EPISODES 



269 



be safe until the morning, when I will carry your birds, if 

 you choose, to the great road." 



The large, intelligent eyes of the negro, the complacency 

 of his manners, and the tones of his voice, I thought in- 

 vited me to venture ; and as I felt that I was at least his 

 equal, while moreover, I had my dog to second me, I 

 answered that I would follow him. He observed the em- 

 phasis laid on the words, the meaning of which he seemed 

 to understand so thoroughly that, turning to me, he said, 

 " There, master, take my butcher's knife, while I throw 

 away the flint and priming from my gun ! " Reader, I felt 

 confounded: this was too much for me: I refused the 

 knife, and told him to keep his piece ready, in case we 

 might accidentally meet a Cougar or a Bear. 



Generosity exists everywhere. The greatest monarch 

 acknowledges its impulse, and all around him, from the 

 lowliest menial to the proud nobles that encircle his throne, 

 at times experience that overpowering sentiment. I offered 

 to shake hands with the runaway. " Master," said he, " I 

 beg you thanks," and with this he gave me a squeeze that 

 alike impressed me with the goodness of his heart and his 

 great physical strength. From that moment we proceeded 

 through the woods together. My dog smelt at him several 

 times, but as he heard me speak in my usual tone of voice, 

 he soon left us and rambled around as long as my whistle 

 was unused. As we proceeded, I observed that he was 

 guiding me towards the setting of the sun, and quite con- 

 trary to my homeward course. I remarked this to him, 

 when he with the greatest simplicity replied, " Merely for 

 our security." 



After trudging along for some distance, and crossing 

 several bayous, at all of which he threw his gun and knife 

 to the opposite bank, and stood still until I had got over, 

 we came to the borders of an immense cane-brake, from 

 which I had, on former occasions, driven and killed several 

 Deer. We entered, as I had frequently done before, now 



