“I shall, indeed,” replied Bacchus; “’twas an awful time I had last summer.  My blessed grief! but I thought my time was done come.  But de Lord was mighty good to me, he brought me up again—­Miss Janet’s physic done me more good though than any thing, only it put me to sleep, and I never slept so much in my born days.”

“You were always something of a sleeper, I am told, Bacchus,” said Cousin Janet; “though I have no doubt the laudanum had that effect; you must be more prudent; old people cannot take such liberties with themselves.”

“Lor, Miss Janet, I aint so mighty ole now; besure I aint no chicken nother; but thar’s Aunt Peggy; she’s what I call a raal ole nigger; she’s an African.  Miss Alice, aint she never told you bout de time she seed an elerphant drink a river dry?”

“Yes,” said Alice, “but she dreamed that.”

“No, Miss, she actually seed it wid her own eyes.  They’s mighty weak and dim now, but she could see out of ’em once, I tell ye.  It’s hot nuff here sometimes, but Aunt Peggy says it’s winter to what ’tis in Guinea, whar she was raised till she was a big gall.  One day when de sun was mighty strong, she seed an elerphant a comin along.  She runned fast enough, she had no ’casion to grease her heels wid quicksilver; she went mighty fast, no doubt; she didn’t want dat great beast’s hoof in her wool.  You and me seed an elerphant de time we was in Washington, long wid master, Miss Alice, and I thought ’bout Aunt Peggy that time.  ’Twas a ’nageree we went to.  You know I held you in my arms over de people’s heads to see de monkeys ride.

“Well, Aunt Peggy say she runned till she couldn’t run no longer, so she clumb a great tree, and sat in de branches and watched him.  He made straight for de river, and he kicked up de sand wid his hoofs, as he went along, till he come to de bank; den he begins to drink, and he drinks, I tell you.  Aunt Peggy say every swaller he took was least a gallon, and he drunk all dat blessed mornin.  After a while she seed de water gitting very low, and last he gits enuff.  He must a got his thirst squinched by dat time.  So Aunt Peggy, she waded cross de river, when de elephant had went, and two days arter dat, de river was clean gone, bare as my hand.  Master,” continued Bacchus, “I has a great favor to ax of you.”

“Barbecue or campmeeting, Bacchus?” said Mr. Barbour.

“If you please, master,” said he, addressing Mr. Weston, but at the same time giving an imploring look to Mr. Barbour, “to ’low me to go way to-morrow and wait at de barbecue.  Mr. Semmes, he wants me mightily; he says he’ll give me a dollar a day if I goes.  I’ll sure and be home agin in the evenin.”

“I am afraid to give you permission,” said Mr. Weston; “this habit of drinking, that is growing upon you, is a disgrace to your old age.  You remember you were picked up and brought home in a cart from campmeeting this summer, and I am surprised that you should so soon ask a favor of me.”