Tom should take with him, handed the bundle to him with one
hand, and reached out for the axe with the other.

"Ise ready now if you is, sar."

This was all that passed between them. Tom got up, pointed out the path
he wished the negro to follow in order to reach the narrowest part of
the stream, which he had examined the day before, and fell in behind
him; and it is a noticeable fact that he kept the black in front of him
all the way to the stream. It is true that the man had no weapon but his
axe, but with such an article, if he could only get the start with it,
he could easily march him before his master, and that was the very place
he didn't want to go. Such things had been done, and Tom did not see why
they could not be done again. In a few minutes they reached the bank of
the bayou, and when the negro saw it, he leaned on his axe and shook his
head.

"You knows what you want to do, don't you, sar?" he asked.

"Yes, I know just what I want to do," replied Tom. "Cut down this tree
first."

The negro glanced at the top of the tree in order to see which way it
would fall, cut a few bushes out of his way, and went to work. A few
blows with the axe brought the tree down and it lodged on the opposite
bank. Two more trees were cut down and the bridge was completed.

"Good-by, Snowball," said Tom, extending his closed hand toward the
negro. "I don't want you to do this for nothing. Here's a dollar to pay
you for your trouble."

"I--I don't want it, sar," replied the darky, drawing back. "I hope dat
money won't sink you afore you get across de river, but I'm mighty jubus
about it."

"What money?"

"General Mason's five thousand dollars, sar."

"Do you suppose I have got that amount of money stowed away about me?
Why, man, it's a valiseful. This money is all honest."

"I can't help dat, sar. I can't shake hands with you, either. I would be
afraid it would take all the strength out of my arms so't I couldn't
split more rails."

"All right, then. You stand here on the bank and see me work my way
across. I bet you that all the money I have about my clothes will not
sink me if I do fall overboard."

As Tom spoke he stepped recklessly upon the bridge. We say "recklessly,"
because had he taken more pains to examine the fastenings on the
opposite bank he would have been more careful. He had nearly crossed the
bayou when the log on which he was walking tipped a little, and although
Tom made frantic efforts to save