My patience was exhausted, and I jumped off my horse, saying, "If you want more witnesses, sir, you shall have them." And at the same time, I laid the whip two or three times pretty severely over his shoulders. I believe he would have sprung at my throat like a tiger; but the constable coming up, took him by the collar and presented his warrant. There was a strong mixture of the lawyer and the bully in Robert Thornton's nature; and the sight of the legal instrument, duly signed and sealed, in an instant drew his attention in another direction. "This warrant is worth nothing," he said, turning to the constable, after having run his eye over the document; "and if you arrest me upon this, I shall have an action for false imprisonment against you." "I think you will find yourself mistaken," said the sheriff, with a smile. "It was drawn by Mr. Hubbard, and he does not often make mistakes." "Oh! oh! old Hubbard again!" cried the other. "Some day, I shall have to knock that old fool's brains out, I'm afraid." "Ay, they have stood in your way more than once, Bob," said Mr. Henry Thornton. "Well, we will bail this, of course," said the other, without taking any notice of what his relation had said. "That must be done at Jerusalem," said the sheriff; "so you had better mount your horse, and come along, sir." "Wait one moment," said Robert, looking at me. "I want a word or two with this gentleman first." "No violence, gentlemen, no violence," said the sheriff. "Oh, no violence in the world," answered Robert Thornton; "only I wish to know who my new acquaintance is." Thus saying, he walked a little aside, beckoning me to follow; but Billy Byles, who seemed to have a thorough knowledge of the gentleman, whispered as I went-- "Don't be provoked to challenge him by anything he can say. He wants the choice of weapons, and he'll choose something you're not accustomed to." The hint was a good one; and I really felt much obliged to him for it, as the people in this part of the world not unfrequently settle affairs of honour in various wild and unaccustomed ways, which would have strangely shocked old Brantome, and which, assuredly, were not anticipated in his book on duels. As soon as we had got a little distance from the rest, out of ear-shot, but not out of sight, Mr. Robert Thornton made me a low bow, as if about to begin a very polite conversation, and said-- "In the first place, sir, I wish to inquire the name of a gentleman with whom my acquaintance has commenced so auspiciously--his name, state, quality, and degree. "I will satisfy you immediately," I replied. "My name is Sir Richard Conway; my state, an English gentleman visiting Virginia; my quality, a baronet of Great Britain; and my degree, a major upon half-pay of the regiment of dragoons." "Well, then, Sir Richard Conway, baronet, major, &c., I look upon you as a d--d blackguard and scoundrel." And he stared me straight in the face.