sive_ toward Hughs; and, at the first approach
of the latter, I dealt a blow, in my desperation, which fairly sickened
my youthful assailant. He went off, bending over with pain, and
manifesting no disposition to come within my reach again. The poor
fellow was in the act of trying to catch and tie my right hand, and
while flattering himself with success, I gave him the kick which sent
him staggering away in pain, at the same time that I held Covey with a
firm hand.

Taken completely by surprise, Covey seemed to have lost his usual
strength and coolness. He was frightened, and stood puffing and blowing,
seemingly unable to command words or blows. When he saw that poor Hughes
was standing half bent with pain--his courage quite gone the cowardly
tyrant asked if I "meant to persist in my resistance." I told him "_I
did mean to resist, come what might_;" that I had been by him treated
like a _brute_, during the last six months; and that I should stand it
_no longer_. With that, he gave me a shake, and attempted to drag me
toward a stick of wood, that was lying just outside the stable door. He
meant to knock me down with it; but, just as he leaned over to get the
stick, I seized him with both hands by the collar, and, with a vigorous
and sudden snatch, I brought my assailant harmlessly, his full length,
on the _not_ overclean ground--for we were now in the cow yard. He had
selected the place for the fight, and it was but right that he should
have all the advantges(sic) of his own selection.

By this time, Bill, the hiredman, came home. He had been to Mr.
Hemsley's, to spend the Sunday with his nominal wife, and was coming
home on Monday morning, to go to work. Covey and I had been skirmishing
from before daybreak, till now, that the sun was almost shooting his
beams over the eastern woods, and we were still at it. I could not see
where the matter was to terminate. He evidently was afraid to let me
go, lest I should again{189} make off to the woods; otherwise, he would
probably have obtained arms from the house, to frighten me. Holding me,
Covey called upon Bill for assistance. The scene here, had something
comic about it. "Bill," who knew _precisely_ what Covey wished him to
do, affected ignorance, and pretended he did not know what to do. "What
shall I do, Mr. Covey," said Bill. "Take hold of him--take hold of him!"
said Covey. With a toss of his head, peculiar to Bill, he said, "indeed,
Mr. Covey I want to go to work." _"T