Broadside entitled 'Duel Extraordinary!'

Transcription

DUEL Extraordinary !

Account of another DUEL, that took
place on Wednesday last, l8th April,
in the neighbourhood of Pennycuick,
county of Edinburgh; when one of
the Parties was montally wounded.

The reason fur this extraordinary
Recontre was as follows, being handed
into us by one of the seconds.?At
the last fair, a dance in the e'ening
was proposed by twa three male an'
female farm servants, an' whether ow-
ing to the scarcity o' lassies amang us,
or the great beauty o' Peggy, she was
pitched upon baith be Peter Simple
and John Clod, but Peter being the
canniest like chield, she gied him the
preference, which so enraged Clod,
that he was determined to be upsides
wi' him; night arrived, and dancing
begun, every one was hearty but poor
Clod, and he and a neighbour stepped
into the kitchen to tak a dram; the
lads and lassies were retiring at times
to get refreshment, and among the
rest ware Peter and Peggy, when
Peter passed the door and seeing Clod
he cocked up his head quite manfully,
which grieved Clod very sare. Peter
ca'd for nae less than ha'f-a-mutchkin
wi' warm water and sugar, and while
the maid was preparing the water, the
loon that was drinking wi' Clod hand-
ed him a dose of Jailup, what he had
got to gie to his horse, and Clod mix-
ed it wi' the raw sugar, which was
immediately carried ben to the lovers.
Peter observing that the lassies liked
sweet toddy, plump went the whole
contents, they put off very little time
in discussing the jug, and the noise o'
the fiddle stimulated them to get a-
mang the merry group, and was just
in time to join a eightsome ; the room
was crowded and extremely warm,
and the fiddler played with spirit, for
he had just drank aff a glass or twa o'
Neil Gow's cordial, and, they set too
with vengeance; but alas, before the
reel was ha'f done, poor Petter was in
such a plight, that his white jean
trowsers was clapped close to his
thighs, this was soon noticed, for
Clod had looting some o' them into
the secret, and they dadded Peter trae
the te end o' the room to the other till
he fairley knocked down sax fallows
at the door and made his escape ; in
fact he didna meet wi' much opposi-
tion by this time, for lie was a awful
sight Poor Peggy, poor thing, got
away in at the hurley-burley mair dead,
than alive, for she was in little better
order than Peter himsel'. This scene
created great mirth to the lads and
lassies, but it spoilt a' their dancing,.
for the room was in a terrible state,"
and uaebody wad tak in band to clean
it that night.

A friend told Peter next morning

wha was the author o' a' his misfor-
tunes, and he vowed to hae vengeance,
threatening to shoot Clod, the first
time opportunity offered. Poor Clod
hearing this, sincerely repented o'
what he had dune, and sent Peter a
letter craving his humble pardon, say-
ing that he w'ad ne'er hae thought out
himsel' if he hadna been advised; but
instead of Peter sending him a pardon
a chield advised him to send a chal-
lenge, to meet him on Wednesday
morning, with a friend and a pistol.
This was an unco trial for Clod, and
he discovered the whole o' his mind
to a friend, who advised him to keep
us his spirits, and he would be his
second, for love was a thing worth
while to be killed for, no like the
gomerals in the great town shooting
themselves for naething but nonsence.
The twa seconds was acquaint wi' each
other, and they formed a plot to get a
laugh at the gouks, an' it wad be a
means to keep down mischief, for
Peter was still swearing to hae re- ...
venge; so on Wednesday they met,
attended by their seconds, and twa-
three dozen posted themsels at the
back of a hedge, whare they werna
seen by the stout-hearted blades ; they
coudna muster pistols, but they got
twa guid auld rusty fowling-pieces,
an' the seconds loaded them with
blank shot. Like men o' honour, they
stood back to back, and measured aff
sax paces each ; but gin the had seen
the poor devils, as white as corpses,
and shaking like a leaf on a tree;
Clod at this time would hae fa'n on
his knees and asked Peter's pardon,
which would have been readily grant-
ed, but the seconds wad not allow it,
so being stationed, the terrible word
FIRE ! was given, and both pieces
went off; at that moment the seconds
loot drive a guid thumping duck's egg
at each of their heads, thinking they
were shot they both fell plump on
their faces; Peter put up his hand to
his head, and finding the egg a be-
spattered, bawled out most piteousely
" O my brains, my poor brains, get a
doctor and tak me hame." Clod came
worst aff, for a sharp stane lying be-
fore him he got a unco gash in the
forehead, and wi' fright and pain was
carried away in a taint. Peter tho'
naething ailled him could not be con-
vinced but that the most part of his
brains was lost, and he also was car-
ried home. Peggy is so much af-
fronted that she has keeped bed ever
since that sorrowful night.

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