 Three men stood on the bank of the lazy moving river and gazed into the surrounding darkness. They conversed in low tones as the muddy river lapped against the bank and rocked the rowboat tied up at their feet. Though he could barely see the outlines of his friends, the youngest man of the trio sensed their nervousness. They were his seconds, and he would soon be on the island in the center of the river fighting a strange duel. A duel in darkness, a strange animal-like battle to death among the thick woods and swamps that covered Long Tom Island.