t pay any heed, thinking that Morgan or one of the blacks
had turned in his sleep; but the noise came again and again, and then
there was a loud ejaculation, and directly after I heard a familiar
voice exclaim--

"Bodder de ole han'! Oh, how um do hurt!"

"Can't you sleep, Pomp?" I whispered, as I crept softly to his side.

"Dat you, Mass' George?"

"Yes; I say, can't you sleep?"

"Yes, Mass' George. Pomp can't sleep ebber so, but dis 'tupid han'
won't let um."

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes. Big hot fly in um keep goin' froo. Pomp goin' take off de rag."

"No, no; let it be; it will soon be better. Go to sleep."

"Han' say no go sleep. Let's go an' try find de coon."

"No, no; we are not at home now. We can't go out of the fort."

"Out ob de fort?"

"Well, outside of the big fence."

Pomp gave a little laugh.

"Why, Pomp go over easy 'nuff."

"But it's against orders," I said. "Here, I can't sleep either. Let's
go and have a talk to the sentries."

Pomp jumped up at once, and without waking the others, we walked slowly
to the gate, where one of the sentries challenged us and let us go on,
after recognising me, the man saying with a laugh--

"That anybody with you, sir?"

"Yes," I said; "our boy Pompey."

"Oh! Shouldn't hardly have thought it. Looks like a bit o' the black
night out for a walk in a pair o' white cotton drawers."

"Him laugh at Pomp," said the boy, as we went on.

"Yes; it was only his fun."

"But what um mean 'bout de dark night in cottum drawer?"

"Oh, nothing. Nonsense!"

"Yes, nonsense; Pomp know better. Night can't wear cottum drawer. All
'tuff."

"Hush! Don't talk so loud."

"Den why say dat, an' make fun ob poor lil nigger? I know dat man.
Wait bit; I make fun ob him, an' Mass' George an' me laugh den."

"Will you be quiet, Pomp?"

"Yes; Pomp be ebber so quiet. Wait till laugh at him."

"Who goes there?" came from just ahead, out of the darkness.

"Mass' George an' me," said Pomp, promptly.

I hastened to give the word, and we were allowed to pass on, to be
challenged again and again, till we reached the part of the palisade on
the farther side of the block-house.

Here the sentry proved to be one of the men who had rowed out to us in
Colonel Preston's boat; and as he asked about my wound and Pomp's hand,
we stopped by him where upon the raised platform he stood, firelock in
hand, gazing over the great fence toward the forest.

"So your hurts w