"'I see it so plainly,' returned the colonel, with alarming coolness,
'that I should already have blown out the brains of your horse, but for
the fear lest mine, in a moment of terror, should precipitate me with
yourself, to the bottom of the abyss.'"

"I remarked, in fact, that the colonel already held his pistols in his
hands. We both maintained almost profound silence. Our horses felt the
danger like ourselves, and remained as immovable as if their feet were
nailed to the ground. My excitement had entirely subsided. 'What are we
going to do?' I demanded of the colonel."

"'Draw lots which of the two shall leap into the ravine.'"

"It was, in truth, the sole means of resolving the difficulty. 'There
are, nevertheless, some precautions to take,' said the Colonel."

"'He who shall be condemned by the lot, shall retire backward. It will
be but a feeble chance of escape for him, I admit; but, in short, there
is a chance, and especially one in favor of the winner,'"

"'You cling not to life, then?' I cried out, terrified at the
_sang-froid_ with which this proposition was put to me."

"'I cling to life more than yourself,' sharply replied the colonel, 'for
I have a mortal outrage to avenge. But the time is fast slipping away.
Are you ready to proceed to draw the last lottery at which one of us
will ever exist?"

"How were we to proceed to this drawing by lot? By means of the wet