captain which decided you and
your father and grandfather to come on her."

So ran the story hurriedly, but before it had got thus far Hugh's
attention, in spite of him, was divided. It was wise, we have implied,
for Ramsey to take the exhorter while he was in a manageable humor. He
had come to the roof with an improved regard, got by his fall in the
cabin, for the "'Piscopalian play-actoh," and with brute shrewdness was
glad to make an outward show of good-will to Gilmore, and accepted with
avidity every pretty advance of Gid Hayle's "bodacious brick-top gal."
Hugh could hear him answering Ramsey's inquiries regarding various
pieces of river seen or unseen during the day.

"Spanish-moss Ben'? Why, they calls it that by reason 'at when we-all
used to come down the riveh in flatboats, that's whah we al'ays fus' see
the moss a-swingin' f'om the trees. Yass, sawt o' like scalps f'om
wigwam poles. An' that ho'pe us to know whah'bouts we 'uz at. We knowed
we 'uz at Spanish-moss Ben'. Didn' we, Mr. play-actoh?"

The actor would have said yes, but the fountain of information flowed
straight on: "Yass, same as at Islan' Ten--aw Twenty--aw any numbeh, we
knowed by count we 'uz that many islan's f'om whah the Ohio comes in. Ef
that wah the tenth islan' we'd seed then we knowed that 'uz Islan' Ten
aw whaheveh it wah, whetheh it wah a' islan' yit aw b'en j'inded on to
the main sho' sence it got its numbeh."

They were rounding Cypress Bend and Ramsey had asked another question.
"Was this where you first used to see cypress woods?"

"Thundeh, no! This gits h-its name by reason 'at they steals mo'
millions o' dollahs wuth o' cyp'ess timbeh f'om the gove'ment out'n this
ben' than any otheh on the whole Fatheh o' Watehs, es the Injins say.
You know that, Mr. play-actoh. Lawd! all the places ain't name' alike.
'Way back down yondeh whah we met the _Troubado'_ this mawnin'----"

"Oh!" moaned Ramsey, "another o' pop-a's boats!"

"Yass, whilst you-all 'uz a-temptin' Provi-_dence_ a-practisin' of a
play! Down yondeh by Islan' Ninety, Seary's Islan'--which it ain't be'n
a raal islan' these fawty year'--you 'membeh, Mr. play-actoh, that ole
san'-bah jess below it, full o' snags as my granny's mouth, which befo'
the earthquake it used to be a reg-lah death-trap fo' flatboats? Well,
_you_ know h-it didn' git its name by reason 'at anybody fo' the fust
time see thah Gen'al Hull's Lef' Leg! No; an' likewise away up yondeh
pas' the Tennesse