he would wait until the darky had his supper.

"Very well, den. You eat your lunch and I will go back to my
rail-splittin'. When you get through, just lay down in Pomp's bunk and
go to sleep. I'll have you up at seven o'clock."

The darky went out, and Tom, being left to himself, proceeded to look
about him. The cabin, which was built of rails, was barely large enough
to seat two men at the table; but it was tight, and as the most the
darkies had to do was to eat and sleep under it, it had plenty of room
in it. Besides, there was a bench beside the door, and when the darkies
were tired of working, that was the place for them to "loaf." By the
time he had made these observations his bacon and johnny cake were gone,
and he got up and crept into Pomp's bunk.

By the time he awoke it was pitch dark, save where the faint light from
the dying fire which the negro had kindled to cook his supper shone
through the open doorway. The terrific snores which came from the bunk
at his feet told him that the darky had long ago retired to rest, but he
was hungry, and he crept out of bed to see if anything had been left for
him. He found a pot of coffee and a huge chunk of bacon and johnny cake
waiting for him on the coals, and as the fire had not had time to burn
itself out, they were as warm as when they first were cooked. But by
certain signs which he discovered while disposing of the good things the
darky had provided for him, he found that he had been asleep longer than
he had thought, and that daylight was not far off, and finally the negro
started up from an apparently sound sleep, threw aside the blankets with
a frantic sweep of his arm, and sat up and looked about him.

"Hi! dere you is," said he. "I fix up dat fire fo' times during de
night, but you was sleepin' so soundly that I couldn't b'ar to waken you
up. Has you got plenty?"

"Plenty, thank you. It's about four o'clock, isn't it?"

The negro pulled himself entirely out of bed, put on his shoes, and went
out and looked about him. After looking in vain for several stars which
he ought to have found, but could not, he announced that his guest had
struck the hour pretty closely.

"Well, then, while you are cooking your own breakfast, couldn't you put
on a little mess for me? You see, I am not bound for my uncle's house
just now. I have to go down to the landing to meet the steamer _John
Clark_ there, and get a trifling sum of money that one of the passengers
will have