a shortened
form of
Mr. Midshipman Easy, an 1836
novel by
English naval
captain and author,
Captain Frederick Marryat (1792-1848). The story is of a young
man named
Jack Easy and his adventures as a
midshipman at
sea. It includes a hilariously narrated duel that occurs between
Jack and two of his shipmates,
Mr. Biggs and
Mr. Easthupp. As there are three people to participate in the duel, it is resolved that in
order to be fair, a
triangle would be drawn, each side of it equal to the others. The three men are positioned at the corners of the
triangle in such a way that
Mr. Easy fires at
Mr. Biggs,
Mr. Biggs fires at
Mr. Easthupp, and
Mr. Easthupp fires at
Mr. Easy. After a lengthy discussion resolving who would
shoot at who the duel takes
place and a couple of
minor wounds are sustained.