The times., 1897-03-28
AARON IN THE WILD WOODS
THE STORY OF A SOUTH
ERN SWAMP
BY JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS
Copyright, 1897, by Joel Chandler Harris.)
CHAPTER VIII.
THE HAPPENINGS OF A NIGHT.

a negro DdSStu diOliS lilt " ut iN'iN
ing to the cabins whistling tune, 1t was
Randall. He heald the others and paused.
ITS your turn to tote said Aaron.
who" exclaimed Randall.
"The Little Master" replied Aaron.
Randall laughed. Who talked OF turns
where the Little Master was concerned?
When il came to carrying that kind of
burden. Randall was the man TO DO it. and
it was, Don't le' me hurt you, honey.
Ef / squeeze too tight, des say de word;"
and then, "whar we gwine, honey? A on
guine in dar Ell put dat ar hoss up? Wei,
70 he go iii dar less all shake hands wid
i'm, kaze when we mex lay eyes ON i'm, he
won't hear us not ef we Stoop down aud
holler good-by in his year
But, Following Aaron, they went toward
the lot where the Black Stallion had shown
his savage temper during the day.
When Aaronandthose who werewithhim
reached the lot oufence, which had beenmade
high and strong to keep old Jule, the jump
ing mule, within Lounds, not Il sound was
heard on the other side.
''Youer takin' yo' life in yo' han, mon,"
said Randall, in d warning tone, as Aaron
placed one foot on the tnird rail and yaulted
over The warning would have come too
were OF Randall's tongue Aaron was over
the fence. Those who were left behind
waited in breathless suspense for some
sound some movement Timoleon
or some word from the Arab-to guide them.
But for little while and it seemed to
he a long, long while to Little Crotchctt-
nothing could be heard Then, suddenly,
there fell on their strained ears the noise
that is made Icy a rushing hoIse, followed
10y sharp exclamation from Aaron.
What a pity if he is huIt," exclaimed
the Teacher.
Before anything else could be said, there
came a whinnying sound from Timeleon,
such as horses make wheE they greet those
they are fond of, or when they are hungry
and see some one bringing their food.
But Timolcons whinnying was more pro-
longed, and in the midst of it they could
hear Aaron talking.
"Ef horses ould talk, " remarked Randall
"Idupn say dey wuz can on big confab
In dar. y
Little Crotchett said nothing He had
often heard Aaron say that he knew the
language of animals, but the matter had
never been pressed on the lads attention
asst was. years afterward, the attention
Finally Aaron came to the fence, closely
followed by the Black Stallion.
Man, what do you think?" said the Son
OF Ben Ali TO Randall; mo water, no corn,
no fodder since night before last
''Dc Lord "a mercy,r exclaimed Randall.
'Is anybody ever hear de beat er dat"
No wonder he cotch dat ar nigger an bit
i'm, When de rascal git well l. gwine
ri i'm a paddlin'-an' FL DO it right,
mon
Mr.. Hudspeth made mental note OF this
speech, and resolved to find out if Randall
meant what he said, or was merely joking.
Man. give me the Little Master" sad
Aaron from the top of the fence, land run
and fetch two buckets Of water from the
spring"
"Dey's water in de lot dar,'' Randall
explained.
1T is dirty" replied Aaron. 'The
grandson Of AbdalIah would die before he
would drink it"
Heleaned down and took Little Crotchett
in his arms. The muzzIe of Tfmoleon was
so near that the lad could feel the hot
breath from his nostrils. Involuntarily
the Little Master shuddered and shrank
closer to Aaron.
He'll not hurt you,'' said Aaron. He
made queer sound with his lips, and the
horse whinnied. Now you may put your
hand on him-so.n The Arab took the
Little Masters hand and placed it gently
on the smooth, sensitive muZZle of the
horse. The lad could feel the nervous
working Of Timoleon's strong upper lip.
Then he stroked the horses head and
81,
than it takes to write it down he felt very
much at home with the Black Stallion,
and had no fear Of him then or afterward.
Randall soon returned with cool, fresh
water from the spring. The Black Stallion
drank all that was brought. and wanted
more. hut Aaron said no. He had placed
the Little Master on Randall's shoulder,
and Timoleon. when he finished drinking,
was taken to his stable and fed, and the
broken door propped in such manner that
1t could not be forced open from the in
side. This done, Aaron returned to the
others. relieved Randall OF Little
Crotchett. though the frai, body was not
much of a burden. and the three started
back TO the bg house.
You are stlll anxious TO punish the poor
man who was hurt b the horse?'' asked the
Teacher, as Randall bade them goodnight.
Il is dat, sub I'm des cz sho ter raise
welks on his hide eZ de sun is ter shine
leas'ways ef breff stays in his body. Eff ia
"a been dat ar hoss and he'd done me dat
away, "a "a trompledde gizzard out'n i'm.
Ef dey's anything dat do 'spise, sub, it's
low-down, triflin good-fer-nothin' mig
GER
Mr IIudSpeth knew enough about human
nature to be able to catch the tone of down
right sincerity in the negro s voice, and the
fact not only amazed him at the time, but
worried him no little when he recalled it
afterwarl. for his memory seized upon il
and made il more important than il really
was And he saw and noted other things
on thatplanta tion thatpuZzled him nolittle,
and destroyed In his own mind the efficiency
of some Of his strongest anti-slave argu-
mt ITS. butit did not, for il could not reach
the eSsenceof the matter a. heh d conceived
it. that human slavery, let it be national
or sectional, or paternal and patliarchal,
was an infilction on the master Us well as
an injustice 20 the negro
so far so good But Mr.. Hudspeth could
no. seetheI what he saw and acknowledged
when American slavery was happily a thing
OF the past, namely, that in the beginning
the slaves who were brought here We're
redeemed from a slavery in their own cOun-
try worse than the bondage of death; that,
though they came here as SavageS, they
were brought in close and stimulating con-
tact with Christian civilization, and so
lifted up that in two centuries they were
able to bear the promotion to citizenship