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"I'se pretty shore on't, honey. Yer see when dat ar under-sheriff come ter day an' had look all 'round fer Nimbus, he sed, finally, sez he, 'I'se got a'tachment' dat's what he call it, Miss Mollie a'tachment 'gin de property, or sunthin' o' dat kine. I didn't know nary ting 'bout it, but I spunked up an' tole him ebbery ting in de house dar was mine.
It is true, all these apartments were small, and the state-rooms were very low, but no fault could be found with their neatness and general arrangements, when it was recollected that one was on board a vessel. "Here ebbery t'ing heart can wish," said Josh, exultingly, who, being an old-school black, did not disdain to use some of the old-school dialect of his caste. "Yes, ladies, ebbery t'ing.
"Well, nex' thing when I come to life ag'in, I found myself in a dark, narrow, steep place, going down bump! bump! bump! and den faster bumpetty bumpetty bumpetty bump! till I t'ought ebbery blessed bone in my body would have been broke! And I t'ought how two debbils had hold of my soul, a-dragging it down to you know where," said Katie, rolling her eyes mysteriously. "Proceed," said Ishmael.
"Afo' de Lawd, Boss," wailed the desperate negro, "I jest can't l'arn no mo', now, nohow. 'Deed I can't. Hit's bin nuffin but l'arn, l'arn, ebbery minnit sense I got up dis mawnin', an' my haid's jest bustin', so hit is. I a'most wisht I wuz back wid my ole mas'r, who didn't want to l'arn me nuffin." The astonished Deacon paused and reflected. "Mebbe we've bin tryin' to force this plant too fast.
I tole him 'twan't no sech ting; but la sakes! I didn't know nothing in de worl' 'bout it. I jes 'llowed dat 'twas sunthin' mighty mean, an' I knowed dat I couldn't be very fur wrong nohow, ef I jes contraried ebbery word what he said. What does it mean, Miss Mollie?" "It just means," said Mollie, "that Nimbus owes somebody this Mr. Winburn, I judge, and " "It's a lie!
"How him provin' it!" exclaimed the old negro, warming to his subject. "Why, sah, him provin' it ebbery day ob he life more ways 'n one." "Well, give us an example, if you can remember one." "Yes, sah, I kin. An' I tell you-all one ob de berry simples' t'ings what dat ar Bijah ebber done. He war jest a ornery, stumpy-tail, 'coon dawg, Bijah war, an' him know he warn't nuffin else.
"Thank you, Dinah, you have done your best, no doubt; don't sell my ring, though; I shall want it back some day." "La, chile, I done 'sposed ob it aready, an' dey give me a poun of backer an' a gole-piece fur it. It was good gole an' no mistake. I tells you all," adding aloud, "an' now, Miss Mirim, I has tole you ebbery syllable. I disremembered ob dat speritual ar.
De houses seem mean, de barns look empty, de fencea be low, and de niggers, ebbery one of 'em, look cold, sah yes, sah 'ey look berry cold!" As a "cold negro" was a most pitiable object in negro eyes, I saw by this summary that Yaap had commenced his travels in much of the same temper of superciliousness as Jason Newcome.
Last winter he cold; fire wanted to make him warm. Much ice, much storm, much snow. World seem bad fit only for bear, and snake, dat hide in rock. Well; winter gone away; ice gone away; snow gone away; storm gone away. Summer come, in his place. Ebbery t'ing good ebbery t'ing pleasant. Why t'ink of winter, when summer come, and drive him away wid pleasant sky?"
When high enough, he led the way across the stream, and entering below, he soon had all the canoes in their place of concealment. "Dis good place," observed the great chief, as soon as all were fast; "bess take care, dough. Bess not make track too much on land; Injin got sharp eye, and see ebbery t'ing. Now, I go and talk wid chief. Come back by-'em-by. You stay here. Good-bye."
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