."
He broke them one after another, and every one had a chicken in it, or
else it was bad. "Well, never mind," he said. "Let's see what the
bread-and-butter's like." He bit into a piece, but he did not swallow any.
"Tastes kind of musty; from the hay, I reckon; and the meat seems kind of
old. But they always give the sailors spoilt provisions, and this
bread-and-butter will do you first-rate, Pony. You'll be so hungry you can
eat anything. Say, you ain't afraid now, are you, Pony?"

"No, not now," said Pony, but he did not fire up this time as he did
before at the notion of his being afraid.

Jim Leonard said, "Because, maybe I can't get mother to let me come here
again. If she takes a notion, she won't. But I'm going to watch out, and
as soon as supper's over, and I've got the cow into the lot, and the
morning's wood in, I'm going to try to hook off. If I don't get here to
stay all night with you I'll be around bright and early in the morning, to
wake you and start you. It won't be light now much before six, anyway."

XII

HOW JIM LEONARD BACKED OUT, AND
PONY HAD TO GIVE IT UP

It all seemed very strange to Pony. First, Jim Leonard was going to run
off with him on a raft, and then he was going to have Pony go by land and
follow him on the raft; then suddenly he fixed it so that Pony was going
alone, and he was going to pass the last night with him in the barn; and
here, all at once, he was only coming, maybe, to see him off in the
morning. It made Pony feel very forlorn, but he did not like to say
anything for fear Jim Leonard would call him cowardy-calf.

It was near sunset, on a cool day in the beginning of October, and the
wind was stirring the dry blades in the corn-patch at the side of the
barn. They made a shivering sound, and it made Pony lonesomer and
lonesomer. He did not want to run off, but he did not see how he could
help it. Trip stood at the wood-house door, looking at him, but he did not
dare to come to Pony as long as he was near the barn. But when Pony
started towards the house Trip came running and jumping to him, and Pony
patted him and said, "Poor Trip, poor old Trip!" He did not know when he
should see such another dog as that.

The kitchen door was open, and a beautiful smell of frying supper was
coming out. Pretty soon his mother came to the open door, and stood
watching him patting Trip. "Well, have you made up with poor old Trip,
Pony? Why don't you come in, child? You look so c