184 A BOOK-LOVER'S HOLIDAYS 



were black, and all inside was coal-black beyond 

 the moonlight, and he didn't know whether it 

 was empty or whether he most wished it was or 

 wasn't empty. But he went inside and lit the 

 lamp and put it on a table and sat down beside 

 it. Nothing happened for a long time except 

 that he kept hearing queer things in the swamp 

 and sometimes something went across the clear- 

 ing. At last a clock struck twelve, but he knew 

 there wasnt any clock in the house. Just as soon 

 as it had finished striking, a monstrous big black 

 cat walked into the room and jumped on the 

 table and wropped his tail three times round 

 the lamp-chimney and said: 'Nigger, you and I 

 is the onliest things in this house!' And Jake 

 said: 'Mr. Black Cat, in one second you II be 

 the onliest thing in this house,' and he went 

 through the window. He run hard down the 

 road, and pretty soon there was a crashing in 

 the underbrush and a big buck, with horns on 

 him like a rocking-chair, came up alongside and 

 said: 'Well, nigger, you must be losing your 

 wind,' and he answered mighty polite: 'Mr. 

 Buck, I ain't even begun to catch my wind,' and 

 he sure left that buck behind. And he ran and 

 he ran until he did lose his wind, and he sat 

 down on a log. And there was a patter of foot- 

 steps behind and somebody came up the road 



