I told the poor thing I would endeavour to do something for her.  I had hardly done so, when Edmonds passed the door of the cabin on his way back from the choppers.  Seeing me, he turned back and said, as I passed out to meet him, “Well, Green, what do you think of the widow?” My reply was, that she was so shy and distant that I could not learn much about her, one way or the other; that she appeared unwilling, or afraid to converse.

“It is well enough that she did,” was Edmond’s reply, “she does not know what she talks about.  When she does choose to speak, I believe her to be either crazy or foolish, and d——­n me if I know which.”

Edmonds invited me to go with him to his home.  So I went along.  I found there a man, named Scoggins, with whom Edmonds got into a very free conversation.  I heard him say, “We must send that woman away; she talks to somebody every day; she must be taken care of in one way or the other.  She must, Scoggins, she must.”

It was not long after this, before Scoggins took me aside, and in a friendly manner advised me not to go to the widow’s again; that she was a bad and a meddlesome person withal.  I did not visit her afterwards; indeed, I had no opportunity to do so, for the day following the incidents I here related, in company with Edmonds and Scoggins, I left the settlement for Fort Towson—­about one hundred and fifty miles east.  Our object was to play cards with the officers at the fort, and lighten them of some of their change.  We also expected to fall in with some of the half-bred Choctaws, who are not inexpert in the shuffle.  Edmonds and Scoggins were ordinary players, and depended on my skill.  The former was a shrewd fellow, a Georgian by birth—­aged about forty-five; the latter, a Canadian, was about the same age.  They had served together during the war of 1812, and in the same company.  Two more peculiar men could not be found.  Like a pair of well-trained horses, I saw very soon, after we joined company, they pulled together.  They had a negro with them, who was deaf and dumb; and he was one of the best servants I ever saw.  He had been Edmonds’ attendant for fifteen years, and was, I should think, about fifty years old.  This old negro knew every route from Canada to Texas.  He would stand and sleep, like a horse, for hours, and seemed to care much more for horses than he did for himself.  I thought there was something more than at first appeared about the old darkey.  While at the fort, he would, in our company, stand for hours, it seemed to me listening attentively to all that was said, and appearing to understand it.  He was very submissive and polite to any one who noticed him, and, from the beginning, appeared to take a wonderful liking to me.  At Fort Towson I tried to get rid of Edmonds and Scoggins, telling them I had resolved to leave them, and that I was going to cross the Nation to Fort Smith, about one hundred and fifty miles distant.  They appeared to like the route I had chosen, and said they would accompany me.  While at Fort Towson, I discovered that both of my companions had a large number of acquaintances there, mixed in among the Indians; and, likewise, that many of the slaves appeared to know them.