Whilst making my toilette, Casey gave me a hurried sketch of how he
intended to proceed. It amounted to little more than a declaration of
his intention to make Monsieur Jacques Despard disgorge the stolen
property, or fight. In other words, Casey, believing himself to be in a
lawless land (and his experience to some extent seemed to justify the
belief), had determined upon taking the law into his own hands.
I saw that he no longer contemplated a duel with his light-fingered
adversary. On the contrary, he talked only of "pitching into the
fellow," and "taking the worth of his watch out of him." The angry
feeling he exhibited convinced me that he meant what he said; and that
the moment he should set eyes on the Frenchman, there would be a "row."
I saw that this would not do on any account, and for various reasons.
Monsieur Jacques Despard, if found at all, would, no doubt, be found to
have a fresh cap on the nipple of his pistol; and to be present at a
street fight, either as principal or backer, was not to my liking. I
had no ambition, either of catching a stray bullet, or of being locked
up in the New Orleans Calaboose; and by yielding to Casey's wish I
should be booked for one or the other.
Before completing my toilet, therefore, it occurred to me to suggest a
slight change in Casey's programme--which was to the effect that he
should stay where he was, and leave it to me to call at the address upon
the card. If it should prove that Monsieur Despard lived there, there
would be no difficulty in finding him whenever we should want him. If
the contrary, my going alone would be no great waste of time; and we
could afterwards adopt such measures as were necessary to bring him to
terms.
This advice appeared reasonable, and Casey consented to follow it,
charging me, as I left him, with the emphatic message--
"Tell the fellow if he don't challenge _me_, I'll challenge _him_, by
God!"
In five minutes afterwards, I was on my way with the card between my
fingers, and walking rapidly towards the Rue Dauphin.
Story 2, Chapter V.