[10] The rage for duelling is at such a pitch, that a jest or smart
repartee is sufficient excuse for a challenge, in which powder and ball
are the arguments. The Court of honour has proved unsuccessful in its
operation, and no person, it is said, has yet dared to stem the current
of popular opinion. The accuracy of the Creoles, with the pistol, is
said to be astonishing, and no youngster springing into life, is
considered entitled to the claims of manhood, until made the mark of an
adversary's bullet. In their shooting galleries, the test of their aim
is firing at a button at ten or twelve paces distance, suspended by a
wire, which, when struck, touches a spring that discloses a flag. There
are but few who miss more than once in three times. An appointment for a
duel is talked of with the _nonchalance_ of an invitation to a dinner or
supper party.