Under the Rebel's Reign

Charles Neufeld

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pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. The Debating Society of the Konigsberg University was sitting. The subject for the occasion was of a trivial nature, but lent itself to keen and heated argument. The whole afternoon had been occupied with the speeches of the minor lights of the society, and now only the two opposing leaders remained to make their closing speeches before the division took place.

Informations

• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 23 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819913283
• Langue: English

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CHAPTER I
A QUARREL AND A FIGHT
The Debating Society of the Königsberg Universitywas sitting. The subject for the occasion was of a trivial nature,but lent itself to keen and heated argument. The whole afternoonhad been occupied with the speeches of the minor lights of thesociety, and now only the two opposing leaders remained to maketheir closing speeches before the division took place.
Young Osterberg, the leader of the "Ayes," rose tohis feet. His remarks were sound and clear, and his arguments, tomany, conclusive. After he had occupied the attention of theassembly for nearly twenty minutes, he sat down amidst the plauditsof his own side, to await the speech from the leader of theOpposition.
At that moment a voice, distinctly audible above thebuzz of conversation that followed, spoke in a loud, unpleasanttone, evidently intended for the whole room to hear. "'Tis a pitycertain positions are not filled by fellows capable of thinking andarguing logically. Such rot I have never before listened to. Come,Maurice, let us go to the club rooms, we shall find betterentertainment there." And the two men rose from their seats andmoved towards the door.
Before they reached it the voice of the Presidentstopped them, and in sharp, incisive tones called them to order."Such words," he said, "are against the rules of the society andmust be withdrawn, or the laws which govern the Association will beenforced and the speaker's name struck off the list ofmembership."
John Landauer, the man who had uttered the offensivewords, turned on hearing the President's mandate. With flashingeyes he glanced in the direction of Osterberg. "My words may havebeen untimely as uttered in this room, and for that I apologize;but my opinion of the last speaker, friend Osterberg, remains thesame, and what I am not allowed to express here I shall take theearliest opportunity of doing elsewhere."
He turned, and, followed by the youth he hadaddressed as Maurice, left the room.
An ominous murmur went round the room as the doorclosed behind them, and an air of suppressed resentment pervadedthe place. One and all felt that an insult had been offered toOsterberg, an insult which they knew, since he was a theologicalstudent, he would be unable to respond to in the customary manner.However, the expression of the young student's face, usually sokindly, indicated that the altercation had not yet ended.
As soon as the debate was over, a generaladjournment to the club followed. Osterberg was one of the first toreach it.
He found Landauer playing billiards with hiscompanion Maurice. Stepping up to him, he eyed him sternly fromhead to foot. "Thank you, Landauer, for your opinion of myability," he said, evidently with difficulty repressing a desire toindulge in personal violence, "it was a plucky remark of yours. HadI been studying for other than the ministry, you would not havedared to give it utterance. Bah! I appreciate a man, but you are acoward!"
Landauer turned fiercely on the speaker. "Coward? Itis not I who am the coward! I do not take shelter under the cloakof the ministry, which forbids duels. You are the coward," he wenton, stepping towards him and snatching his cap from his head, "andI challenge you to prove my words false!"
As he spoke he flung the cap on the ground atOsterberg's feet, and defiantly awaited the outcome of his action.The challenge was a customary one amongst the students. Thesnatching Osterberg's cap from his head was the greatest insultLandauer could have offered him, and the bystanders wondered how itwould be received.
For a moment the young theological student stood asif in doubt. His lips twitched with indignation. There was nocowardice in his nature, but he knew the rigorous laws whichgoverned his studies. On the one hand, if he refused to accept thechallenge, the stigma of cowardice would stick to him all his life,and on the other, he would have to give up his profession if heshould have a scar inflicted under such circumstances. Human natureconquered, and he was about to return insult for insult, when afirm, strong hand was laid on his shoulder. "One moment," said avoice, in passionless even tones, "I have something to say to ourfriend here."
The speaker calmly strode up to the bullyingLandauer, and, with his open hand, struck him across the face. "Youwish to quarrel? Very well, now is your opportunity. You haveinsulted not only our friend Osterberg, but the Debating Society ofwhich I am a member. These things cannot go unnoticed. Apparentlyyou selected Osterberg as a butt for your insults, knowing that,from the nature of his studies, he could not retaliate in the usualmanner; but such cowardly bullying shall not be passed over, youshall account to me for your caddish behaviour."
The challenge was so startlingly sudden, thatLandauer had no answer ready to give, but with rage andmortification expressed in every feature he fumbled in his pocketfor a card. At last he drew one out, and with all the bombast hecould summon on the spur of the moment, he scribbled the name of afriend upon it, and threw it on the table. "You shall hear from meto-morrow," he cried, between his teeth.
His opponent smiled as he picked the card up; then,with the same deliberation, he replaced it with one of his own."Good," he said. "This is my affair now, and – – " "I'll give you alesson, Mr Helmar, that you won't have time to forget." AndLandauer, flinging his billiard cue on the table, strode from theroom. "Well done, Helmar!" "Good luck to you!" and such-likeexclamations of approval filled the room as the door closed behindLandauer. Some of the students, however, blamed Helmar for whatthey termed his foolhardiness in interfering. But the majorityapplauded his action, and wished him every success.
Landauer was well known to be an expert swordsman,and had been victorious in several duels. Helmar, on the otherhand, was entirely unknown in the use of the weapon, and wasnaturally pitied by his comrades. But the students admired bravery,especially when in a good cause. In this case they unanimouslycondemned Landauer's conduct in selecting Osterberg for the objectof his assault. "The fellow's a bully, whatever else he is, and nodoubt thought his insult would go unchallenged. But there, thething's done now, and I do not regret my action in the least. Hemust get satisfaction from me, if he wants it."
George Helmar was a quiet youth, of studious habits.A young man of seventeen, he had the reputation of being a hardworker, and had none of the quarrelsome spirit such as hisadversary possessed. The thin, determined face, with its square jawand keen grey eyes, the great loose shoulders and powerfullydeveloped limbs might have told more careful observers than hisfellow-students that underneath that calm exterior a latent powerexisted, which Landauer had best not underrate.
He had been brought up in the country, where hisfather practised medicine. There all his leisure had been spent inmanly sports, riding, running, shooting, fencing; all these thingshe had gone in for as a boy, with the result that the town-bredLandauer, though an expert swordsman, was not, as regards physicaltraining, to be compared with him.
Helmar hoped at some future date to succeed hisfather in his practice, and to that end had worked hard, using, asa matter of fact, the University recreation rooms and grounds verylittle. It was, therefore, not strange that his companions shoulddoubt his ability to meet his adversary with any chance ofsuccess.
It is often small things that alter the course of aman's life, and so it was with Helmar. What he thought to be but amere incident in his career turned out to be the cross-roads of hisexistence.
During the time which elapsed before the duel, hepursued his studies in the same indomitable fashion, consideringbut little of his chances, assuring himself only of the justness ofhis cause.
His friend Osterberg, however, was greatlyconcerned, and passed many sleepless nights weighing thepossibilities of what might happen. Although he was to become aclergyman, and duelling was forbidden him, he nevertheless hadplenty of fight in him, and many times wished that he could relievehis friend of the self-imposed risk he was taking on hisbehalf.
Landauer, on the other hand, had too much of thevanity of the bully to cause him any uneasiness. He was confidentof his own superiority over Helmar, and discussed his inevitablesuccess wherever opportunity arose.
The day at last arrived, and early in the morningthe combatants met at the appointed place. Doctor Hertz was inattendance, and as the two young men stripped and stood graspingthe hilts of their swords, he eyed them critically.
Landauer he passed over with a glance, his neat,lithe figure was quite familiar to him, he knew his powers to afraction, and was perfectly aware that he would give a good accountof himself.
With George Helmar it was different. He had neverseen him before – it was his first appearance in the duellingworld. The doctor's critical glance quickly turned into one ofadmiration. The tall, loose figure, though perhaps not beautiful inan artistic sense, pleased him greatly. Helmar's back and chestwere ribbed with beautifully developed muscles, while his long,sinewy arms hung loosely at his sides, their very pose indicatingto his practised eye their perfect suppleness.
The old doctor liked what he saw in the newcandidate, and a grim smile played over his face as the word ofcommand was given.
The spot was a solitary one. The common that hadbeen selected was well away from the University, and admirablyadapted to an encounter such as this. The trees in the backgroundsheltered the combatants from observation in one direction, but forthe rest the common lay open and uninviting, and the chill morningair blowing across it made the onlookers think longingly of theirbeds.
Notwithstanding this, every eye was riveted on theduellists. No thought of the fact that pro