“I didn’t dare to cum out when dey rode away to try a new scent, an’ when I did I jest skulked round de edge ob de pond, ready to take to it agen if I yearde dem, an’ when night cum I started off an’ run an’ walked agen hard’s I could, an’ den at day-dawn I tuck to anoder pond, an’ went on a log dat was stickin’ in de water, and broke down some rushes an’ bushes enuf to lie down on an’ cover me up, an’ den I slept all day, for I was drefful tired an’ most starved too.  Next evenin’ when it got dark, I went on agen, an’ trabblin through de woods I seed a little light, an’ sartin dis time dat it was a darkey’s cabin, I made for it, an’ it was.  It was his’n,”—­pointing to the big fellow who stood beside him, and who nodded his head in assent.

“I had a palaver before he’d let me in, but when I was in I seed what de matter was.  He had a sojer dere, a Linkum sojer, bad wounded, what he’d found in de woods,—­he was a runaway hisself, ye see, like me,—­an’ he’d tuck him to dis ole cabin an’d been nussin him on for good while.  When I seed dat I felt drefful bad, for I knowed dey was a huntin for me yet, an’ I tought if de dogs got on de trail dey’d get to dis cabin, sure:  an’ den dey’d both be tuck.  So I up an’ tole dem, an’ de sojer he says, ’Come, Jim, you’ve done quite enuff fur me, my boy.  If you’re in danger now, be off with you fast as you can,—­an’ God reward you, for I never can, for all you’ve done for me.’

“‘No,’ says Jim, ’Capen, ye needn’t talk in dat way, for I’se not goin to budge widout you.  You got wounded fur me an’ my people, an’ now I’ll stick by you an’ face any thing fur you if it’s Death hisself!’ That’s just what Jim said; an’ de sojer he put his hand up to his face, an’ I seed it tremble bad,—­he was weak, you see,—­an’ some big tears cum out troo his fingers onto de back ob it.

“Den Jim says, ‘Dis isn’t a safe place for any on us, an’ we’ll have to take to our heels agen, an’ so de sooner we’s off de better.’  So he did up some vittels,—­all he had dere,—­an’ gave ’em to me to tote,—­an’ den before de Capen could sneeze he had him up on his back, an’ we was off.

“It was pretty hard work I kin tell you, strong as Jim was, an’ we’d have to stop an’ rest putty ofen; an’ den, Jim an’ I, we’d tote him atween us on some boughs; an’ den we had to lie by, some days, all day,—­an’ we trabbled putty slow, cause we’d lost our bearing an’ was in a secesh country, we knowed,—­an’ we had nudin but berries an’ sich to eat, an’ got nigh starved.

“One night we cum onto half a dozen fellows skulkin’ in de woods, an’ at fust dey made fight, but d’rectly dey know’d we was friends, fur dey was some more Linkum sojers, an’ dey’d lost dere way, or ruther, dey know’d where dey was, but dey didn’t know how to git way from dere.  Dey was ’scaped pris’ners, dey told us; when I yearde where ’twas I know’d de way to de coast, an’ said I’d show ’em de way if dey’d cum long wid us, so dey did; an’ we got ’long all right till we got to de ribber up by Mass’ Rhett’s place.”