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Then his weight came against me and I fell beneath him, stabbing him in the belly as I fell. I saw his mighty jaws open to crush my head. Then they shut again and through them burst a whine like that of a hurt dog. Bes had driven his spear into the lion's breast, so deep that the point of it came out through the back. Still he was not dead, only now it was Bes he sought.
This however I could not do for a long while because of my own laughter and the noise of the drums and horns that were soothing Bes to his rest. For now I understood why he had preferred to be a slave in Egypt rather than a king in Ethiopia. In the morning I rose before the dawn and went out to the river-bank to bathe.
"Well, sir, it looks to me as how he bes figgerin' to keep ye in Chance Along till June. He bes t'inkin' as how the young lady may blow 'round to his own idee," replied Bill. "And what is his idea?" "As how he bes a better man nor ye be." "But why does he figure to keep me until June? Why not until July, or August or next Christmas?" "Well, sir, ye see it bes this way wid him.
"Th' ain't none 'cept de bes' quality keep they word dat-a-way," said Ned, as he went off to tell Uncle Ben in the kitchen. Was there ever, in all this wide country, a good cook who was not a tyrant? Uncle Ben Carvel was a veritable emperor in his own domain; and the Colonel himself, had he desired to enter the kitchen, would have been obliged to come with humble and submissive spirit.
Bending over the dwarf who drove, I spoke with him, saying, "Our luck is ill to-day, Bes, seeing that before the end of it we may well be parted." "First I must win the match, Bes." "Which you could do with one eye blinded, Master, and a sore finger. Kings think that they can shoot because all the worms that crawl about them and are named men, dare not show themselves their betters. Oh!
"We bes nigh starvin' to deat' wid hunger!" "'Twas me give it to ye, not the saints," said Black Dennis Nolan, "an' there bes more for ye where it come from." He turned and went out of the cabin. "I'll fix him yet," mumbled Foxey Jack Quinn. The woman gave no heed to the remark, for she had already opened one of the tins of choice meat and was feeding the children from her fingers.
"De bes' ting you kin do, Marse Scoville, is ter shet dat do' an' kep still; den git back ter yo' folks soon ez you kin trabble. We uns got des ez much ez we kin stan' up un'er, en ef dey foun' you yere, hit ud be de worl' comin' ter smash." "If Miss Baron would tell me her trouble, she might find that I am not so powerless to help as I seem.
Sam Pretty Cow paused, half turned, spat meditatively into the dust and jerked a thumb toward the stable. "Me, I dunno. Bes' horse on the ranch is in them box stall. Them's Coaley. I guess you don' want Coaley, huh?" Lance bit his lip, looking at Sam Pretty Cow intently. "You needn't catch up a horse for me, Sam. I'll ride Coaley," he said smoothly.
In the end I grew well again and from the platform in front of the temple was presented to the people by Bes as his saviour and the next greatest to him in the kingdom, nor shall I ever forget the shoutings with which I was received.
After this the feast went on without further incident for a while, the Easterns always drinking more wine, till at length the tables were cleared and all of the meaner sort departed from the hall, save the butlers and the personal servants such as Bes, who stood behind the seats of their masters.
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