第18章

But the next day I went exploring around down through the island.I was boss of it; it all belonged to me, so to say, and I wanted to know all about it; but mainly I wanted to put in the time.I found plenty strawberries, ripe and prime; and green summer grapes, and green razberries; and the green blackberries was just beginning to show.They would all come handy by and by, I judged.

Well, I went fooling along in the deep woods till I judged I warn't far from the foot of the island.I had my gun along, but I hadn't shot nothing; it was for protection; thought I would kill some game nigh home.

About this time I mighty near stepped on a good-sized snake, and it went sliding off through the grass and flowers, and I after it, trying to get a shot at it.I clipped along, and all of a sudden I bounded right on to the ashes of a camp fire that was still smoking.

My heart jumped up amongst my lungs.I never waited for to look further, but uncocked my gun and went sneaking back on my tiptoes as fast as ever I could.Every now and then I stopped a second amongst the thick leaves and listened, but my breath come so hard I couldn't hear nothing else.

I slunk along another piece further, then listened again; and so on, and so on.If I see a stump, I took it for a man; if I trod on a stick and broke it, it made me feel like a person had cut one of my breaths in two and I only got half, and the short half, too.

When I got to camp I warn't feeling very brash, there warn't much sand in my craw; but I says, this ain't no time to be fooling around.So I got all my traps into my canoe again so as to have them out of sight, and Iput out the fire and scattered the ashes around to look like an old last year's camp, and then clumb a tree.

I reckon I was up in the tree two hours; but I didn't see nothing, Ididn't hear nothing -- I only THOUGHT I heard and seen as much as a thousand things.Well, I couldn't stay up there forever; so at last I got down, but I kept in the thick woods and on the lookout all the time.All I could get to eat was berries and what was left over from breakfast.

By the time it was night I was pretty hungry.So when it was good and dark I slid out from shore before moonrise and paddled over to the Illinois bank -- about a quarter of a mile.I went out in the woods and cooked a supper, and I had about made up my mind I would stay there all night when I hear a PLUNKETY- PLUNK, PLUNKETY-PLUNK, and says to myself, horses coming;and next I hear people's voices.I got everything into the canoe as quick as I could, and then went creeping through the woods to see what I could find out.I hadn't got far when I hear a man say:

"We better camp here if we can find a good place; the horses is about beat out.Let's look around."I didn't wait, but shoved out and paddled away easy.I tied up in the old place, and reckoned I would sleep in the canoe.

I didn't sleep much.I couldn't, somehow, for thinking.And every time I waked up I thought somebody had me by the neck.So the sleep didn't do me no good.By and by I says to myself, I can't live this way; I'm a-going to find out who it is that's here on the island with me; I'll find it out or bust.Well, I felt better right off.

So I took my paddle and slid out from shore just a step or two, and then let the canoe drop along down amongst the shadows.The moon was shining, and outside of the shadows it made it most as light as day.I poked along well on to an hour, everything still as rocks and sound asleep.Well, by this time I was most down to the foot of the island.A little ripply, cool breeze begun to blow, and that was as good as saying the night was about done.I give her a turn with the paddle and brung her nose to shore; then I got my gun and slipped out and into the edge of the woods.I sat down there on a log, and looked out through the leaves.I see the moon go off watch, and the darkness begin to blanket the river.But in a little while I see a pale streak over the treetops, and knowed the day was coming.So I took my gun and slipped off towards where I had run across that camp fire, stopping every minute or two to listen.But I hadn't no luck somehow;I couldn't seem to find the place.But by and by, sure enough, I catched a glimpse of fire away through the trees.I went for it, cautious and slow.

By and by I was close enough to have a look, and there laid a man on the ground.It most give me the fantods.He had a blanket around his head, and his head was nearly in the fire.I set there behind a clump of bushes in about six foot of him, and kept my eyes on him steady.It was getting gray daylight now.Pretty soon he gapped and stretched himself and hove off the blanket, and it was Miss Watson's Jim! I bet I was glad to see him.I says:

"Hello, Jim!" and skipped out.

He bounced up and stared at me wild.Then he drops down on his knees, and puts his hands together and says:

"Doan' hurt me -- don't! I hain't ever done no harm to a ghos'.I alwuz liked dead people, en done all I could for 'em.You go en git in de river agin, whah you b'longs, en doan' do nuffn to Ole Jim, 'at 'uz awluz yo'

fren'."

Well, I warn't long making him understand I warn't dead.I was ever so glad to see Jim.I warn't lonesome now.I told him I warn't afraid of HIM telling the people where I was.I talked along, but he only set there and looked at me; never said nothing.Then I says:

"It's good daylight.Le's get breakfast.Make up your camp fire good.""What's de use er makin' up de camp fire to cook strawbries en sich truck? But you got a gun, hain't you? Den we kin git sumfn better den strawbries.""Strawberries and such truck," I says."Is that what you live on?""I couldn' git nuffn else," he says.

"Why, how long you been on the island, Jim?""I come heah de night arter you's killed.""What, all that time?"

"Yes -- indeedy."

"And ain't you had nothing but that kind of rubbage to eat?""No, sah -- nuffn else."

"Well, you must be most starved, ain't you?""I reck'n I could eat a hoss.I think I could.How long you ben on de islan'?""Since the night I got killed."