In the chill of dawn we met within sound of the surf, and having stripped to our shirts, faced each other with the length of our two swords between.  Cludde was three or four inches shorter than I, but well made and muscular, and in mere strength I daresay there was little to choose between us.  But after a pass or two I knew (and the knowledge surprised me not a little), that I had no mean swordsman to deal with.  His riposte came quick upon my lunge; he had a very agile wrist; ’twas clear he had had much practice in a good school; and being determined not to do him a serious injury I put myself at some disadvantage and had much ado to avoid his point.  He was beset by no such scruples, I could see, and would willingly have taken my life, which made my task all the harder.

Finding him thus proficient in all the ordinary tricks of sword play, I saw myself in a difficulty.  I had no doubt that I could bring things to a speedy end by employing the special botte which Captain Galsworthy had taught me; and if we had been fencing for sport I should already have used it to disarm my adversary.  But fighting as we were (at least, as he was) in deadly earnest, I could not be sure that my botte would not be too successful, and that, instead of merely striking his sword from his hand, I should not run him through.  The caution I displayed was mistaken by him (and by his friends also, I suspect) for weakness, and gaining courage therefrom, he pressed me so hard that, unless I had gone instantly to the extremity I wished to avoid, I could not have parried the thrust which pinked me in the shoulder.

“He is hit!” cried Venables, running between us.

“You are now satisfied, Mr. Cludde?”

“If Mr. Bold will apologize,” says Simpson, after a glance at his principal.

“I am ready when Mr. Cludde is,” I said bluntly.

Certainly I would not apologize; besides, I was annoyed to think that, through my own forbearance, the fellow had drawn blood (though ’twas but a scratch).  And so we set-to again.

This time I no longer pursued the same purely defensive tactics, and before many passes had been exchanged I saw an opening for my botte, took instant advantage of it, and sent his sword spinning from his hand.  Cludde was too good a swordsman to be ignorant that I had purposely spared him, and I saw by the look in his eyes that he knew it and would fight no more.

“Mr. Cludde is now satisfied, I presume?” said Venables, at a look from me.

The contest was of course over.  At that moment I own I felt tempted to take Cludde’s crown piece from the string whereon it hung about my neck, and return it to him; but as a second thought showed me that to do so would be in a manner to heap humiliation on a beaten enemy, I forbore, conscious at the same time of an inward assurance that I should yet find a fitting time for that act of restoration.

The duel was much talked of among the officers of the fleet, and when Captain Vincent heard of it he, as I have said, took me to his heart.  By it I was sealed of the tribe of Benbow, and became, in my worthy captain’s eyes, one of the elect.