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Then there was a smile here, a chuckle there, an incredulous laugh, and Hence Sturgill, "bully of the Pocket," rose from the wagon-tongue, closed his knife, came slowly forward, and cackled his scorn straight up into the teeth of Captain Mayhall Wells. The captain looked down and began to shed his coat. "I take it, Hence Sturgill, that you air laughin' at me?"
It was biff biff, and biff again, but not nip and tuck for long. Captain Mayhall closed in. Hence Sturgill struck the earth like a Homeric pine, and the captain's mighty arm played above him and fell, resounding. In three minutes Hence, to the amazement of the crowd, roared: "'Nough!"
"Captain Wells," interrupted Bill slowly, and again Mayhall stared hard at him, "as betwixt friends, as have been pussonal friends fer nigh onto twenty year, I hope you won't mention that little matter to me ag'in until I mentions it to you." "But, Misto Richmond, Hence Sturgill out thar says as how he heerd you say that if I didn't pay "
When hit comes to handlin' a right peert gal, Jeb Somers air about the porest man on Fryin' Pan, I reckon; an' Polly Ann Sturgill have got the vineg'rest tongue on Cutshin or any other crick. So the boys over on Fryin' Pan made it up to git 'em together. An' he tol' Polly Ann that Jeb was ravin' crazy 'bout her.
"Marse Bill say he ain't gwine to sen' you no mo' rations no mo'." "What!" Tallow Dick repeated his message and the captain scowled mutiny! "Fetch my hoss!" he thundered. Very naturally and very swiftly had the trouble come, for straight after the captain's fight with Hence Sturgill there had been a mighty rally to the standard of Mayhall Wells.
For the twenty-first time Captain Wells started his tale again, and with every pause that he made for breath Hence cackled scorn. "An', Hence Sturgill, ef you will jus' go up in the Gap you'll find a cannon, captured, suh, by me an' the Army of the Callahan, an' " "Cannon!" Hence broke in. "Speak up, nigger!" And Tallow Dick spoke up grinning: "I done it!" "What!" shouted Flitter Bill.
He had Sturgill down, but Hence sank his teeth into Mayhall's thigh while Mayhall's hands grasped his opponent's throat. The captain had only to squeeze, as every rough-and-tumble fighter knew, and endure his pain until Hence would have to give in. But Mayhall was not built to endure.
The lank messenger sagged in the doorway behind him, ready to start for home. "Mornin' Captain Wells," said Bill, with great respect. Every man heard the title, stopped his tongue and his knife-blade, and raised his eyes; a few smiled Hence Sturgill grinned. Mayhall stared, and Bill's left eye closed and opened with lightning quickness in a most portentous wink.
It was just while he was thus telling the tale for the twentieth time that two figures appeared over the brow of the hill and drew near Hence Sturgill on horseback and Tallow Dick on foot. "I ketched this nigger in my corn-fiel' this mornin'," said Hence, simply, and Flitter Bill glared, and without a word went for the blacksnake ox-whip that hung by the barn door.
All nodded and spoke except Hence Sturgill on the wagon-tongue, who stopped whittling, and merely looked at the big man with narrowing eyes. Tallow Dick, a yellow slave, appeared at the corner of the store, and the old buck beckoned him to come and hitch his horse. Flitter Bill had reappeared on the stoop with a piece of white paper in his hand.
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