Part 23 (1/2)
”That's because you don't know him,” responded Winn. ”Isn't it, Solon?”
”I 'spec's. .h.i.t must be, Ma.r.s.e Winn,” answered the old negro.
”And wasn't he the very wisest dog you ever knew?”
”Yes, sah, he suttinly was, all 'ceptin' one, an' hit war a yallar 'c.o.o.n dawg wha' I uster own down in ole Lou'siana. I 'spec's he war jes a teenty mite more knowin' dan eben Ma.r.s.e Brack's Bim dawg. He name war Bijah.”
”How did he ever prove his wisdom?” asked Winn, incredulously.
”How him provin' it!” exclaimed the old negro, warming to his subject.
”Why, sah, him provin' it ebbery day ob he life more ways 'n one.”
”Well, give us an example, if you can remember one.”
”Yes, sah, I kin. An' I tell you-all one ob de berry simples' t'ings what dat ar Bijah ebber done. He war jest a ornery, stumpy-tail, 'c.o.o.n dawg, Bijah war, an' him know he warn't nuffin else. Dat's why he won't go fer nuffin 'ceptin' 'c.o.o.ns--no rabbits, ner 'possum, ner fox, ner b'ar, ner nuffin--jes 'c.o.o.ns. But 'c.o.o.ns! Don' talk, gen'l'_men_!
I reckin dat ar Bijah done know ebbery 'c.o.o.n in twenty mile ob de Moss Back plantashun. An' he knowed some fer 'c.o.o.ns wha' didn' 'low dey war 'c.o.o.ns no way.”
”What do you mean by that?” asked Winn.
”Dat's wha' I comin' to, Ma.r.s.e Winn, but yo' mus'n' hurry de ole man.
One day I takin' de ole kyart inter town wif a load er wood, an' Bijah he gwine erlong. When we comin' to der place whar de wood kyarts stops, I onyoked, an' Bijah he lyin', sleepylike, ondur de kyart. I pa.s.sin' de time er day 'long some udder cullud fellers, an' tellin'
wha' kind ob a 'c.o.o.n dawg Bijah war, an' how he ain't know nuffin no way 'ceptin' 'c.o.o.ns. Suddint I see dat ar dawg kin' er wink he eye, an' raise up an' sniff de yair, an' den lite out licketty cut down erlong. Dey ain't nuffin on de road 'ceptin' jes a cullud gal, an' she a-turnin' inter de sto'.
”Dem fellers laff fit to bus' deirselfs, an' say, 'Hi dar! wha' dat fine 'c.o.o.n dawg gwine fer now?'
”I say, 'Him gwine fer a 'c.o.o.n, gen'l'men, he suttinly am.' Yo' see, I jes nacherly 'bleeged ter say so. Same time, I kin' er jubious.
”Afo' we comin' ter de sto', I heah ole Bijah gibbin tongue lak mad, an' I say, 'Him treed um' gen'l'men! him treed um fer sho'. But when we comin' dar, an' look in der do', I feelin' mighty sick. Dat ar cullud gill she up in er cheer er-shyin' she umbrel at Bijah, an' him jes a dancin' 'roun', an' er-yelpin'.
”Well, ef dem fellers ain't laff! Dey jes roll deirselfs in de dus'.
”'Whar yo' 'c.o.o.n dawg now? Whar yo' 'c.o.o.n dawg?' dey axin; but I kep'
on sayin' nuffin. I know dat gal, an' when I hit Bijah er clip to stop he noise, I say, berry polite, 'Mawnin', Lize. Yo' got any 'c.o.o.n 'bout yo' pusson?'
”Den she say, snappylike, 'How I gwine get 'c.o.o.n, yo' fool n.i.g.g.e.r! No, sah, I ain't got no 'c.o.o.n 'ceptin' my ole man wha' I marry yistiddy he name _c.o.o.n_.'”
The shout of laughter that greeted this story was interrupted by the appearance of Billy Brackett at the door.
”Come out here, boys!” he cried. ”There's a steamboat on fire and coming down the river!”
This startling announcement emptied the ”shanty” in a hurry. Even Binney Gibbs forgot his aches and joined his mates outside.
There was no doubt as to the meaning of the column of flame that turned the darkness into day behind them. It was so near that they could hear its ominous roar, while the black forest walls on either side of the river were bathed in a crimson glow from its baleful light. A vast cloud of smoke, through which shot millions of sparks, trailed and eddied above it, while, with the hoa.r.s.e voice of escaping steam, the blazing craft sounded its own death-note.
As the monster came tearing down the channel of crimson and gold that opened and ever widened before it, our raftmates were fascinated by the sight of its sublime but awful approach. They stood motionless and speechless until roused to a sudden activity by Billy Brackett's shout of ”Man the sweeps, fellows! She is unmanageable, and headed for us as straight as an arrow. If we can't get out of the way she'll be on top of us inside of two minutes more!”
Like young tigers the boys tugged at the heavy sweeps; but they might as well have tried to extinguish the floating volcano that threatened them with destruction as to remove that ma.s.s of timber beyond reach of danger within the time allowed them. The task was an impossible one; and as they realized this fact, the crew of the _Venture_ prepared to launch their skiff, abandon the raft, and row for their lives.