is away. When de Yankees come snoopin' long de East
Sho'--I reck'n maybe it des a yeah after dat time when we done buried
de ol' Co'nel--dey burned Missus Caton's house clah to de groun'; de ol'
Missus was in Richmond den, an' de few niggers left jest natchally took
to de woods. I went into Richmond huntin' de ol' Missus, but, Lawd,
Massa Jack, I nebber foun' nuthin' ob her in dat crowd. Den an' officer
man done got me, an' put me diggin' in de trenches. Ef dat's what wah
am, I sho' don' want no mo' wah. Den after dat I jest natchally drifted.
I reckon I libbed 'bout eberywhar yo' ebber heard ob, fo' dar want no
use ob me goin' back to de East Sho'. Somebody said dat de West am de
right place fo' a nigger, an' so I done headed west."

He dropped his face in his black hands, and was silent for some minutes,
but Keith said nothing, and finally the thick voice continued:

"I tell yo', Massa Jack, it was mighty lonely fo' Neb dem days. I didn't
know whar any ob yo' all was, an' it wan't no fun fo' dis nigger
bein' free dat away. I got out ter Independence, Missouri, an' was
roustaboutin' on de ribber, when a coupple ob men come along what wanted
a cook to trabbel wid 'em. I took de job, an' dat's what fetched me here
ter Carson City."

"But what caused your arrest?"

"A conjunction ob circumstances, Massa Jack; yes, sah, a conjunction ob
circumstances. I got playin' pokah ober in dat 'Red Light,' an' I was
doin' fine. I reckon I'd cleaned up mo'n a hundred dollars when I got
sleepy, an' started fo' camp. I'd most got dar w'en a bunch ob low
white trash jumped me. It made me mad, it did fo' a fact, an' I reckon
I carved some ob 'em up befo' I got away. Ennyhow, de marshal come down,
took me out ob de tent, an' fetched me here, an' I ben here ebber sence.
I wan't goin' ter let no low down white trash git all dat money."

"What became of the men you were working for?"

"I reckon dey went on, sah. Dey had 'portent business, an' wouldn't
likely wait 'roun' here jest ter help a nigger. Ain't ennybody ben here
ter see me, no-how, an' I 'spects I'se eradicated from dey mem'ry--I
'spects I is."

Chapter V. The One Way

Keith said nothing for some moments, staring up at the light stealing in
through the window grating, his mind once again active. The eyes of the
black man had the patient look of a dog as they watched; evidently he
had cast aside all responsibility, now that this other had come. Finally
Keith spoke