The Freedmen's Book Part 17

"'Rather 'specs I am,' said Sam. 'Did you see Missus up stars at the winder? I seed her laughin'.'

"'I'm sure I was racin' so I didn't see nothin,' said Andy.

"'Wal, yer see, I'se 'quired a habit o' bobservation,' said Sam. 'It's a very 'portant habit, Andy; and I 'commend yer to be cultivatin' it, now yer young. Bobservation makes all de difference in n.i.g.g.e.rs. Didn't I see what Missis wanted, though she never let on? Dat ar's bobservation, Andy. I 'specs it's what yer may call a faculty. Faculties is different in different peoples; but cultivation of 'em goes a great way.'

"'I guess if I hadn't helped your bobservation dis mornin', yer wouldn't have seen yer way so smart,' said Andy.

"'You's a promisin' chile, Andy, der a'n't no manner o' doubt,' said Sam. 'I think lots of yer, Andy; and I don't feel no ways ashamed to take idees from yer. Let's go up to the house now, Andy. I'll be boun'

Missis'll give us an uncommon good bite dis yere time.'"

"The mistress had promised that dinner should be brought on the table in a hurry, and she had given the orders in Haley's hearing. But the servants all seemed to have an impression that Missis would not be disobliged by delay. Aunt Chloe, the cook, went on with her operations in a very leisurely manner. Then it was wonderful what a number of accidents happened. One upset the b.u.t.ter; another tumbled down with the water, and had to go to the spring for more; another spilled the gravy; then Aunt Chloe set about making new gravy, watching it and stirring it with the greatest precision. If reminded that the orders were to hurry, she answered shortly that she 'warn't a going to have raw gravy on the table, to help n.o.body's catchin's.'

"From time to time there was giggling in the kitchen, when news was brought that 'Mas'r Haley was mighty oneasy, and that he couldn't set in his cheer no ways, but was a walkin' and stalkin' to the winders and through the porch.'

"'Sarves him right!' said Aunt Chloe. 'He'll git wus nor oneasy, one of these days, if he don't mend his ways.'

"At last the dinner was sent in, and the mistress smiled and chatted, and did all she could to make the time pa.s.s imperceptibly.

"At two o'clock, Sam and Andy brought the horses up to the posts, apparently greatly refreshed and invigorated by the scamper of the morning. As Haley prepared to mount, he said, 'Your master don't keep no dogs, I s'pose?'

"'Heaps on 'em,' said Sam, triumphantly. 'Thar's Bruno,--he's a roarer; and besides that, 'bout every n.i.g.g.e.r of us keeps a pup o' some natur' or uther.'

"'But does your master keep any dogs for tracking out n.i.g.g.e.rs?' said Haley.

"Sam knew very well what he meant, but he kept on a look of desperate simplicity. 'Wal,' said he, 'our dogs all smells round considerable sharp. I 'spect they's the _kind_, though they ha'n't never had no _practice_. They's far dogs at most anything though, if you'd get 'em started.' He whistled to Bruno, a great lumbering Newfoundland dog, who came pitching tumultuously toward them.

"'You go hang!' exclaimed Haley, mounting his horse. 'Come, tumble up, now.'

"Sam tumbled up accordingly, contriving to tickle Andy as he did so.

This made Andy split out into a laugh, greatly to Haley's indignation, who made a cut at him with his riding-whip. 'I'se 'stonished at yer, Andy,' said Sam, with awful gravity. 'This yere's a seris bisness, Andy.

Yer mustn't be a makin' game. This yere a'n't no way to help Mas'r.'

"When they came to the boundaries of the estate, Haley said: 'I shall take the road to the river. I know the way of all of 'em. They always makes tracks for the underground.'

"'Sartin, dat's de idee,' said Sam. 'Mas'r Haley hits de thing right in de middle. Now, der's two roads to de river,--de dirt road and der pike.

Which Mas'r mean to take?'

"Andy looked up innocently at Sam, surprised at hearing this new geographical fact; but he instantly confirmed what Sam said.

"'I'd rather be 'clined to 'magine that Lizy'd take der dirt road, bein'

it's the least travelled,' said Sam. Though Haley was an old bird, and inclined to be suspicious of chaff, he was rather brought up by this view of the case. He pondered a moment, and said, 'If yer wasn't both on yer such cussed liars, now!'

"The pensive tone in which this was spoken amused Andy prodigiously. He fell a little behind, and shook so with laughter as to run a great risk of falling from his horse. But Sam's face was immovably composed into the most doleful gravity.

"'Course, Mas'r can do as he'd ruther,' said Sam. 'It's all one to us.

When I study 'pon it, I think de straight road is de best.'

"'She would naturally go a lonesome way,' said Haley.

"'I should 'magine so,' said Sam; 'but gals is pecular. Dey nebber does nothin' ye thinks they will; mose gen'lly de contrar; so if yer thinks they've gone one road, it's sartin you'd better go t'other, and then you'll be sure to find 'em. So I think we'd better take de straight road.'

"Haley announced decidedly that he should go the other, and asked when they should come to it.

"'A little piece ahed,' said Sam, giving a wink to Andy. He added gravely, 'I've studded on de matter, and I'm quite clar we ought not to go dat ar way. I nebber been over it no way. It's despit lonesome, and we might lose our way. And now I think on't, I hearn 'em tell dat ar road was all fenced up down by der creek. A'n't it, Andy?'

"Andy wasn't certain; he'd only 'hearn tell' about that road, but had never been over it.

"Haley thought the first mention of the road was involuntary on Sam's part, and that, upon second thoughts, he had lied desperately to dissuade him from taking that direction because he was unwilling to implicate Eliza. Therefore he struck briskly into the road, and was followed by Sam and Andy.

"The road in fact had formerly been an old thoroughfare to the river, but after the laying of the new pike it had been abandoned. It was open for about an hour's ride, and after that it was cut across by various farms and fences. Sam knew this perfectly well; indeed, the road had been so long closed that Andy had never heard of it. He therefore rode along with an air of dutiful submission, only groaning occasionally, and saying it was 'desp't rough, and bad for Jerry's foot.'

"'Now, I jest give yer warning, I know yer,' said Haley. 'Yer won't get me to turn off this yere road, with all yer fussin'; so you shet up.'

"'Mas'r will go his own way,' said Sam, with rueful submission, at the same time winking portentously to Andy, whose delight now was very near the explosive point. Sam was in wonderful spirits. He professed to keep a very brisk lookout. At one time he exclaimed that he saw 'a gal's bunnet' on the top of some distant eminence; at another time, he called out to Andy to ask if 'that thar wasn't Lizy down in the holler.' He was always sure to make these exclamations in some rough or craggy part of the road, where the sudden quickening of speed was a special inconvenience to all parties concerned, thus keeping Haley in a state of constant commotion.

"After riding about an hour in this way, the whole party made a precipitate and tumultuous descent into a barn-yard belonging to a large farming establishment. Not a soul was in sight, all the hands being employed in the fields; but as the barn stood square across the road, it was evident that their journey in that direction had reached its end.

"'You rascal!' said Haley; 'you knew all about this.'

"'Didn't I _tell_ yer I knowed, and yer wouldn't believe me?' replied Sam. 'I telled Mas'r 't was all shet up, and fenced up, and I didn't 'spect we could git through. Andy heard me.'

"This was too true to be disputed, and the unlucky man had to pocket his wrath as well as he could. All three faced to the right about, and took up their line of march for the highway."

[The consequence of all these delays was, that they reached the Ohio River only in season to see Eliza and her child get safely on the other side, by jumping from one ma.s.s of floating ice to the other.]

"'The gal's got seven devils in her I believe,' said Haley. 'How like a wild-cat she jumped!'

"'Wal, now,' said Sam, scratching his head, 'I hope Mas'r 'scuse us tryin' dat ar road. Don't think I feel spry enough for dat ar, no way'; and Sam gave a hoa.r.s.e chuckle.

"'_You_ laugh!' exclaimed the slave-trader, with a growl.

"'I couldn't help it now, Mas'r,' said Sam, giving way to the long pent-up delight of his soul. 'She looked so curis, a leapin' and springin'; ice a crackin'--and only to hear her! plump! ker chunk! ker splash!' and Sam and Andy laughed till the tears rolled down their cheeks.

"'I'll make yer laugh t'other side yer mouths!' exclaimed the trader, laying about their heads with his riding-whip. Both ducked, and ran shouting up the bank. They were on their horses before he could come up with them.

"With much gravity Sam called out: 'Good evening, Mas'r Haley. Won't want us no longer. I 'spect Missis be anxious 'bout Jerry. Missis wouldn't hear of our ridin' the critturs over Lizy's bridge to-night.'

With a poke into Andy's ribs, they started off at full speed, their shouts of laughter coming faintly on the wind.

"Sam was in the highest possible feather. He expressed his exultation by all sorts of howls and e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns, and by divers odd motions and contortions of his whole system. Sometimes he would sit backward with his face to the horse's tail; then, with a whoop and a somerset, he would come right side up in his place again; and, drawing on a grave face, he would begin to lecture Andy for laughing and playing the fool.

Anon, slapping his sides with his arms, he would burst forth in peals of laughter, that made the old woods ring as they pa.s.sed. With all these evolutions, he contrived to keep the horses up to the top of their speed, until, between ten and eleven, their heels resounded on the gravel at the end of the balcony.

"His mistress flew to the railings, and called out, 'Is that you, Sam?

Where are they?'

"'Mas'r Haley's a restin' at the tavern,' said Sam. 'He's drefful fatigued, Missis.'

"'And Eliza, where is she, Sam?'