One of the reasons for this “humorous” attitude in the English mind (it does not exist abroad) is because sometimes abroad young men, wishing to advertise themselves, or their political ideas, fight duels, all the time never intending to hit each other, and in fact intentionally firing in the air.
When two good shots “mean business,” a pistol duel is a very deadly affair, as is shown by the number of men who have been killed in them.
A duel with swords gives more advantage to a younger or a taller man, or to a man in the pink of condition, but a pistol duel will enable a much older man to hold his own.
The challenged has the right to choose weapons, and if he choose pistols it is understood that the meeting should be conducted with single-shot duelling pistols.
The British public are accustomed to confuse the words “pistol” and “revolver,” and most pistol duels are described as “duels with revolvers” by those not understanding such things; but the revolver is not recognized as a duelling weapon, and any fight with revolvers would on the Continent lead to a trial for murder if any one were killed.
In challenging, the person considering himself aggrieved asks two of his friends to act as his seconds, and these he sends to his adversary. The latter at once appoints two seconds for himself, and the four seconds then make all the necessary arrangements.
First they call upon a gunmaker—combatants in a duel are not allowed to use their own weapons—and two single-shot muzzle-loading duelling pistols of regulation pattern are chosen.
In the presence of the seconds these are loaded by the gunmaker and put into a case, which is then sealed.
This case is taken to the duelling ground by the gunmaker and the seal is not broken until everything else is ready, the reason of course being to prevent tampering with the pistols, or loads, or obtaining practice with that particular pair of pistols.
A doctor is present at the duel with all necessary appliances.