第45章

I went off down to the river, studying over this thing, and pretty soon I noticed that my nigger was following along behind.When we was out of sight of the house he looked back and around a second, and then comes a-running, and says:

"Mars Jawge, if you'll come down into de swamp I'll show you a whole stack o' water-moccasins."Thinks I, that's mighty curious; he said that yesterday.He oughter know a body don't love watermoccasins enough to go around hunting for them.

What is he up to, anyway? So I says:

"All right; trot ahead."

I followed a half a mile; then he struck out over the swamp, and waded ankle deep as much as another half-mile.We come to a little flat piece of land which was dry and very thick with trees and bushes and vines, and he says:

"You shove right in dah jist a few steps, Mars Jawge; dah's whah dey is.I's seed 'm befo'; I don't k'yer to see 'em no mo'."Then he slopped right along and went away, and pretty soon the trees hid him.I poked into the place a-ways and come to a little open patch as big as a bedroom all hung around with vines, and found a man laying there asleep -- and, by jings, it was my old Jim!

I waked him up, and I reckoned it was going to be a grand surprise to him to see me again, but it warn't.He nearly cried he was so glad, but he warn't surprised.Said he swum along behind me that night, and heard me yell every time, but dasn't answer, because he didn't want nobody to pick HIM up and take him into slavery again.Says he:

"I got hurt a little, en couldn't swim fas', so I wuz a considable ways behine you towards de las'; when you landed I reck'ned I could ketch up wid you on de lan' 'dout havin' to shout at you, but when I see dat house I begin to go slow.I 'uz off too fur to hear what dey say to you -- Iwuz 'fraid o' de dogs; but when it 'uz all quiet agin I knowed you's in de house, so I struck out for de woods to wait for day.Early in de mawnin'

some er de niggers come along, gwyne to de fields, en dey tuk me en showed me dis place, whah de dogs can't track me on accounts o' de water, en dey brings me truck to eat every night, en tells me how you's a-gitt'n along.""Why didn't you tell my Jack to fetch me here sooner, Jim?""Well, 'twarn't no use to 'sturb you, Huck, tell we could do sumfn --but we's all right now.I ben abuyin' pots en pans en vittles, as I got a chanst, en apatchin' up de raf' nights when --""WHAT raft, Jim?"

"Our ole raf'."

"You mean to say our old raft warn't smashed all to flinders?""No, she warn't.She was tore up a good deal -- one en' of her was;but dey warn't no great harm done, on'y our traps was mos' all los'.Ef we hadn' dive' so deep en swum so fur under water, en de night hadn' ben so dark, en we warn't so sk'yerd, en ben sich punkin-heads, as de sayin'

is, we'd a seed de raf'.But it's jis' as well we didn't, 'kase now she's all fixed up agin mos' as good as new, en we's got a new lot o' stuff, in de place o' what 'uz los'.""Why, how did you get hold of the raft again, Jim -- did you catch her?""How I gwyne to ketch her en I out in de woods? No; some er de niggers foun' her ketched on a snag along heah in de ben', en dey hid her in a crick 'mongst de willows, en dey wuz so much jawin' 'bout which un 'um she b'long to de mos' dat I come to heah 'bout it pooty soon, so I ups en settles de trouble by tellin' 'um she don't b'long to none uv um, but to you en me; en I ast 'm if dey gwyne to grab a young white genlman's propaty, en git a hid'n for it? Den I gin 'm ten cents apiece, en dey 'uz mighty well satisfied, en wisht some mo' raf's 'ud come along en make 'm rich agin.Dey's mighty good to me, dese niggers is, en whatever I wants 'm to do fur me I doan' have to ast 'm twice, honey.Dat Jack's a good nigger, en pooty smart.""Yes, he is.He ain't ever told me you was here; told me to come, and he'd show me a lot of watermoccasins.If anything happens HE ain't mixed up in it.He can say he never seen us together, and it 'll be the truth."I don't want to talk much about the next day.I reckon I'll cut it pretty short.I waked up about dawn, and was a-going to turn over and go to sleep again when I noticed how still it was -- didn't seem to be anybody stirring.

That warn't usual.Next I noticed that Buck was up and gone.Well, I gets up, a-wondering, and goes down stairs -- nobody around; everything as still as a mouse.Just the same outside.Thinks I, what does it mean? Down by the woodpile I comes across my Jack, and says:

"What's it all about?"

Says he:

"Don't you know, Mars Jawge?"

"No," says I, "I don't."

"Well, den, Miss Sophia's run off! 'deed she has.She run off in de night some time -- nobody don't know jis' when; run off to get married to dat young Harney Shepherdson, you know -- leastways, so dey 'spec.De fambly foun' it out 'bout half an hour ago -- maybe a little mo' -- en'

I TELL you dey warn't no time los'.Sich another hurryin' up guns en hosses YOU never see! De women folks has gone for to stir up de relations, en ole Mars Saul en de boys tuck dey guns en rode up de river road for to try to ketch dat young man en kill him 'fo' he kin git acrost de river wid Miss Sophia.I reck'n dey's gwyne to be mighty rough times.""Buck went off 'thout waking me up."