"I guess you don't know your way in this here wood by moonlight, Mr. Horton," answered Bill Bowen, laughing; "but we're all right for all that. That is the spot where we appointed to meet that young Englishman and your precious cousin, Mr. Mortimer Percy, who ought to be ashamed of himself for taking a Britisher's part against his own countryman, and against his own flesh and blood, too, as far as that goes." "Curse him!" muttered Augustus between his teeth. "Curse him, and welcome, sir, for my part--but this is where we promised to meet him and his friend. We're close against Craig's plantation. You could see the nigger huts through the trees if the leaves were not so tarnation thick." "Hark!" said the young planter; "what's that?" The rustling of the leaves announced the arrival of the two men for whom they waited. They approached by the same pathway as that by which Augustus and Bill had come. "What's that?" echoed Bowen; "why, it's your cousin and his friend, I guess; so keep your powder dry." Mortimer Percy and Gilbert Margrave drew near them as William Bowen spoke. The four men bowed stiffly to each other. "I fear that we have kept you waiting," said Mortimer. "We lost our way in the dusk, and have wasted ten minutes in finding it." "Bowen and I have only just arrived," answered Augustus. "Have you brought your own weapons?" "We couldn't get a pair of dueling pistols in the neighborhood," replied Percy; "but I have brought a case of revolvers." "Revolvers be hanged!" cried Bowen, advancing between Augustus Horton and his cousin. "I'll tell you what it is, gentlemen; the best thing that you can do is to fight with these here carbines--neither of which has ever missed fire since they came out of the gun-maker's hands. See yonder!" he added, pointing to a circular dell, shut in by the trees which sheltered it, and light as day in the broad moonbeams; "see there, gentlemen, yonder bit of ground ain't above a hundred feet broad, take it which way you will, so my advice is this, take up your stand on each side of the circle, and at a given signal advance upon each other. That'll give your duel the additional charm of the chase. What say you?" "You forget," said Mr. Mortimer; "Mr. Margrave does not know the ground." "Then we are perfectly equal upon that point," replied Augustus Horton; "for Bowen will tell you that I never set foot here until to-night." "Come, gentlemen," cried Bill, impatiently, "is it agreed?" "It is!" answered Gilbert Margrave and Mortimer Percy. "Then choose your weapon," said Bowen, handing Mortimer the two carbines. The young man carefully measured the instruments of death, and returned one to his cousin's second. "Are they loaded?" he asked. "No," answered Bowen, handing him powder and ball. "Will you remain on this side of the ground?" "Yes." "Good! then it is for you to cross over to the other side of yonder dell, I guess. Mr. Horton, come!" "But the signal?" exclaimed Mortimer.