“’Twa’n’t but a minute arter I got fixed ’fore he wor down upon me, yelling and squalling enough ter make a man’s blood run cold.  They call ’em Injin Devils down our way; and I guess there ain’t no kind uv devils make a wuss-soundin’ noise.  I jist shut my eyes, and lay low; for when I knowed that furce, wild creter wor within two foot uv me, and nothing ter keep him off but a karkiss that he’d claw ter pieces in ten minutes, I kinder wondered how I’d been sich a plaguy fool as to think uv the plan, and ter feel so pleased with it.

“And didn’t yer never mind, sir, when you’ve been laying out for some great pull, you feel as if you’d got fixed fustrate, and was sure ter win, till the minute comes; and then, all ter once, your gitting-ready seems no account somehow, and you feel downright shamed uv what, a minute before, made you so chirk?”

“Yes, that is human nature, Seth; but it is well to remember that cool precaution is worth more than excitement, after all,” said Mr. Brown.

“Yes, sir, I suppose so now; but I didn’t then.  It only seemed to me as ef I was a darned fool, though I couldn’t hev said what I’d ought to hev done different ef I’d been ever so wise.  Well, the critter come, and he stuck his head in, snuffing and smelling for a minute; and then reached in one paw, jest as softly as you’ve seed a pussy-cat feeling uv a ball uv yarn on the floor.  Then he growled; for either he’d smelt or he’d seed me a-peekin’ over the old woman’s corpse at him.  Hokey! didn’t I wish I’d a good gun handy jis’ then, with sech a splendid chance to sight it!  But I hadn’t; and thar was the critter, growling and tearing away at the karkiss like mad:  fer he’d pooty much made up his mind by this time what sort o’ game lay behind it, and he was bound to be at it.  Any one would ’a thought his nateral feelings would ‘a stood in the way some, seein’ as ’twor his own wife he wor clapper-clawin’ at sich a rate; but they didn’t seem to a bit:  and, I tell you, he made the fur fly ’thout con-sideration.  The blood streamed down inter my face, and the smell of that and the flesh choked me.  My arms wor straightened clean out with holding on; and sometimes I could jest see the green eyes o’ the painter, an’ feel his hot breath, as he opened his jaws to hiss and spit at me jis’ like a big cat.  I felt the eend uv all things wor at hand; an’, shettin’ my eyes, I tried hard ter say a prayer, or somethin’ good an’ fittin’.  I couldn’t think o’ none, hows’ever:  so I jis’ turned raound, and sez, ‘Harnah! good-by, Harnah!’ an’ felt most as if I’d prayed; though she, poor gal! wor clean swownded away, and never heerd a word on’t.

“Jes’ then, when my thoughts wor so took up that I’d act’ally most forgot where I wor, and jes’ held on to the critter kind o’ mechanical-like, I heerd a shot, and then another.  The painter heerd ‘em too, an’ more than heerd ’em, I reckon; for, with a growl an’ a roar that made me scringe, he let go the karkiss, an’ backed hisself out o’ the hole ’thout never sayin good-by to me nor to the old lady.