ther. She must, Scoggins, she must."

It was not long after this, before Scoggins took me aside, and in a
friendly manner advised me not to go to the widow's again; that she was
a bad and a meddlesome person withal. I did not visit her afterwards;
indeed, I had no opportunity to do so, for the day following the
incidents I here related, in company with Edmonds and Scoggins, I left
the settlement for Fort Towson--about one hundred and fifty miles east.
Our object was to play cards with the officers at the fort, and lighten
them of some of their change. We also expected to fall in with some of
the half-bred Choctaws, who are not inexpert in the shuffle. Edmonds and
Scoggins were ordinary players, and depended on my skill. The former was
a shrewd fellow, a Georgian by birth--aged about forty-five; the latter,
a Canadian, was about the same age. They had served together during the
war of 1812, and in the same company. Two more peculiar men could not be
found. Like a pair of well-trained horses, I saw very soon, after we
joined company, they pulled together. They had a negro with them, who
was deaf and dumb; and he was one of the best servants I ever saw. He
had been Edmonds' attendant for fifteen years, and was, I should think,
about fifty years old. This old negro knew every route from Canada to
Texas. He would stand and sleep, like a horse, for hours, and seemed to
care much more for horses than he did for himself. I thought there was
something more than at first appeared about the old darkey. While at the
fort, he would, in our company, stand for hours, it seemed to me
listening attentively to all that was said, and appearing to understand
it. He was very submissive and polite to any one who noticed him, and,
from the beginning, appeared to take a wonderful liking to me. At Fort
Towson I tried to get rid of Edmonds and Scoggins, telling them I had
resolved to leave them, and that I was going to cross the Nation to Fort
Smith, about one hundred and fifty miles distant. They appeared to like
the route I had chosen, and said they would accompany me. While at Fort
Towson, I discovered that both of my companions had a large number of
acquaintances there, mixed in among the Indians; and, likewise, that
many of the slaves appeared to know them.

We finally left the fort, in company with ten Choctaws. I had purchased,
while in the nation, twelve head of horses, two of which were quarter
horses, that is, intended to run a quarter