a-hammerin’ away in de engine room, den I knowed what de matter was—­some o’ de machinery’s broke.  I got asho’ below de boat and turn’ de canoe loose, den I goes ’long up, en dey ’uz jes one plank out, en I step’ ’board de boat.  It ’uz pow’ful hot, deckhan’s en roustabouts ’uz sprawled aroun’ asleep on de fo’cas’l’, de second mate, Jim Bangs, he sot dah on de bitts wid his head down, asleep—­’ca’se dat’s de way de second mate stan’ de cap’n’s watch!—­en de ole watchman, Billy Hatch, he ’uz a-noddin’ on de companionway;—­en I knowed ’em all; en, lan’, but dey did look good!  I says to myself, I wished old marster’d come along NOW en try to take me—­bless yo’ heart, I’s ’mong frien’s, I is.  So I tromped right along ’mongst ’em, en went up on de b’iler deck en ’way back aft to de ladies’ cabin guard, en sot down dah in de same cheer dat I’d sot in ‘mos’ a hund’d million times, I reckon; en it ’uz jist home ag’in, I tell you!

“In ’bout an hour I heard de ready bell jingle, en den de racket begin.  Putty soon I hear de gong strike.  ‘Set her back on de outside,’ I says to myself.  ‘I reckon I knows dat music!’ I hear de gong ag’in.  ’Come ahead on de inside,’ I says.  Gong ag’in.  ‘Stop de outside.’ gong ag’in.  ’Come ahead on de outside—­now we’s pinted for Sent Louis, en I’s outer de woods en ain’t got to drown myself at all.’  I knowed de MOGUL ’uz in de Sent Louis trade now, you see.  It ’uz jes fair daylight when we passed our plantation, en I seed a gang o’ niggers en white folks huntin’ up en down de sho’, en troublin’ deyselves a good deal ’bout me; but I warn’t troublin’ myself none ’bout dem.

“’Bout dat time Sally Jackson, dat used to be my second chambermaid en ’uz head chambermaid now, she come out on de guard, en ’uz pow’ful glad to see me, en so ’uz all de officers; en I tole ’em I’d got kidnapped en sole down de river, en dey made me up twenty dollahs en give it to me, en Sally she rigged me out wid good clo’es, en when I got here I went straight to whah you used to wuz, en den I come to dis house, en dey say you’s away but ’spected back every day; so I didn’t dast to go down de river to Dawson’s, ’ca’se I might miss you.

“Well, las’ Monday I ‘uz pass’n by one o’ dem places in fourth street whah deh sticks up runaway nigger bills, en he’ps to ketch ’em, en I seed my marster!  I ‘mos’ flopped down on de groun’, I felt so gone.  He had his back to me, en ‘uz talkin’ to de man en givin’ him some bills—­nigger bills, I reckon, en I’s de nigger.  He’s offerin’ a reward—­dat’s it.  Ain’t I right, don’t you reckon?”

Tom had been gradually sinking into a state of ghastly terror, and he said to himself, now:  “I’m lost, no matter what turn things take!  This man has said to me that he thinks there was something suspicious about that sale; he said he had a letter from a passenger on the GRAND MOGUL saying that Roxy came here on that boat and that everybody on board knew all about the case; so he says that her coming here instead of flying