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Updated: May 28, 2025
"I do not remember seeing you before," I said, wiping the dust from my lips. "Are you a new recruit?" "I'se Col'nel Cochran's man," he answered, without salute, but with the accent of education oddly mixed with dialect. "Oh, I see what has become of Sam?" "He done took sick, an' de col'nel wanted a man right away, so he picked me." "Did you belong around here?"
"But I forgot you don't kno' yes" and he smiled triumphantly. "Yes, Col'nel, I'll let him do all that if if God'll let it be. But God won't let it be!" Colonel Troup arose disgusted hot. "What do you mean, old man. Are you crazy, sah? Give me back my word " "Wait no no," said the Bishop. "Col'nel, you're a man of yo' word wait!" And he arose and was gone. The Colonel swore soundly.
"I reckon it'll work," he admitted, "if yo' don't git cotched afore yo' git dar. I knows a heap 'bout dat ravine; I'se hunted rabbits dar many a time, an' it ain't goin' to be no easy job gittin' through dar in de dark." "Will you show us the way?" "Well, I don't just know," scratching his head thoughtfully. "Maybe de col'nel wouldn't let me." "I can arrange that."
Yes, sah, to shut out a gentleman, sah, an' the first heat, sah, with his horse on a break." "What!" said Flecker excitedly "you, Col'nel? Shut out why, I thought it was the old pacer." "I swear I did, too, Colonel," said Travis apologetically. "I heard something rattling and galloping along I thought it was the old pacer and I drove like the devil to shut him out!"
He looked out over the hills, and then back into my face, his eyes narrowing, his lips setting firm over the white teeth. I little realized what was taking place in the fellow's brain, what real motive influenced his decision, or the issues involved. "I reckon I will, sah, providin' de col'nel says so."
Flecker and the Tennesseans took drinks and shouted themselves hoarse. Then the old preacher did something, but why he never could explain. It seemed intuition when he thought of it afterwards. Calling Col. Troup to him he said: "I'm kinder silly an' groggy, Col'nel, but I wish you'd go an' look in her mouth an' see how old Lizzette is." The Colonel looked at him, puzzled. "Why?"
"Now see here; you do know that country, and a bit too well for a man riding in the ranks. Where did you come from? Were you in the Confederate service? Let's have this straight." "Suah," with frankness. "I done tol' de col'nel all how it was. I was wid my Massa from Louisiana, an' he was a captain, sah!
"Been thinkin', parson, 'bout that promise, an' I'll strike a bargain with you, sah. You say God ain't goin' to let him win this heat an' race an' so forth, sah." The Bishop smiled: "I ain't give up, Col'nel not yet." "Well, sah, if God does let Travis win, I take it from yo' reasoning, sah, that he's a sorry sort of a God to stand in with a fraud an' I'll have nothin' to do with Him.
And then in his terrible, steel-gripping way, he pulled Richard Travis, with a sudden jerk up against his own pulsing heart, as if the owner of The Gaffs had been a child, burying his great hardened fingers in the man's arm and fairly hissing in a whisper these words: "If he dies Richard Travis remember he died for you ... it tuck both yo' mares to kill him no no don't start don't turn pale ... you are safe ... I made Col'nel Troup give me his word ... he'd not expose you ... if Ben Butler won an' he saved his money.
I b'leeve it's Him tellin' me to watch, watch an' pray. I had it when Ben Butler come, thar, come in answer to prayer " Colonel Troup smiled and walked off. In a short while he sauntered carelessly back: "Fo' sah, she was fo' years old this last spring." "Thank ye, Col'nel!" The Colonel smiled and whispered: "Oh, how cooked she is! Dead on her feet, dead.
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