he was,' an' I
spose I would, for I was pretty nearly choked, only I said to myself
when I went in, 'I'll go to de bottom before I'll come up to be tuck,'
so I jest held on by my toes an' waited.

"I didn't dare to cum out when dey rode away to try a new scent, an'
when I did I jest skulked round de edge ob de pond, ready to take to it
agen if I yearde dem, an' when night cum I started off an' run an'
walked agen hard's I could, an' den at day-dawn I tuck to anoder pond,
an' went on a log dat was stickin' in de water, and broke down some
rushes an' bushes enuf to lie down on an' cover me up, an' den I slept
all day, for I was drefful tired an' most starved too. Next evenin' when
it got dark, I went on agen, an' trabblin through de woods I seed a
little light, an' sartin dis time dat it was a darkey's cabin, I made
for it, an' it was. It was his'n,"--pointing to the big fellow who
stood beside him, and who nodded his head in assent.

"I had a palaver before he'd let me in, but when I was in I seed what de
matter was. He had a sojer dere, a Linkum sojer, bad wounded, what he'd
found in de woods,--he was a runaway hisself, ye see, like me,--an' he'd
tuck him to dis ole cabin an'd been nussin him on for good while. When I
seed dat I felt drefful bad, for I knowed dey was a huntin for me yet,
an' I tought if de dogs got on de trail dey'd get to dis cabin, sure:
an' den dey'd both be tuck. So I up an' tole dem, an' de sojer he says,
'Come, Jim, you've done quite enuff fur me, my boy. If you're in danger
now, be off with you fast as you can,--an' God reward you, for I never
can, for all you've done for me.'

"'No,' says Jim, 'Capen, ye needn't talk in dat way, for I'se not goin
to budge widout you. You got wounded fur me an' my people, an' now I'll
stick by you an' face any thing fur you if it's Death hisself!' That's
just what Jim said; an' de sojer he put his hand up to his face, an' I
seed it tremble bad,--he was weak, you see,--an' some big tears cum out
troo his fingers onto de back ob it.

"Den Jim says, 'Dis isn't a safe place for any on us, an' we'll have to
take to our heels agen, an' so de sooner we's off de better.' So he did
up some vittels,--all he had dere,--an' gave 'em to me to tote,--an' den
before de Capen could sneeze he had him up on his back, an' we was off.

"It was pretty hard work I kin tell you, strong as Jim was, an' we'd
have to stop an' rest putty ofen; an' den, Jim an' I, we'd tote him
atween