The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-11-14
CHAPTER XVIII.

"What have You in that?'' asked.
"Dat? like to furgot bout it. OATS
full oh whites dat Miss Esther told me
to glib to yo'. She put 'em up fur yo'
herself and told me to keep huntin fur
70 till I found yo', as she reokoned yo'
must be powerful hungry. Hab yo' got
any appetite left, Marse HANK"
"Have any appetite left!' repeat
ed, almost dazed by the glorious It'd.
inga "Ah, but let me test the question:
Erastus handed me the basket, and,
restraining my eagerness, gently re-
moved the snowy napkin inolosing thu
pone. the corn cake and the game and
gazed enraptured upon the contents.
There are some scenes too sacred to be
dwelt upon and to which the pen can
not do justice. Let it suffice to say that
when I passed the basket back to the
servant he remarked, with a grin:
"Yo' hain't left crumb, Marse
Hank. Shall I go and got CARLOAD
more fur yo'?"
II have plenty, thank you," replied
dignifiedly, "but you must remember
that that is the first mouthful have
had since last night"
His eyes expanded, and he twisted his
thick lips into form to emit whistle.
"Gorrynation. if dat had been me I'd
died two free days ago!'
I looked toward Black Mans swamp.
Still it gave no sign of life.
"Well, Erastus, now that the hun.
cry has been fed what do you think I
ought next to do?'
Hanged if know Miss Esther had
writ it all down in dat letter and said
as how dat would explanify matters"
And the worried fellow renewed his
search for the missing missive, making
it SO thorough that be removed each
shoe and shook it ont, but the former
hunt had established the fact that it
was nowhere about him.
felt uneasy in remaining near the
swamp, from which my pursuers were
likely to emerge at any moment.
"Erastus, am going home with you.
Lead on"
II guess dat's what Miss Esther ex.
poets from de way she looked at me
when she handed me dat letter."
"Don't think any more about it," I
remarked, with an odd pang Of jealousy
that so unworthy a person should be the
recipient of a missive from the dainty
hand Of Colonel Mansley's only daugh.
ter.
beats de debbill" muttered Eras-
tus, finally giving up the hunt through
his clothing and scrutinizing the ground
as he walked onward, with me beside
him, furtivoly glancing every few Sec
onds over my shoulder.
do you know darby named Pete
who lives in Black Mans swamp" I
asked, with view of diverting his at
tention from the subject that distressed
him.
Erastus stopped short, with a sort Of
gasp, and stared at me.
"Why do yo' ask dat question, Marse
Hank? Yo' knows dat eberbody in de
world knows dat wuthless niger. He's
bad man. Doan' yo' trust him."
II must say 1 don't fancy his looks
aud manner and might have known
that you are acquainted with him. Why
does he make his home in the swamp"
My companion must have thought
was pretending ignorance, but all the
same he answered with engaging frank
ness:
"His fader was Big Tom, who ruined
away afo de wah. He war de slave OBJ
Gin'ral Witherspoon and one day killed
his oberseer. He TUX to de woods, slew
ed de dogs dey hunted him wild and lib
ed dar till he died"
"His wife accompanied him, sup
pose?"
"Yaas, and dar son Pete was bohn dar
and hab libed dar cher since"
"What is there SO bad about Peter"
"Why, hab heerd it said," replied
Erastus, lowering his voice to conf
Dental key, "dat he amt none too good
to stole chickens. What 20 t'ink OBJ
dat, Marse HANK"
ut is awful, J." l replied, with shud.
der. II have my suspicious that he is
degraded enough to indulge in such
wicked doings"
II doan' say so myself, fur nebber
hab met him when--dat isl
"You have never met him when?''
"When-dat is, when I sometimes
takes walk by moonlight" explained
Erastus, with considerable embarrass-
| ment.
This was amusing in its way, but I
was eager to question the servant about
the family of Colonel Mansley and saw
no way Of doing so. Evidently he had
not grain of doubt that I was the real
Henry Boyer, who, as the accepted sutton
OF Miss Mansley, could impart informa-
tion to others, The questions which I
would have asked, therefore, would have
made me ridiculous in his eyes. His
mistress, having reason to believe l was
in hiding somewhere in the neighbor-
hood and knowing my personal danger,
had sent her servant with food and a
letter which, unfortunately, he had lost
OH the way.
There were other points, however,
upon which it was safe to question ths
| African.
"Erastus, what made you leave me so
suddenly last night;'
"Yo' knows, Marse Hank. 1t war de
cry OBJ dat bloodhound.
But he was looking for me, not for
you"
II know dat but war wild yo'.
/ Dem critters sometimes get things
mixed, and he might TUX me fur yo'.
SET and not found it out till he had
Chawed me up"
"Have you seen anything Of the dogs
| and men today"'
"Ssed party go by de house. but dey
iidp H. Htf.a Hav had o dny wiI ,a,,