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the owls and the wolves, away off in the woods, and it seemed terrible

still. He was laying over by the corner. By-and-by he raised up, part

way, and listened, with his head to one side. He says very low:

"Tramp -- tramp -- tramp; that's the dead; tramp -- tramp -- tramp; they're

coming after me; bub I won't go -- Oh, they're here! don't touch me -- don't!

hands off -- they're cold; let go -- Oh, let a poor devil alone!"

Then he went down on all fours and crawled off begging them to let

him alone, and he rolled himself up in his blanket and wallowed in under the

old pine table, still a-begging; and then he went to crying. I could hear

him through the blanket. ssssssssss

By-and-by he rolled out and jumped up on his feet looking wild, and

he see me and went for me. He chased me round and round the place,

with a clasp-knife, calling me the Angel of Death and saying he would

kill me and then I couldn't come for him no more. I begged, and told

him I was only Huck, but he laughed such a screechy laugh, and roared

and cussed, and kept on chasing me up. Once when I turned short and

dodged under his arm he made a grab and got me by the jacket between

my shoulders, and I thought I was gone; but I slid out of the jacket

quick as lightning, and saved myself. Pretty soon he was all tired out,

and dropped down with his back against the door, and said he would rest

a minute and then kill me. He put his 'knife under him, and said he

would sleep and get strong, and then he would see who was who.

So he dozed off, pretty soon. By-and-by I got the old split-bottom

chair and dumb up, as easy as I could, not to make any noise, and got

down the gun. I slipped the ramrod down it to make sure it was loaded,

and then I laid it across the turnip barrel, pointing towards pap, and set

down behind it to wait for him to stir. And how slow and still the time

did drag along. ssssssssss

ssssssssss

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