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"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."
"Ain't it koorious," he remarked solemnly in a moment of confidence after swallowing the last bite of his supper. "Ain't it koorious, Massa Nadgel, dat we're a sottin' here comf'rably enjoyin' our wittles ober de mout' ob a v'licano as is quite fit to blow us all to bits an' hois' us into de bery middle ob next week if not farder?"
"No more nor de man ob de moon, Massa Nadgel," said Moses, with an air at once so truthful and so solemn that the young man gave it up with a laugh of resignation. On arriving at Perboewatan, and ascending its sides, they at last became aware of the approach of the excursion steamer. "Strange," muttered the hermit, "vessels don't often touch here."
"Ain't it koorious," he remarked solemnly in a moment of confidence after swallowing the last bite of his supper. "Ain't it koorious, Massa Nadgel, dat we're a sottin' here comf'rably enjoyin' our wittles ober de mout' ob a v'licano as is quite fit to blow us all to bits an' hois' us into de bery middle ob next week if not farder?"
"Massa!" gasped Moses, who while the hermit was speaking had been working his body with mysterious and violent energy; "massa! couldn't you fall dis way, an' Nadgel could kitch your hand, an' I's got my leg shoved into a hole as nuffin' 'll haul it out ob. Dere's a holler place here. If Nadgel swings you into dat, an' I only once grab you by de hair you're safe!"
"No more nor de man ob de moon, Massa Nadgel," said Moses, with an air at once so truthful and so solemn that the young man gave it up with a laugh of resignation. On arriving at Perboewatan, and ascending its sides, they at last became aware of the approach of the excursion steamer. "Strange," muttered the hermit, "vessels don't often touch here."
"What can he be up to now, I wonder?" murmured the disturbed youth, sleepily. The hermit, who slept through all noises with infantine simplicity, made no answer, but a peculiar snort from the negro, who lay not far off on his other side, told that he was struggling with a laugh. "Hallo, Moses! are you awake?" asked Nigel, in a low voice. "Ho yes, Massa Nadgel.
The awful solemnity with which Nigel sought to impress this on his companion was absolutely trifling compared with the expression of that companion's countenance, as, with a long-drawn argumentative and remonstrative Oh! he replied: "Massa Nadgel. Does you really t'ink I would say or do any mortal t'ing w'atsumiver as would injure my massa?" "I'm sure, you would not," returned Nigel, quickly.
"Then it must be that you're afraid of hurting his feelings, Moses, for I know of no other kind of fear." "Pr'aps da's it!" said the negro with a bright look, "now I wouldn't wonder if you's right, Massa Nadgel. It neber come into my head in dat light before. I used to be t'ink, t'inkin' ob nights when I's tired ob countin' my fingers an' toes But I couldn't make nuffin' ob it. Now I knows!
I t'ink he's go mad! I tell you what I'll foller him wid a rifle an' knife and two revolvers." "You'll do nothing of the sort," said Nigel, laying hold of the negro's wrist with a grip of iron; "when a man like Van der Kemp gives an order it's the duty of inferior men like you and me strictly to obey." "Well p'raps you're right, Nadgel," returned Moses calmly.
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