Part 85 (1/2)
”Who has been heeur?”
”Except the--the--”
”Exceptin' the man-wuman, ye mane?”
”Yes. Has any one else been to this place?”
”Trath has thare--plinty besoides. An av all sorts, an colours too.
First an foremost there was wan comin' this way, though he didn't git all the way to the cyabin. But I daren't tell you about him, for it moight frighten ye, miss.”
”Tell me. I have no fear.”
”Be dad! and I can't make it out meself quite intirely. It was a man upon horseback widout a hid.”
”Without a head!”
”Divil a bit av that same on his body.”
The statement caused Phelim to be suspected of having lost his.
”An' what's more, miss, he was for all the world like Masther Maurice himself. Wid his horse undher him, an his Mexikin blanket about his showlders, an everything just as the young masther looks, when he's mounted, Sowl! wasn't I scared, whin I sit my eyes on him.”
”But where did you see this, Mr O'Neal?”
”Up thare on the top av the bluff. I was out lookin' for the masther to come back from the Sittlement, as he'd promised he wud that mornin', an who showld I see but hisself, as I supposed it to be. An' thin he comes ridin' up, widout his hid, an' stops a bit, an thin goes off at a tarin'
gallop, wid Tara gowlin' at his horse's heels, away acra.s.s the big plain, till I saw no more av him. Thin I made back for the cyabin heeur, an shut meself up, and wint to slape; and just in the middle av me dhrames, whin I was dhramin' of--but trath, miss, yez'll be toired standin' on yer feet all this time. Won't yez take aff yer purty little ridin' hat, an sit down on the thrunk thare?--it's asier than the stool.
Do plaze take a sate; for if I'm to tell yez all--”
”Never mind me--go on. Please tell me who else has been here besides this strange cavalier; who must have been some one playing a trick upon you, I suppose.”
”A thrick, miss! Trath that's just what owld Zeb sayed.”
”He has been here, then?”
”Yis--yis--but not till long afther the others.”
”The others?”
”Yis, miss. Zeb only arroived yestherday marnin'. The others paid their visit the night afore, an at a very unsayzonable hour too, wakin'
me out av the middle av my slape.”
”But who?--what others?”
”Why the Indyens, to be shure.”
”There have been Indians, then?”
”Trath was there--a whole tribe av thim. Well, as I've been tillin'