In a few minutes, we were mounted; and by that sort of electric telegraph of gossip which seems to run through and around every Virginia country house, the whole family and servants had apparently gained information of what we were about, and were collected in and around the porch to see us depart. I heard one dark fellow say to another, as they stood about the horses, in answer to some question,-- "A going to stop Miss Bab's servants being sold to Orleens, to be sure." "God bless 'em, Massa Thornton never let that," replied the other; "they stop 'em!" Even Bessy Davenport was there; and, after seeming to hesitate for a moment, she came up to the side of my horse just as I had mounted, and said in a low tone,-- "Had you not better take pistols with you, Cousin Richard? These men are often very violent and lawless." "No, no," I answered, holding up my riding whip, which had a very heavy iron head, cast in the form of an eagle; "I can give a good account of two or three with this; and I should not like to show that I meditated violence myself." Bending down my head as I spoke, I added, in a whisper,--"Forgive me, Bessy; I did not intend to trouble or annoy you by what I said this morning. I may not be so conceited and self-confident as you think all Englishmen are." She looked up frankly in my face, and, notwithstanding all the people round her, held out her hand to me. I pressed it in mine for a moment, and then galloped away. At the gate leading into the main road, we saw Billy Byles coming up from the right, mounted on a very handsome horse, which showed a little more blood than bone, and Mr. Thornton instantly hallooed him up. "Come along, Byles," he cried, "come along with us; you are just the sort of man we want. We are going hunting." "Hunting!" echoed bold Billy; "hunting what, in Heaven's name?" "A nigger-driver and his master," answered Mr. Thornton. "Lewis, the trader, bought, last night, all Aunt Bab's servants, notwithstanding our caveat against it; and we must catch him ere he gets to the state-line, or we may have trouble." "Tally ho!" cried Billy Byles. "We'll give him a chase. You ride on. I'll rouse the country as we go, and join you in five minutes. There's Toliver, and Turner, and Sam Hicks, and Whitehead and his son, all close to the road, men always ready for action; and these fellows will show fight, depend upon it. Stop at the cross road just on this side of Jerusalem." "No, no," said Mr. Thornton; "come to old Snead's hotel. You will find us there before the house. We shall get information there, and a warrant." "Oh, warrants! Damn warrants!" responded Billy Byles, "I am always my own warrant. But go on; I'll come, and not keep you."