I assured him that
I had the highest authority for your being one of the best
swordsmen in Europe, and that therefore I doubted not that you were
a match for this German. I also pointed out respectfully to him
that if he were to interfere to stop it, as he had intended, the
matter would be certain to lead to many more meetings between the
officers of the two nationalities. Upon this the general after some
talk decided to allow the matter to go on, but said that whichever
way it went he would write to the generals commanding all the
divisions of the allied army, and would publish a general order to
the effect that henceforth no duels shall be permitted except after
the dispute being referred to a court of honour of five senior
officers, by whom the necessity or otherwise of the duel shall be
determined; and that in the case of any duel fought without such
preliminary, both combatants shall be dismissed the service,
whether the wounds given be serious or not. I think the proposal is
an excellent one, and likely to do much good; for in a mixed army
like ours, causes for dispute and jealousy are sure to arise, and
without some stringent regulation we should be always fighting
among ourselves."
At an early hour on the following morning a stranger would have
supposed that some great military spectacle was about to take
place, so large was the number of officers riding from Liege and
the military stations around it towards the place fixed upon for
the duel.
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