captain Jellico gave his final orders to the four, "as long as it doesn't mean your own necks understand? On the other hand dead heroes have never helped to lift a ship.
"But the fearful," who dread suffering or reproach for the cause of Christ, not the self-diffident who loves his Captain, but the coward or deserter, who "turns back in the day of battle," who fears the enemy more than his Captain: "and unbelieving," not the misbelieving, as Thomas; nor the weak in faith, but such as have no faith, infidels; "the abominable," defiling the flesh as Sodomites: "murderers," suicides, duelists, assassins, burglars, etc., "whoremongers," adulterers, fornicators: "sorcerers," necromancers, spiritualists, who are the devil's prophets, pretending to new revelations, "and all liars," perjured persons, deceivers, hypocrites, false teachers, who handle the word of the Lord deceitfully, for filthy lucre's sake, all such shall have their part in the lake, with the devil, the beast, and the false prophet.
"Bless my soul!" commented the medical man. "But what is this head in gold beneath the guard?" "Saint Michael, the patron saint of duelists!" answered the count. "Patron!" exclaimed the doctor. "Well, all I have to say is, it is a saintless business for Michael." The count laughed and turned away with a business-like air. "Are you ready, gentlemen?"
At this point the police noticed that the public had massed themselves together on the right and left of the field; they therefore begged a delay, while they should put these poor people in a place of safety. The request was granted. The police having ordered the two multitudes to take positions behind the duelists, we were once more ready.
At the word the two, back to back, started for the opposite ends of the little street, and at once the crowd made a rush between the buildings to gain the rear, where they might witness the shooting in the lane when the duelists met.
The larger number of right hands rose in the air, and the sentence was pronounced that so soon as the doctor assured the authorities that the wounded men would take no harm from the exposure, the duelists, bound neck and heels, should be laid at the meeting of the four roads, there to remain four-and-twenty hours without food or water, and until that time each was to remain locked in a separate chamber.
His glance swept the young women and fastened on the man. In the crossed eyes of the two was the thrust of rapiers, the grinding of steel on steel, that deadly searching for weakness in the other that duelists employ. The deputy spoke in a low soft drawl. "Mornin', Boone. Holding an executive session, are you?" The lids of the detective narrowed to slits.
Was there no heart of humanity to interfere and arrest the murderous designs of these madmen? Alas, no! The slaveholder's "code of honor" must be acknowledged, though it outrage the laws of God and his country. Dr. Bruno asks, "Gentlemen, are you ready?" and the duelists take their deadly aim at each other.
The peasant visionaries that are, the landlord duelists that were, and the whole hurly-burly of legends Cuchulain fighting the sea for two days until the waves pass over him and he dies, Caolte storming the palace of the gods, Oisin seeking in vain for three hundred years to appease his insatiable heart with all the pleasures of faeryland, these two mystics walking up and down upon the mountains uttering the central dreams of their souls in no less dream-laden sentences, and this mind that finds them so interesting all are a portion of that great Celtic phantasmagoria whose meaning no man has discovered, nor any angel revealed.
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