role of the bravo and bully, and that he did not intend to fight, and resolved on the course that I would pursue with him.  Mr. Fairfax and myself then called on Judge Barbour, and I repeated what I had said to Mr. Fairfax, adding that it would be shameful for two gentlemen, occupying such positions as they in society, to fall upon each other with knives like butchers or savages, and requesting him to dispense with the knives, which he still refused to do.  I then looked him straight in the eye and said, well, sir, if you insist upon those terms, we shall accept.  I saw his countenance change instantly.  “His coward lips did from their color fly;” and he finally stammered out that he would “waive the knife.”  Without consulting you, I had determined that if Barbour still insisted upon a conflict with Bowie-knives I would take your place, believing that he would not have any advantage over me in any fight he could make; and knowing, moreover, that you had involved yourself in the difficulty on my account, I thought it only just for me to do so.  But it was demonstrated in the sequel that Barbour was playing the game of bluff, and that he did not intend to fight from the start.  It was finally settled, however, that the combat should take place as first proposed, except that pistols only were to be used.  Mr. Fairfax and myself then commenced looking about for a room; but in the meantime the affair had been noised about town and we found it impossible to get one.  Mr. Fairfax then, after consulting Judge Barbour, proposed that the meeting should take place the next morning in Sutter County; to which I assented; and all the terms and preliminaries were arranged and agreed upon.  At that time there were two daily lines of stages leaving Marysville for Sacramento, and you and your friends were to go down the Sacramento road to a point below Bear River in advance of the stages, and I was to select a suitable place for the meeting.  Judge Barbour and his friends were to follow us in one of the coaches and I was to hail the driver as he approached the place of meeting.  You and your adversary were to be stationed one hundred yards apart, each armed with as many Colt’s revolvers as he chose to carry; to fire upon each other at the word, and to advance at pleasure and finish the conflict.  Our party was promptly on the ground according to agreement; and when the first coach came in sight I hailed the driver and found that Judge Barbour and his friends were not aboard, and the coach passed on a little below us and turned out of the road and stopped.  Soon after the other coach came in sight, and I again hailed the driver, who stopped the coach, and Judge Barbour instantly jumped out, and in a very excited manner said that he was going forward to the other coach, and called on the passengers “to take notice, that if that d——­d rascal” (pointing to you) “attacked him he would kill him.”  I stepped in front of Judge Barbour and said:  Hold!  Judge Field will not attack