328 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
to know where he gets his sudden confidence from—for this 
woman seems now almost as much of a witch to me as she 
did at first to him! She must be either a witch or a mad- 
woman !” 
“‘ Nonsense !” said I, “she is neither!” 
I reconciled our Planter, in some degree, to what, appa- 
rently, there was no mode of escape from, and on re-entering 
the house, he acted with considerable circumspection, not a 
little to my amusement !—TI could not help perceiving that 
this caution was not a little tempered with awe. 
The woman continued perfectly quiet—administered to her 
husband in many sagacious though unusual ways, and he evi- 
dently improved. 
Tom returned punctually the next day, bringing with him 
a supply of creature comforts and leading my horse. I was 
greatly surprised to see the animal back again, and turning 
to my friend, stared him in the face, exclaiming— 
“Why, where did Tom get my horse? This is the first time 
T’ve thought of him since the fight—I supposed he must have 
been carried off by the Cherokees !” 
‘He laughed heartily, while Tom grinned his broadest grin. 
“Yah! yah! yah, massa! Dat witch-er-woman witch he 
back agin !” 
Tom had brought another companion, in whose pluck he 
had more confidence, I suppose, and they both laughed with 
great apparent enjoyment at this sally. My friend slapped 
me on the shoulder pleasantly— 
“Tm afraid you would have gone off on a broom-stick sure 
enough, but that your horse was wiser than yourself, and 
knew his way home better! We took his back trail, expecting 
to find some of your bones, at least, and it brought us to this 
_ place !” 7 
“ Well, I shall learn to place my trust in horses more here- 
after—that is all!” and we proceeded to arrange our stores. 
In finding places to deposite them around the single chamber, 
