"Burlman Rennuls," ses I to myself, "whar you gwine? Dis ain't de sort
uf groun' fur you. You cain't manage de Injun here on de steep
hill-side--he's too active fur you; he's too long fur you; he's too much
like a painter fur you. Git to a lebel country, Burlman Rennuls; git to
a lebel country quick as you kin." Den I hugs him up tight in my arms,
an' locks him up tight in my legs, an' 'way down de steep hill, rollin',
rumblin', an' tumblin' we go--fus' nigger on top, den Injun'--ober an'
ober, fas'er an' fas'er. [The orator revolving his fists one round the
other with increasing rapidity.]
"Burlman Rennuls, whar you gwine?" Don't know whar, but dat we's rollin'
fas'er an' fas'er, an' dat we's startin' de rocks to rollin' too,
a-hoppin' an' pitchin' behin' us as ef dey's in fur a frolic. Now we's
all in a whirl down dar at de foot uf de hill, an' no lebel
country--nothin' but a leanin'-ober river-bank forty foot high. "Burlman
Rennuls, whar you gwine?" Don't know whar. But ober we pitches
a-whirlin' [throwing out one of the revolving fists at a tangent]--down
we draps into water full forty foot deep, kerslash; de rocks a-pitchin'
in arter us thick as hail. [Audience: "Laws-a-marcy!" "Goodness
gracious!" "Hoo-weep!" (with a whistle). After an impressive pause the
speaker, with an impressive gesture, resumed his exciting story.]
Now, ladies an' gen'lemen, you's thinkin' dat's de las' uf Burlman
Rennuls, an' dis his ghos' up here on de stump a-talkin' to you. 'T
ain't so: Burlman Rennuls pulled out; pulled out, I say. Ef he didn't he
wouldn't be up here a-tellin' you uf it. I ups an' looks roun', big
Injun ups an' looks roun'. I pulls fur big Injun, big Injun pulls for
lan'. Bes' swimmer; gits dar fus', an' ter keep me from landin' too,
'gins beatin' me back wid rocks, wid no more kunsideration fur de
feelin's uf a gen'leman dan ef I'd been a shell-backed tarapin. Whack
comes one uf de rocks on my head. "Ouch!" an' down I dives. "Burlman
Rennuls," ses I to myself, down dar in de bottom uf de riber, "whar ar'
you come to? Not whar you started to go. Dis ain't yo' lebel country.
Dis won't do. Big Injun too much fur you in water. Git out uf de water
quick as you kin. Two loaded guns up dar on top uf de hill. You scratch
out an' git de guns, an' yo' day's work's ober."
So, I ups ag'in; an' dis time under de leanin'-over bank, whar de
cane-brake wus, de roots uf de brake a-hangin' down 'mos' to de water.
Now comes de rocks ag'in, as thick as hail. Grabbin' de cane-brakes, up
I goes, han' ober han', han' ober han'. De rocks stop flyin'. I looks
behin' me to see fur why. Dar goes Black Thunder drivin' 'cross de riber
down at de riffle, makin' de water fly befo' him like a runaway hoss. O
my little marster! Up I goes, in double-quick time. Half way up I sees a
painter a-grinnin' down at me frum a tree on de bank. Didn't like his
looks, but climbed on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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