Thornton turned pale, and hesitated. He knew nothing of dueling, and therefore did not know that, being the challenged party, it was his privilege to name the weapons, the time and the place.
In a moment, he found Tad Horner at his elbow.
Where Tad had come from and how he happened to be there Tom could not conceive. But Tad was on hand, and he whispered:
"Take him up, old man—take him up! He is a regular fire-eater—in his mind. He thinks you will squeal. If he finds you will fight, he is sure to back out. He hasn't any real nerve. If he does fight, I'll fix it all right, for I will see that the pistols are loaded with blank cartridges. After the first shot, I will demand that the duel cease. Thus you will get the reputation of having fought a duel, without incurring any danger to yourself."
Thornton was pleased with the scheme. He wished to be considered a dare-devil sort of fellow, and he felt that it would give him a great reputation if he fought a real duel.
"Sir," he said, turning to Diamond, "I accept your challenge, and I shall do my best to shoot you through the heart!"
Five minutes later came the question:
"Gentlemen, are you ready?"
"All ready," answered both Diamond and Thornton.