"
"'Bijah? Abijah, hey? well, I don't please; however, it's none of my
name. Well, 'Bijah, how came you two to be looking like a couple of
animated skeletons? that's the next question."
"Yes, massa."
"I say, how came you to be starved? Hai'n't they nothing but roots and
berries up your way? Mass' George Wingate must have a jolly time,
feasting, in that case. Come, what's your story? Out with the whole pack
of lies at once."
"I hope massa thinks we wouldn't tell nuffin but de truf," said Jim, who
had not before spoken save to say, "Thankee,"--"cause if he don't bleeve
us, ain't no use in talkin'."
"You shut up! I ain't conversing with you, rawbones! Speak when you're
spoken to! Come, 'Bijah, fire away."
"Bery good, massa. Ye see I'se Mass' George Wingate's boy. Mass' George
he lives in de back country, good long way from de coast,--over a
hundred miles, Jim calklates,--an' Jim's smart at calklating; well,
Mass' George he's not berry good to his people; never was, an' he's been
wuss'n ever since the Linkum sojers cum round his way, 'cause it's made
feed scurce ye see, an' a lot of de boys dey tuck to runnin' away,--so
what wid one ting an' anoder, his temper got spiled, an' he was mighty
hard on us all de time.
"At las' I got tired of bein' cuffed an' knocked round, an' den I yearde
dat if our people, any of dem, got to de Fedral lines dey was free, so I
said, 'Cum, 'Bijah,--freedom's wuth tryin' for'; an' one dark night I
did up some hoe-cake an' a piece of pork an' started.
Pages:
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179