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sleeping like that for ever so long, and looking better and peacefuler allthe

time, and ten to one he'd wake up in his right mind.

So we set there watching, and by-and-by he stirs a bit, and opened his eyes

very natural, and takes a look, and says: ssssssssss

"Hello, why I'm at home! How's that? Where's the raft?"

"It's all right," I says.

"And ?? ssssssssss

"The same," I says, but couldn't say it pretty brash. But he never noticed,

but says: ssssssssss

"Good! Splendid! Now we're all right and safe! Did you tell Aunty?"

I was going to say yes; but she chipped in and says:

"About what, Sid?"

"Why, about the way the whole thing was done."

"What whole thing?"

"Why, the whole thing. There ain't but one; how we set the runaway nig-

ger free -- me and Tom." ssssssssss

"Good land! Set the run -- What is the child talking about! Dear, dear,

out of his head again!" ssssssssss

"No, I ain't out of my HEAD; I know all what I'm talking about. We did

set him free -- me and Tom. We laid out to do it, and we done it. And we done

it elegant, too." He'd got a start, and she never checked him up, just set and

stared and stared, and let him clip along, and I see it warn't no use for me to put

in. "Why, Aunty, it cost us a power of work -- weeks of it -- hours and hours,

every night, whilst you was all asleep. And we had to steal candles, and the

sheet, and the shirt, and your dress, and spoons, and tin plates, and case-knives,

and the warming-pan, and the grindstone, and flour, and just no end of things, and

you 'can't think what work it was to make the saws, and pens, and inscriptions,

and one thing or another, and you can't think half the fun it was. And we had

to make up the pictures of coffins and things, and nonnamous letters from the

robbers, and get up and down the lightning-rod, and dig the hole into the cabin,

and make the rope-ladder and send it in cooked up in a pie, and send in spoons

and things to work with, in your apron pocket."

ssssssssss

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