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"Ah, mammy, mammy," cried Olive, Dodo, and Nat together, "how did you know that we should be hungry now, and we are simply famishing?" "Well, honeys, I jess guessed it, I reck'n. I know'd massa was a-learnin' you'uns suffin', and it allers 'peared to me that learnin' was mighty empty work. I know'd Massa Doctor was never a one to keep his patients holler, and least his own folks!"
"'Diculus be blowed!" said Shorty, "The ole man was a'stuffin' ye. I'll tell ye what that is, Si," he added solemnly, "that's a grayback!" "A grayback!" said Si. "I've hearn 'em call the Johnnies graybacks, but I didn't know 's there was any other kind." "I reck'n 'twont be long, now, till yer catches on ter the meanin' ol what a grayback is. Ye'll know all 'bout it purty sudden.
"Wal it won't be long afore one or other o' them flops down to the meat; an' the first o' 'em that touches ground, that'll be the signal. That's fair enuf, I reck'n?" "Perfectly fair," I replied, still speaking mechanically for the very justness of the proposal rendered my astonishment continuous. I was something more than astonished at the altered demeanour of the man. He was fast disarming me.
"Well, you must be most starved, ain't you?" "I reck'n I could eat a hoss. I think I could. How long you ben on de islan'?" "Since the night I got killed." "No! W'y, what has you lived on? But you got a gun. Oh, yes, you got a gun. Dat's good. Now you kill sumfn en I'll make up de fire."
Wish ter grashus hit wuz me dat hab it! en you barin' hit so patient, too, w'en I smokin'. Dar, I kiver hit up now, en hit ain' dar in de mawnin'. I reck'n I go back ter de cabin now, honey. I kin'er used ter my own chimbly corner. Miss Whately got sump'n ter say ter comfort you." "Very well, mammy. I'll see that you have no trouble," and the old woman departed.
"I reck'n 'twar Long-legs as made them tracks. Well! ef I hedn't seed the man hisself, I'd a swore thar war giants in these parts!" I made no reply, though far more astonished than he. My astonishment sprang from a different source; and was mixed up in my mind with some old memories. I remembered the foot!
Ye see yander stump standin' nigh the bars?" "Yes I see it." "Wal, mister, thur you'll take yur stand ahine or afront o' it, whichsomever ye like best. Hyur's this other un, clost by the crib thur'll be my place. Thur's twenty yurds atween 'em, I reck'n. Is that yur distance?"
I reck'n they tuk us for Injuns?" "In that case, they'll hide from us all the same only a little more cunningly." "Consarn their sojer skins! Ef they war as cunnin' as a kupple o' possums, they can't a hide the track o' the berra; an' so long's they keep in the timber, I kalklate I kin lift thar trail.
I reck'n 'twar on a coggle, an' rolled eezy. It must ha' tuk the hul clanjamfry o' them." "If we only knew the right edge to begin at. For that we must go by guess-work. Well, we mustn't lose time, but set about our stone-cutting at once. Every hour will be taking the strength out of us. I only came down for the bowie to make a beginning.
Neither had they any water, up there on the cliff-top "don' use very much, stranger; 'n' what we do, we done git at Smithfield's, in th' log-house down yon, 'n' I reck'n their cistern's done gone dry, anyhow!" "But what is the matter down there?"
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