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I want to have a talk." "Das what I's allers wantin', Massa Nadgel; talkin's my strong point if I hab a strong point at all." They went together to the edge of a cliff on the hill-top, whence they could see an almost illimitable stretch of tropical wilderness bathed in a glorious flood of moonlight, and sat down.

"You's awrful strong, Nadgel, but you don't quite come up to niggers! Howse'ber, you's right. I'll obey orders; neberdeless I'll get ready for action." So saying, the negro extracted from the canoe several revolvers, two of which he handed to Nigel, two he thrust into his own belt, and two he laid handy for "massa" when he should return.

"I appreciate your sentiments and sacrifice thoroughly," said the hermit. "So does I," said Moses, helping himself to coffee; "but ob course if I didn't it would be all de same. Pass de venison, Massa Nadgel, an' don't look as if you was goin' to gib in a'ready. It spoils my appetite."

"I cannot see, but I can feel," said Nigel, with a soft laugh, as he passed the pillow aft. "T'ank ee, Nadgel," said Moses; "here feel behind you an' you'll find grub for yourself an' some to pass forid to massa. Mind when you slip down for go to sleep dat you don't dig your heels into massa's skull. Dere's no bulkhead to purtect it."

"No, I didn't, Massa Nadgel," said the negro, the edge of whose flat contradiction was taken off by the extreme humility of his look. "Well," returned Nigel, with a laugh; "you at least gave me to understand that other people said something of that sort." "Da's right, Massa Nadgel kite right. You're k'rect now."

"Well, Massa Nadgel, you does look like it, but I'm sorry I ain't a doctor. Pra'ps de purfesser would help you better nor me." "You misunderstand me. Can you keep a secret, Moses?" "I kin try if if he's not too diffikilt to keep." "Well, then; listen." The negro opened his eyes and his mouth as if these were the chief orifices for the entrance of sound, and advanced an ear.

When Nigel had slept about five minutes as he thought he was awakened by Moses. "Don't make a noise, Massa Nadgel! Dere may be spies in de camp for all we knows, so we mus' git off like mice. Canoe's ready an' massa waitin'; we gib you to de last momint." In a few minutes our hero was sleepily following the negro through the woods to the spot where the canoe was in waiting.

"No more kin I, Massa Nadgel," answered the negro, with one of those shakes of the head and glares of solemn perplexity with which he was wont to regard matters that were too deep for him. "Surely Van der Kemp is well able to take care of himself against any single foe." "Das true, Massa Nadgel, 'gainst any half-dozen foes as well." "Fear, therefore, cannot be the cause."

"Cer'nly not!" answered the negro with prompt decision. "What! wake up all his old hopes to hab 'em all dashed to bits p'raps when you find dat you's wrong!" "But I feel absolutely certain that I'm not wrong!" returned Nigel, excitedly. "Consider there is, first, the one-eyed pirate; second, there is " "'Scuse me, Massa Nadgel, dere's no occasion to go all ober it again.

He has been known to say, with a solemnity that might tickle the humorous and horrify the timid, that he wouldn't "hab dat game leg made straight agin! no, not for a hundred t'ousand pounds. 'Cause why? it was an eber-present visible reminder dat once upon a time he had de libes ob massa and Nadgel in his arms ahangin' on to his game leg, an' dat, t'rough Gracious Goodness, he sabe dem bof!" Ha!