at the
moment when he expected that his prisoner would have made an effort for
his liberty, he, with great _solemnity_, commenced an enumeration of his
titles--I am, Sir Henry Barry, Deputy Adjutant General of the British
Army, Captain in the 52d Regiment, Secretary to the Commandant of
Charleston.' 'Enough, enough, sir,' said Manning, 'you are just the man
I was looking for; fear nothing for your life, you shall screen _me_
from danger, and I will take special care of _you_.' He had retired in
this manner some distance from the brick house, when he saw Captain
Robert Joiett of the Virginia line, engaged in single combat with a
British officer. They had selected each other for battle a little
before, the American armed with a broad-sword, the Briton with a musket
and bayonet. As they came together, a thrust was made at Joiett, which
he parried, and both dropping their artificial weapons, being too much
in contact to use them with effect, resorted to those with which they
had been furnished by nature. They were both men of great bulk and
vigour, and while struggling each anxious to bring the other to the
ground, a grenadier who saw the contest, ran to the assistance of his
officer, made a longe with his bayonet, missed Joiett's body, but drove
it beyond the curve into his coat. In attempting to withdraw the
entangled weapon, he threw both combatants to the ground; when getting
it free, he raised it deliberately, determined not to fail again in his
purpose, but to transfix Joiett. It was at this moment that Manning
approached--not near enough, however, to reach the grenadier with his
arm. In order to gain time, and to arrest the stroke, he exclaimed in an
angry and authoritative tone--'You damn'd brute, will you murder the
gentleman?' The soldier, supposing himself addressed by one of his own
officers, suspended the blow, and looked around to see the person who
had thus spoken to him. Before he could recover from the surprise into
which he had been thrown, Manning, now sufficiently near, struck him
with his sword across the eyes, and felled him to the ground; while
Joiett disengaged himself from his opponent, and snatching up the
musket, as he attempted to rise, laid him dead by a blow from the
butt-end of it. Manning was of inferior size, but strong, and remarkably
well formed. Joiett was almost a giant. This, probably, led Barry, who
could not have wished the particulars of his capture to be commented on,
to reply, when