Duel ends in dramatic fashion as gunshot draws confusion
AS if the first duel in Levuka wasn’t enough, The Fiji Times carried a report of another duel that took place in the town.
On July 11, 1874, this newspaper reported a duel which involved the Consul of Hawaii.
The consul was drinking up a storm with a mate at one of the town pubs.
“They drank, conversed and all seemed well. Then they began to argue, and, as discussion grew warm, they got thirsty,” reported The Fiji Times.
“Glasses were replenished,and discussion became acrimonious. Until the barman left the room to check on something. Upon his return he found the two friends, locked firmly in each other’s embrace, rolling upon the floor and kicking and biting.
He was a man of peace and made peace, and left them for the purpose of bringing in drinks to ratify the reconciliation. But, alas, “How hard to reconcile the foes who once were friends”, described The Fiji Times.
The men were out for blood and no one dared to intervene in their fight.
At the end, a meeting was arranged. “They would not be blackguards; and fight with fists but would meet like gentlemen, with pistols,” reported this newspaper.
The duel was arranged to take place in the “stilly night, off Niukaba Point.”
The distance between the two was measured at 50 paces, more or less and a mediator was placed between them to give the signal.
At the wave of the mediator, the two men leveled their pistols at each other and shot.
The Fiji Times reported that only shot was heard which drew confusion between the two men.
The Consul of Hawaii thought he had taken a bullet and cried out: “Tell my wife I died game. Hurrah for Hawaii!” before he fell down in dramatic fashion (he had fainted).
The crowd that were present rushed to pick him up and after seeing that he was not injured, took him home to sleep it off.
Upon close investigation, it was found that when the consul was about to raise his pistol to fire, the cap dropped off and overcome by the sound of the shot from his rival, tripped on a stone and fell.
It was later found, (much to their embarrassment) that both pistols were loaded with blank charges.