"confounded
Abolitionist." Thought he, "What a fool I was to let Prince and Jim Crow,
too, go off with that ar' chap! Thar's Prince, worth a hundred and fifty,
and Jim, at the least calculation, 'll fetch eight hundred. Well, anyway,
they can't get far on that dirt road, so if Jim isn't home by nine, I'll
go after 'em, that's so." Having settled the matter thus satisfactorily in
his own mind, he called for his horse and started for home.

Meantime Mr. Wilmot was slowly wending his way toward Mr. Middleton's. It
took but a short time for him to ascertain that the road was fully equal
to the description given of it by Mr. Edson. At times he could scarcely
keep his head, and he felt conscious, too, that the black machine behind
him was inwardly convulsed with laughter at his awkward attempts to guide
the horse in the best part of the road. At length he ventured a remark:

"Jim, is this animal ugly?"

"Ugly! Lor' bless you, marster, is you blind? As handsome a creetur as
thar is in the country!"

Mr. Wilmot understood that he had used the word ugly in its wrong sense,
so he said:

"I do not mean to ask if the horse is ill-looking, but is he skittish?"

"If marster means by that will he throw him off, I don't think he will as
long as I'm on him, but sometimes he is a leetle contrary like. Reckon
marster ain't much used to ridin'."

By this time they had reached the gate spoken of by Mr. Edson. To Mr.
Wilmot's great surprise the horse walked tip to it and tried to open it
with his mouth! Mr. Wilmot was so much amused that he would not suffer Jim
to get down and open the gate, as he wished to see if the horse could do
it.

"Oh, yes, marster, he'll do it easy," said the negro; and sure enough, in
a moment the well-trained animal lifted the latch and pushed open the
gate! But it was a rickety old thing, and before Prince had got fairly
through it tumbled down, hitting his heels and causing him to jump
sideways, so as to leave Mr. Wilmot riding the gate and Jim Crow in quiet
possession of the saddle! With a great effort Jim forced down his desire
to scream and merely showed twenty-eight very large, white teeth.

Springing from the horse he offered to assist Mr. Wilmot to mount again,
but he had no inclination to do so. He preferred walking the rest of the
way, he said, and as he could now easily find the house, Jim could return
home. This was not what Jim wanted. He had anticipated a nice time in
relating his adventures