“De nex’ mawnin’ de man wuz foun’ dead.  Dey wuz a great ’miration made ‘bout it, but Dan did n’ say nuffin, en none er de yuther niggers had n’ seed de fight, so dey wa’n’t no way ter tell who done de killin’.  En bein’ ez it wuz a free nigger, en dey wa’n’t no w’ite folks ’speshly int’rusted, dey wa’n’t nuffin done ’bout it, en de cunjuh man come en tuk his son en kyared ’im ’way en buried ’im.

“Now, Dan had n’ meant ter kill dis nigger, en w’iles he knowed de man had n’’ got no mo’ d’n he desarved, Dan ‘mence’ ter worry mo’ er less.  Fer he knowed dis man’s daddy would wuk his roots en prob’ly fin’ out who had killt ’is son, en make all de trouble fer ’im he could.  En Dan kep’ on studyin’ ’bout dis ‘tel he got so he did n’ ha’dly das’ ter eat er drink fer fear dis cunjuh man had p’isen’ de vittles er de water.  Fin’lly he ’lowed he ‘d go ter see Aun’ Peggy, de noo cunjuh ’oman w’at had moved down by de Wim’l’ton Road, en ax her fer ter do sump’n ter pertec’ ’im fum dis cunjuh man.  So he tuk a peck er ’taters en went down ter her cabin one night.

“Aun’ Peggy heared his tale, en den sez she:—­

“‘Dat cunjuh man is mo’ d’n twice’t ez ole ez I is, en he kin make monst’us powe’ful goopher.  W’at you needs is a life-cha’m, en I’ll make you one ter-morrer; it’s de on’y thing w’at’ll do you any good.  You leabe me a couple er ha’rs fum yo’ head, en fetch me a pig ter-morrer night fer ter roas’, en w’en you come I’ll hab de cha’m all ready fer you.’

“So Dan went down ter Aun’ Peggy de nex’ night,—­wid a young shote,—­en Aun’ Peggy gun ’im de cha’m.  She had tuk de ha’rs Dan had lef wid ’er, en a piece er red flannin, en some roots en yarbs, en had put ’em in a little bag made out’n ’coon-skin.

“‘You take dis cha’m,’ sez she, ’en put it in a bottle er a tin box, en bury it deep unner de root er a live-oak tree, en ez long ez it stays dere safe en soun’, dey ain’ no p’isen kin p’isen you, dey ain’ no rattlesnake kin bite you, dey ain’ no sco’pion kin sting you.  Dis yere cunjuh man mought do one thing er ’nudder ter you, but he can’t kill you.  So you neenter be at all skeered, but go ’long ‘bout yo’ bizness en doan bother yo’ min’.’

“So Dan went down by de ribber, en ’way up on de bank he buried de cha’m deep unner de root er a live-oak tree, en kivered it up en stomp’ de dirt down en scattered leaves ober de spot, en den went home wid his min’ easy.

“Sho’ ’nuff, dis yer cunjuh man wukked his roots, des ez Dan had ‘spected he would, en soon l’arn’ who killt his son.  En co’se he made up his min’ fer ter git eben wid Dan.  So he sont a rattlesnake fer ter sting ’im, but de rattlesnake say de nigger’s heel wuz so ha’d he could n’ git his sting in.  Den he sont his jay-bird fer ter put p’isen in Dan’s vittles, but de p’isen did n’ wuk.  Den de cunjuh man ‘low’ he’d double Dan all up wid de rheumatiz, so he could n’ git ‘is ban’ ter his mouf ter eat, en would hafter sta’ve ter def; but Dan went ter Aun’ Peggy, en she gun ‘im a’ ’intment ter kyo de rheumatiz.  Den de cunjuh man ’lowed he ‘d bu’n Dan up wid a fever, but Aun’ Peggy tol’ ’im how ter make some yarb tea fer dat.  Nuffin dis man tried would kill Dan, so fin’lly de cunjuh man ‘lowed Dan mus’ hab a life-cha’m.