“Well, but how did you happen to get caught?”

“Dat ar’s jes what I’m a comin to.  You see, I didn’t tink ob dat ar pint when I went up de sho,—­but knowed I had lots ob time; so I jes tought I’d make sure ob de best ob de lobstas.  Wan’t goin to take back any common lobstas,—­bet you dat,—­notin for me but de best,—­de bery best ones dar.  Dat ar’s what kep me.  It takes a heap ob time an car to get de best ones, when dar’s a crowd lyin about ob all sizes, an de water comin in too.”

“But didn’t you see that the tide was coming up to the point?”

“Nebber see a see,—­not a see; lookin ober de lobstas all de time, an mos stracted wid plexity cos I couldn’t cide bout de best ones.  Dar was lots an lots up dar at one place, dough I didn’t go fur,—­ but ef I’d gone fur, I’d hab got better ones.”

“How far did you go?”

“Not fur,—­ony short distance,—­didn’t want to go too fur away for feah ob not gittin back in time.  An so I started to come back pooty soon, an walked, an walked.  Las, jes as I got to de pint, I rose my ole head, an looked straight afore me, an thar, clar ef I didn’t fine myself shut in,—­reglar prison,—­mind I tell you,—­an all round me a reglar cumferince ob water an rock, widout any way ob scape.  Tell you what, if dar ebber was a ole rat in a trap, I was at dat ar casion.”

“Couldn’t you have waded through it before it got too high?”

“Waded?  Not a wade; de water was rough an deep, an de bottom was stones dat I’d slipped oba an almost broke my ole head, sides bein drownded as dead as a herrin.  Why, what you tink dis ole nigga’s made ob?  I’m not a steam injine, nor a mowin machine, nor a life boat.  I’m ony a ole man, an shaky in de legs too,—­mind I tell you.”

“Well, how did you manage it?”

“Manage!  Why, I didn’t manage at all.”

“How did you find that place where you were sitting?”

“Wasn’t settin.  I was tied up in a knot, or rolled up into a ball.  Any way, I wasn’t settin.”

“Well, how did you find the place?”

“Wal, I jes got up dar.  I stood on de sho till de water drobe me, an I kep out ob its way till at las I found myself tied up de way you saw me.”

“Why didn’t you halloo?”

“Hollar?  Didn’t I hollar like all possessed?”

“We didn’t hear you.”

“Wal, dat ar’s dredful sterious.  An me a hollarin an a yellin like mad.  Tell you what, I felt as ef I’d bust my ole head open, I did yell that hard.”

“Couldn’t you manage to climb up that cliff?”

“Dat cliff?  Climb up?  Me?  What! me climb up a cliff? an dat cliff?  Why, I couldn’t no more climb up dat ar cliff dan I could fly to de moon.  No, sah.  Much as I could do to keep whar I was, out ob de water.  Dat was enough.”

“Don’t you know that we walked two miles up the shore?”

“Two miles!  Two!  De sakes, now, chil’en! did you, railly?  Ef I’d a ony knowed you war a comin so near, wouldn’t I a yelled?  I bet I would.”