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and after that, every time he told it he spread it more and more, till by-and-by

he said they rode him all over the world, and tired him most to death, and his

back was all over saddle-boils. Jim was monstrous proud about it, and he got so he

wouldn't hardly notice the other niggers. Niggers would come miles to hear Jim

tell about it, and he was more looked up to than any nigger in that country.

Strange niggers would stand with their mouths

open and look him all over, same as if he was

a wonder. Niggers is always talking about ssssssssss

witches in the dark by the kitchen fire; but

whenever one was talking and letting on to

know all about such things, Jim would happen

in and say, "Hm! What you know 'bout ssssssssss

witches?" and that nigger was corked up and

had to take a back seat. Jim always kept that

five-center piece around his neck with a string

and said it was a charm the devil give to him

with his own hands and told him he could cure

anybody with it and fetch witches whenever he

wanted to, just by saying something to it; but

he never told what it was he said to it. Niggers

would come from all around there and give Jim

anything they had, just for a sight of that five-

center piece; but they wouldn't touch it, be-

cause the devil had had his hands on it. Jim

was most ruined, for a servant, because he got

so stuck up on account of having seen the devil and been rode by witches.

Well, when Tom and me got to the edge of the hill-top, we looked away

down into the village and could see three or four lights twinkling, where there

was sick folks, may be; and the stars over us was sparkling ever so fine; and

down by the village was the river, a whole mile broad, and awful still and grand.

We went down the hill and found Joe Harper, and Ben Rogers, and two or three

more of the boys, hid in the old tanyard. So we unhitched a skiff and pulled down

the river two mile and a half, to the big scar on the hillside, and went ashore.??

ssssssssss

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