He was a mere
youth, a serious-minded Scot, and of a different sort from Captain
Falconer: 'twas one of the elegant captain's ways, and evidence of his
breadth of mind, to make friends of men of other kinds than his own.
Young Campbell and I, comparing our recollections of the country,
found that we both knew of a little open hollow hidden by thickets,
quite near the Kingsbridge tavern, which would serve the purpose.
Captain Falconer's duties made a daylight meeting difficult to
contrive without exposing his movements to curiosity, and other
considerations of secrecy likewise preferred a nocturnal affair. We
therefore planned that the four of us, and an Irish surgeon named
McLaughlin, should appear at the Kingsbridge tavern at ten o'clock on
a certain night for which the almanac promised moonlight, and should
repair to the meeting-place when the moon should be high enough to
illumine the hollow. The weapons were to be rapiers. The preliminary
appearance at the tavern was to save a useless cold wait in case one
of the participants should, by some freak of duty, be hindered from
the appointment; in which event, or in that of a cloudy sky, the
matter should be postponed to the next night, and so on.
The duel was to occur upon a Wednesday night. On that afternoon I was
in the town, having carried some despatches from our outpost to
General De Lancey, and thence to General Knyphausen; and I was free
for a few minutes to go home and see my mother.
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