these I became aware, or rather guessed, that he
was telling me the story of his captivity among these people, and I
tried eagerly to get him to speak English; but he did not seem to heed
me, going on rapidly, and apparently bent on getting us away.

I caught such words as "fever--prisoner--my head--years--misery--
despair--always--savage--doctor"--but only in the midst of a long
excited account which he said more to himself. I was at last paying
little heed to him when two words stood out clear and distinctly from
the darkness of his savage speech, words that sent a spasm through me
and made me catch at his arm and try to speak, but only to emit a few
gasping utterances as he bent down to me staring as if in wonder.

The words were "fellow-prisoner;" and they made me stop short, for I
felt that I had really and providentially hit upon the right place after
all, and that there could be only one man likely to be a
fellow-prisoner, and that--my poor father.

It was impossible to flee farther, I felt, and leave him whom I had come
to seek behind.

Then common sense stepped in and made me know that it was folly to stay,
while Jimmy supplemented these thoughts by saying:

"Black fellow come along fas. Mass Joe no gun, no powder pop, no
chopper, no knife, no fight works 'tall."

"Where is he?" I said excitedly, as I held the arm of our guide.

"Blacks--coming after us."

He talked on rapidly in the savage tongue and I uttered a groan of
despair.

"What um say, Mass Joe?" whispered Jimmy excitedly. "Talk, talk, poll
parrot can't say know what um say. Come along run way fas. Fight
nunner time o," he added. "Black fellow come along."

He caught my arm, and, following our guide, we hurried on through the
darkness, which was so dense that if it had not been for the wonderful
eyesight of my black companion--a faculty which seemed to have been
acquired or shared by our guide--I should have struck full against the
trunk of some tree. As it was, I met with a few unpleasant blows on arm
or shoulder, though the excitement of our flight was too great for me to
heed them then.

I was in despair, and torn by conflicting emotions: joy at escaping and
at having reached the goal I had set up, misery at having to leave it
behind just when I had found the light. It might have been foolish,
seeing how much better I could serve him by being free, but I felt ready
to hurry back and share my father's captivity, for I felt assu