決鬥 - 古德明

決鬥 - 古德明

BritishColonelGuise,goingoveronacampaigntoFlandersduringtheFrenchRevolutionaryWars,showedmuchkindnesstoayoungrawofficer.SomewagstoldtheyoungmanthathewouldbedespisedifhedidnotchallengetosinglecombatsomeofficerofknowncouragelikeColonelGuise.Sotheyoungmanapproachedthecolonel,faltering,"I'mtoldImustfightsomegentlemanwhohaskilledseveralpersons....""Oh,sir,"interruptedthecolonel,"youdometoomuchhonour,butthereisagentleman(pointingtoafierce-lookingman)whohaskilledhalftheregiment."
Soupwenttheyoungofficertotheman,andtoldhimhewaswellinformedofhisbravery,andforthatreasonhemustfighthim."Who,I,sir?Why,Iamtheapothecary."
法國革命戰爭期間,英國吉茲上校渡海到佛蘭德斯作戰,途中對一名初入伍的年輕軍官十分照顧。有惡作劇者告訴那年輕人說,他不挑戰一個像吉茲上校那樣英勇著名的軍官,和他單打獨鬥,就會被人瞧不起。那年輕人於是走到吉茲上校跟前,期期艾艾說:「有人告訴我,必須跟一位殺過幾個人的好漢格鬥……」吉茲上校不待他把話講完,就說:「老兄,你太過抬舉我了。這裏有一位好漢(他指指一個凶神惡煞的人),軍團一半人都死在他手下。」
那年輕人於是走到這好漢跟前,說深知他英勇,因此得和他一戰。「什麼,我?啊,我是軍中的藥劑師。」