Was anyone else reminded of "The Prisoner of Zenda" when Flashman was dragooned into substituting for the young prince? Unfortunately, the duel in the castle went on far too long, and was a poor imitation of the one in the 1937 version of P of Z between Raymond Massey and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
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It's a pretty hilarious spin on The Prisoner of Zenda, where the hero is bullied and badgered into the duplicity, and takes every opportunity he can to either get out of it or to exploit it to his benefit.
The duel is up there with The Court Jester in terms of what you would call parody duel, in which tropes from classic duels are subverted and lampooned. It's not supposed to be as good as the one in Prisoner of Zenda, which was actually between Fairbanks and Ronald Colman (actually his double, going by the way the scene is shot).
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"Don't make me use the other end."
In the novel, the punch line is that an elderly Flashman (the novel is in the first person) has a bit too much port at his club,and tells the story to a young Anthony Hope,who steals it, changes the names,and has a great sucesss with it...much for Flashy's chargin, since he does not get a penny from it.
I'll Teach You To Laugh At Something's That's Funny
Homer Simpson
George MacDonald Fraser had a very deft touch in his writing - he never seemed to miss a chance to include an amusing detail.
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