Page:Narrative of a captivity and adventures in France and Flanders between the years 1803 and 1809.djvu/57

 the incongruous mixture of all ranks and fortunes, in Verdun, there arose a diversity of humour and eccentricity, from which, frequent quarrelling and duelling might have been expected; but, considering that there were assembled, under the most distressing circumstances, about one thousand persons of all pursuits, devoid of even a hope of restoration to liberty, which might be supposed to sour the temper, duels but seldom occurred: not more than three or four proved fatal during the eleven years; and those which took place, appeared to proceed more from fashionable compulsion, than from any revengeful desire of reparation; the cause of almost every quarrel could be traced to gambling, wine, or women. There was, however, one duel worth mentioning; two mids, both under fourteen years of age, were found shooting at each other across a table, in their lodging, and nothing but the bursting open the door, and forcibly taking their pistols from them, put an end to the combat. Amongst the various allurements to iniquity, the gambling table,